Meet Kirsten Klein, PhD, an early-career psychologist and recipient of ABPP’s 2025 Art Nezu Dissertation Diversity Award.

Kirsten G. Klein, PhD
Correspondence: kirsten.klein@ufl.edu
- Tell us about your current professional roles and activities.
My name is Kirsten Klein (she/her) and I graduated from the University of Florida with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. I also recently completed my pre-doctoral internship in the Lifespan Health track at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. I concurrently serve as the Co-Director of the UF Health Cancer Center’s Cancer Disparities Research Collaborative, which serves to mitigate and reduce cancer-related disparities in East Gainesville, Florida.
- What are your next steps professionally?
I will be joining the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University as a postdoctoral associate where I will be engaging in research, clinical and teaching activities.
- What inspired the topic of your research or scholarly work?
My research examines how structural inequity across multiple levels (i.e., individual, interpersonal, systemic) continues to facilitate poor health outcomes for Black communities. For example, my dissertation topic explores how experiences of cultural sensitivity and/or racism during the healthcare encounter can impact Black women’s utilization of preventive cancer screenings. I hope to share my findings and collaborate with community members to create culturally relevant health interventions that are aligned with their needs for wellness and survival.
- Do you plan to pursue board certification? If so, in what specialty(ies)?
I am proud to have graduated from a Counseling Psychology doctoral program and would like to pursue board certification in this specialty. I am grateful to have mentors who are board certified in Counseling Psychology, as I have consistently witnessed how the field’s values and commitment to community have shaped their professional identity and career.
- What advice would you give to students considering a career in psychology?
Do what you love; and do what pushes you to grow in loving yourself and the communities you serve, radically.