Laura Wandner, Ph.D.

Expert Publications

• The influence of sex, race, and age on pain assessment and treatment decisions using virtual human technology: a cross-national comparison.
• Pain assessment and treatment decisions for virtual human patients.
• The role of anger in psychosocial subgrouping for patients with low back pain.
• Using virtual human technology to provide immediate feedback about participants' use of demographic cues and knowledge of their cue use.
• Assessment of the Influence of Demographic and Professional Characteristics on Health Care Providers' Pain Management Decisions Using Virtual Humans.

Media Releases

Get to know Psychologist Dr. Laura Wandner, who serves patients in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Wandner, a committed and compassionate clinical health psychologist, is the Director of Wandner Health and Wellness, LLC. She is licensed to practice in the state of Maryland and can see patients via tele-therapy in any of the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) participating states.

“My job is to provide a supportive and compassionate space where you can learn skills that will help you manage the thoughts, feelings, emotions, sensations, and behaviors that come with life’s challenges. We will work together using evidence-based strategies that are tailored to your needs. My goal is to empower you to prioritize your health and make space in your life for the things that matter most to you” expressed Dr. Wandner. 

Her interests are in helping patients to understand the mind-body connection, helping them to improve their quality of life despite experiencing chronic health conditions, and improving the way that they live despite stress and hardships. 

Specializing in health psychology, Dr. Wandner focuses on promoting overall well-being as well as coping with acute and chronic illnesses. She also specializes in treating patients with acute and chronic pain, headaches, and migraines, as well as has extensive experience treating insomnia, weight management, and managing life stressors.

Throughout her academic career, Dr. Wandner graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Government from Connecticut College in 2007. She then went on to earn both her Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Clinical and Health Psychology, Behavioral Medicine track, from the University of Florida in 2011 and 2014, respectively. 

Furthering her training, she performed her clinical internship (rotations in chronic pain, psycho-oncology, tobacco cessation, weight and diabetes management, primary care treatments, and inpatient consultation liaison services) with VA Connecticut Healthcare System in 2014. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship (Rotations in the integrative pain clinic, opioid reassessment clinic, anesthesiology pain clinic, primary care setting, and spinal cord stimulator evaluation clinic) with the said establishment in 2015.

While she has spent the majority of her career working in hospital settings, Dr. Wandner now seeks to increase community access to health psychology services. In her part-time private practice, she hopes to continue helping patients live their best values-driven life. 

She takes a very collaborative approach to ensure that each patient feels that they are being heard and that their goals are being met. Her therapeutic style is warm, genuine, and empathetic, remaining present while working with each patient on navigating physical and emotional obstacles together. 

“I want to understand what is important to you about your lived experiences and your identities – such as your culture, ethnicity, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or abilities – and draw on your personal strengths to help you reach your goals,” stated Dr. Wandner.

Among her professional affiliations, she is an active member of the US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP), the International Association for the Study of Pain, the American Psychological Association, the Maryland Psychological Association, and the National Register of Health Service Psychologists.

A Program Officer in the Office of Pain Policy and Planning at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Dr. Wandner manages programs within the Acute to Chronic Pain Signature Program (A2CPS) and the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative (HEAL). She also leads the HEAL Initiative’s Common Data Element (CDE) Initiative.

Prior to opening a private practice, she held the position of clinical pain psychologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Psychology is the science of behavior and mind. It includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. It is an academic discipline of immense scope. Psychologists assess, diagnose, and treat the psychological problems and behavioral dysfunctions resulting from, or related to, physical and mental health. In addition, they play a major role in the promotion of healthy behavior, preventing diseases and improving patients’ quality of life.

Pertaining to her philanthropic endeavors, Dr. Wandner is a volunteer with the Red Cross.

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