160 {BONUS} Dr. Jessica Chen and the Long Game of Coaching

 Dr. Chen is a clinical psychologist, chronic pain specialist, and health services researcher. Her research focuses on social determinants of health and the implementation of evidence-based psychosocial interventions for chronic pain and trauma. Dr. Chen is currently supported by a VA Career Development Award and other VA and NIH grants focused on increasing patient involvement in treatment decision-making and leveraging VA’s national healthcare system data to examine disparities in access to telehealth treatments for chronic pain and co-occurring opioid use disorder. 

She has also founded a therapy practice specializing in serving first and second-generation Asian Americans and is a long-term KD Coach client. Kemi and Jess have an open, freewheeling discussion covering:  

• The nascent days (2020!) of Kemi’s coaching and the evolution since 
• Her journey from an early career faculty member to a funded researcher and entrepreneur. 
• Reflections on the shifts in academic culture she’s gone through 
• Her experiences with the KD Coach programs, including the transformative Inner Leader Retreat. 
• Insights on how coaching has helped her cut through the noise of academia to focus on making a real impact. 

 For those at the beginning of their coaching journey, Dr. Chen leaves you with a golden nugget: investing in yourself is a bet you'll never regret. Embrace the journey, and let it unfold into something larger than you might have ever imagined.  

Loved this convo? Please go check out Jess’s website at https://www.jessicachenphd.com! 

Newsletter: If you'd like to learn more foundational career navigation concepts for women of color in academic medicine and public health, sign up for our KD Coaching Foundations Series: www.kemidoll.com/foundations.