Courtney Hess, PhD
The next Alumni Spotlight by the Laboratory for Sport Psychology and Performance Excellence (LSPPE) highlights Dr. Courtney Hess, B.S. Kinesiology Class of ’13 and M.S. Kinesiology Class of ’15. Under the advisement of LSPPE faculty Dr. Barbara Meyer, Dr. Hess completed a Master’s thesis titled, “The lived experiences of an injured athlete and members of a performance management team during injury rehabilitation: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.”
Following her time at UWM, Dr. Hess completed a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston and a doctoral internship at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Hess is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, & Pain Medicine. Her research focus is within pediatric pain. As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Hess dedicates 50% of her time to research in the Biobehavioral Pediatric Pain (BPP) Laboratory and the other 50% of her time in direct clinical care of patients and families experiencing pain.
Dr. Meyer describes Dr. Hess as a top-notch scholar, compassionate clinician, and generous human being. “As an undergraduate student, Courtney asked questions that extended both theory and application. It comes as no surprise then that the research emanating from her Master’s thesis resulted in one manuscript bridging the gap between injury rehabilitation theory and practice, and another manuscript advancing applied team science in the sports medicine domain.” Dr. Meyer further offered that she is excited to see how Dr. Hess’ career unfolds and to “keep collaborating with and learning from such a well-respected colleague.”
To catch up with Dr. Hess on her post-UWM career and life, we asked her a few questions:
What are your roles and responsibilities in your current position?
Within my research role I am responsible for mentoring students and working alongside research coordinators in supporting ongoing research in the BPP lab, including a new National Institute of Health randomized control trial study assessing the utility of virtual reality in supporting rehabilitation in pediatric chronic pain. I have also started to support a qualitative research study aimed at understanding the lived experiences of patients and families navigating pain care. In the coming year I will also work to establish my own line of inquiry focused on team science and human factors (e.g., studying healthcare teams who support patients and families) in pediatric pain care to improve outcomes and experiences for patients, families, and healthcare professionals.
In my clinical work I have often drawn upon my previous training in kinesiology as I help support patients who are experiencing acute, chronic, or recurrent pain and are often navigating working with multiple health professionals during the rehabilitation process. I currently work in an intensive rehabilitation program which also has resulted in high levels of integrated collaboration to support patients and families. The combination of my kinesiology and counseling training has prepared me in a unique way to undertake my current clinical responsibilities.
Why did you choose the MS Kinesiology program for your graduate study?
I had the opportunity to learn about the M.S. Kinesiology program throughout my undergraduate degree at UWM and was fortunate to learn from many of the faculty during that time. In thinking about next steps in my education, I was excited by the opportunity to be situated within an integrated health sciences department while focusing on sport and performance psychology as my specialized area of interest. The ability to continue to gain depth across the health sciences degree was also important in my decision-making. Additionally, I was an athlete at UWM and during my final year of sport had the opportunity to take the sport psychology course (Kinesiology 350) with Dr. Meyer, which really triggered my curiosity. I found myself asking questions and thinking about the implications of her work and research on a regular basis. Although I benefited from opportunities across different labs and research opportunities at UWM, it was clear that I wanted to pursue my master’s degree with Dr. Meyer and focus on the intersection of psychology and performance.
What was your favorite part about your experience in the MS Kinesiology program?
There were so many experiences in the program that I enjoyed and valued. As a part of the LSPPE, the opportunity to collaborate with the Human Performance & Sport Physiology Laboratory (HPSP) was quite unique and created a great atmosphere for integrated learning. Also, in both labs, the opportunity to observe the direct impact of research and science on people was incredibly rewarding. These experiences prompted me to continue asking questions and really affirmed a couple things for me – the importance of doing good, applied research, and the important potential of interdisciplinary research collaboration. These experiences culminated in my own thesis research project which has ended up being such an incredibly important part of my training, development, and passion for research. Lastly, I will always be thankful my M.S. degree brought members of the LSPPE and HPSP into my life, as they are now some of my closest colleagues and friends.
How did your experience as a member of the LSPPE prepare you for your doctoral education?
In so many ways. My time in the LSPPE was formative in developing my (a) understanding of what research is, (b) dedication to doing sound science, (c) knowledge of the fundamentals of communicating research, and (d) consideration for the “so what” of the work I was doing. Dr. Meyer was always asking how our research will impact people, and that was formative for me to witness. Dr. Meyer’s leadership and example in the lab impacted everyone, as did Dr. Ebersole’s. Together their mentorship created an environment where we as students challenged each other to grow (in sometimes difficult ways), but also supported one another during the process. I learned a lot about what mentorship looks like through experiencing it myself from different people. I also learned to be comfortable doing good work where I was, and it was instilled in me to focus on the process of building my skills rather than chasing publications or outcomes and that has served me in so many ways across my training.
What advice would you give incoming or current graduate students?
Re-frame critical feedback and hard conversations – if someone is doing the hard work of providing feedback that feels uncomfortable, it is a sign of their dedication to your development and belief in your abilities. It’s always easier to say nothing. Learn to be self-reflective and honest with yourself. I found Dr. Meyer’s prompts to think about what gives me energy versus drains my energy a helpful starting point. In grad school it can often feel like we’re chasing something that is quite nebulous (e.g., the degree, to “be in academia”), and I found it/still find it grounding and important to consider what I want my life to look like in the day-to-day.
For more information on how to study sport and performance psychology at UWM, explore our website and/or contact Dr. Meyer (bbmeyer@uwm.edu) or Dr. Arvinen-Barrow (arvinenb@uwm.edu).