Jordan Thomas, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor
- Beatrice Wright Scholar
Contact Info
Lawrence
1415 Jayhawk Blvd
Lawrence, KS 66045
Biography —
Dr. Jordan Thomas is a clinical psychologist, the Beatrice Wright Assistant Professor of Psychology, and director of the Trauma and Reproductive Psychology (TARP) Lab at the University of Kansas. She is also affiliated with KU's NIH-funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) "Leveraging Big Data to Improve Women's Health." Dr. Thomas studies intersections between traumatic stress and women's health across the reproductive lifecycle, with a focus on PTSD during the perinatal period. The ultimate goal of her research is to improve the quality and accessibility of trauma-focused interventions for perinatal women, in service of advancing women's health. Dr. Thomas earned her BA in Psychology from Connecticut College and her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology with a Health Psychology minor from the University of California, Los Angeles. She completed her predoctoral clinical internship at the VA Boston Healthcare System (PTSD Clinical Team Track) and received postdoctoral training as an NIMH T32 Fellow with VA Boston’s National Center for PTSD/Boston University. When not teaching, mentoring, researching, or doing clinical work, Dr. Thomas enjoys swimming, biking, and hiking with her dog, June.
Education —
Research —
Dr. Thomas's research centers on identifying health-related correlates and consequences of traumatic stress disorders in women across the reproductive lifecycle, with an eye toward clinical intervention. Most of this work has focused on trauma and health during the perinatal period—a particularly important reproductive stage for those who become pregnant. In this population, Dr. Thomas studies the manifestations and treatment of trauma and related psychopathology, primarily posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She is particularly interested in the delivery of trauma-focused interventions (e.g., Written Exposure Therapy) during pregnancy and postpartum. In her research, Dr. Thomas's leverages both epidemiological (e.g., "big data") and clinical trial methodologies.
Selected Publications —
Thomas, J.L., Yarrington J.S., Chen, T., Benedicto, R., Sumner, J.A., & Keenan-Miller, D. (2025). Acceptance and commitment therapy for posttraumatic psychopathology: Evaluating a transdiagnostic group-based telehealth intervention. American Journal of Psychotherapy. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2024003
Thomas, J.L., Colich, N.L., McLaughlin, K.A., & Sumner, J.A. (2023). Dimensions of early life adversity and sexual behavior in a U.S. population-representative sample of adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 72(4), 560-567. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.10.028
Thomas, J.L., Cleveland, S., Pietrzak, R.H., Dunkel Schetter, C., & Sumner, J.A. (2021). Elucidating posttraumatic stress symptom dimensions and health correlates among postpartum women. Journal of Affective Disorders, 294, 314-21. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.07.025
Thomas, J.L., Lewis, J.B., Ickovics, J.R., & Cunningham, S.D. (2021). Associations between adverse childhood experiences and sexual risk among postpartum women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 3848. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073848
Ickovics, J.R., Lewis, J.B., Cunningham, S.D., Thomas, J., & Magriples, U. (2019). Transforming prenatal care: Multidisciplinary team science improves a broad range of maternal-child outcomes. American Psychologist, 74(3), 343-355. doi:10.1037/amp0000435
Awards & Honors —
Alies Muskin Career Development Leadership Program (CDLP), Clinical Research Track, Anxiety and Depression Association of America (2025)
Grants & Other Funded Activity —
Loan Repayment Program, Clinical Research Award, National Institute of Mental Health (1L30MH141736), 2025-2027
Memberships —
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS); Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)