Natoshia Cunningham

Natoshia Cunningham

Natoshia Cunningham , PhD

Associate Professor

Biography

Natoshia R. Cunningham, PhD, is a 2025-2026 Fulbright US Scholar to Spain

Dr. Natoshia R Cunningham, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the College of Human Medicine, Department of Family Medicine at Michigan State University and directs the  HELP PAIN Lab .  She is a licensed clinical psychologist whose research focuses on 1) developing and testing psychological treatments for youth with chronic painful health conditions (e.g., lupus, functional abdominal pain) and co-occurring mental health symptoms, 2) studying neural mechanisms of pediatric pain and effect of psychological therapies for these conditions, and 3) increasing access to behavioral healthcare for pediatric chronic pain and mental health concerns using community-engaged and culturally adapted methods, with active projects in the US and abroad. She has published numerous scholarly papers in peer-reviewed journals, and holds current or recent grants from the National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Defense, and several foundational sources, including the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance-Arthritis Foundation.  She is a clinical behavioral trialist and dissemination and implementation scientist committed to mentoring the next generation of clinical scientists.

 

Education/Training

Dr. Cunningham earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2011, specializing in the assessment and treatment of childhood anxiety disorders. As part of her graduate training, she completed her clinical internship in pediatric behavioral medicine at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center from 2010-2011. She came to MSU from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric pain from 2011 to 2014 and served as research faculty from 2014 to 2019.

Employment

Michigan State University, East Lansing, -

Publications

American College of Rheumatology Guidance Statements for Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Youth With Pediatric Rheumatologic Diseases Arthritis Care & Research (2025)

The Evolving Landscape of Using Telehealth to Address Pediatric Mental Health in a Postpandemic Era Academic Pediatrics (2025)

The Impact of a Brief Educational Seminar on Pediatric Pain-focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for School Providers The Clinical Journal of Pain (2024)

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of psychological interventions on anxiety in children and youth with chronic medical conditions Journal of Pediatric Psychology (2024)

Helping Educators Learn Pediatric Pain Assessment and Intervention Needs Program (HELP PAIN): Program Development with Community Partners Children (2024)

Study protocol for a pilot clinical trial to understand neural mechanisms of response to a psychological treatment for pain and anxiety in pediatric functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPD) PLOS ONE (2024)

Psychological distress and coping efficacy in children with disorders of gut-brain interaction. Neurogastroenterology and motility (2023)

Does it hold promise? Measuring pediatric anxiety via PROMIS vs the clinically validated SCARED Children's Health Care (2023)

Commentary: Actionable Steps for Addressing Pediatric Pain in Rural and Underserved Communities: Disrupting Our Approach to Psychological Science and Care Journal of Pediatric Psychology (2023)

A multi-site pilot randomized clinical trial of the Treatment and Education Approach for Childhood-onset Lupus (TEACH) program: study design and COVID-19 adaptations Pediatric Rheumatology (2023)

The Elephant in the Rheum: Time to Address Mental Health as a Priority in Pediatric Rheumatology The Journal of Rheumatology (2023)

Amygdalar functional connectivity during resting and evoked pain in youth with functional abdominal pain disorders Pain (2022)

Mental Health in Pediatric Rheumatology Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America (2022)

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Tailored to Anxiety Symptoms Improves Pediatric Functional Abdominal Pain Outcomes: A Randomized Clinical Trial The Journal of Pediatrics (2021)

In the News

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Balancing Science, Advocacy and Parenthood: MSU Psychologist Earns Fulbright to Expand Care for Kids with Chronic Pain

*Article original posted on https://humanmedicine.msu.edu/

Natoshia Cunningham has made it her life’s work to create tailored psychological treatments for children facing chronic pain. A…

Natasha Cunningham

Decoding Pain Relief: How Does a Coping Skills Program Impact Pain, Anxiety, and Brain Function in Children with FAPD?

Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPD) are the most common chronic pain conditions of childhood and are made worse by co-occurring anxiety.
Women in Medicine Month

Women in Medicine Month

September is recognized as Women in Medicine Month. During September members of our department will be sharing their thoughts and stories on Women in Medicine.

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Cunningham Presents Research in Sweden

Natoshia R. Cunningham, PhD, clinical scientist and pediatric psychologist in the department, was recently invited to Gothenburg Sweden to continue to build upon the momentum of collaborative…
Natasha Cunningham

Mental Health in Pediatric Rheumatology: An Opportunity to Improve Outcomes

Mental health disorders are more common in children with pediatric rheumatologic diseases compared to healthy peers. Mental health disorders impact disease-related outcomes and health-related quality…

Establishing Clinical Cut-points on the Pediatric PROMIS-pain Interference Scale in Youth with Abdominal Pain

Pain is a common presenting complaint in youth seeking medical care and can be debilitating. As such, it is important to understand the impact of pain on functioning using a clinically sensitive…
Natasha Cunningham

Elevated fecal calprotectin is linked to psychosocial complexity in pediatric functional abdominal pain disorders

Complex functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPD) in youth (e.g., categorized by elevated levels of anxiety, pain, and functional disability) are associated with the greatest risk for persistent…
|Alaina Miller

Engagement during a mixed in-person and remotely delivered psychological intervention for youth with functional abdominal pain disorders and anxiety

Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPD) are common pain conditions in youth that are associated with anxiety and can impact daily functioning. The Aim to Decrease Anxiety and Pain Treatment …

Natasha Cunningham

Addressing Pediatric Mental Health Using Telehealth During Coronavirus Disease-2019 and Beyond: A Narrative Review

by Natoshia Cunningham, PhD The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the way pediatricians deliver care.  Pediatricians are increasingly faced with the challenge of delivering care, including mental…

Psychological Assessment and Treatment of Youth with Chronic Health Conditions: Focus of HELP Lab.

The HELP Lab focuses on the psychological assessment and treatment of youth with chronic health conditions that involve…

Natasha Cunningham

Natoshia Cunningham, PhD, Discusses Psychological Treatment Study for Childhood Onset Lupus

Natoshia Cunningham, Phd, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine, discusses her research…
Natasha Cunningham

The Impact of PTSD on Clinical Presentation and Psychosocial Treatment Response in Youth with Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders

by Natoshia Cunningham, PhD The goal of this study was to investigate the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of youth with functional abdominal pain and to investigate…
Natasha Cunningham|Picture1

Faculty Spotlight: Natoshia Cunningham, PhD

  Natoshia R. Cunningham, PhD, is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Family…