Alyssa A Gonzalez, BA, MEd, PhD
Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, Division of Cancer Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2021 | Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, US, Psychology, Ph.D |
| 2017 | Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, US, Educational Psychology, MEd |
| 2015 | Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, US, Psychology, BA |
Postgraduate Training
| 2021-2022 | Clinical Fellowship, Pediatrics-Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Medical College of Wisconsin/Children's, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| 2020-2021 | Clinical Internship, Psychology, Community Health of Central Washington, Yakima, Washington |
| 2019-2020 | Practicum Experience, Texas A&M Health Family Care, Bryan, Texas |
| 2019-2020 | Practicum Experience, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2018-2019 | School Practicum Experience, Jane Long Intermediate School, Bryan, Texas |
| 2018-2018 | Teaching Apprenticeship Experience, Adolescent Development, Texas A&M University, Bryan, Texas |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2022 | Licensed Specialist in School Psychology |
| 2022 | Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Instructor, Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2022 - 2025
Other Professional Positions
Member-29th Supportive & Palliative Care Clinical and Research Symposium Planning Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2025 - Present
Member-28th Supportive & Palliative Care Clinical and Research Symposium Planning Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2024 - 2025
Member-27th Supportive & Palliative Care Clinical and Research Symposium Planning Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2023 - 2024
Member, Department Wellness Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2023 - Present
BeWell Champion, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2023 - Present
Member- Wellness Committee: Comfort Bags Subcommittee, The Medical College of Wisconsin/Children's, Milwaukee, WI, 2021 - 2022
Member-Postdoc Advisory Committee, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 2021 - 2022
Member-Postdoc Advisory Committee: Awards Judging Subcommittee, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 2021 - 2022
Member-Wellness Committee: Mindfulness Subcommittee, The Medical College of Wisconsin/Children's, Milwaukee, WI, 2021 - 2022
Member-Wellness Committee: MACC Fund Center, The Medical College of Wisconsin/Children's, Milwaukee, WI, 2021 - 2022
Member-Postdoc Advisory Committee: Postdoc Engagement Subcommittee, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 2021 - 2022
President-Student Affiliates in School Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2018 - 2019
President-Elect: Student Affiliates in School Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2017 - 2018
President-Educational Psychology Student Organization, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2017 - 2018
President-Elect: Educational Psychology Student Organization, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2016 - 2017
Editorial Activities
Editorial Board Member, Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 2024 - Present
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2025. Adherence and Symptom Distress in Prehabilitation Patients. Conference. Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine Grand Rounds. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. The Elusive Intervention: Psychological Interventions for Insomnia in Patients with Cancer. Conference. Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine Grand Rounds. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2021. Living Free with Childhood Cancer: Strategies to Support Positive Coping (Virtual). Conference. Camp One Step, WI, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2024. Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD): Diagnosis, Risks, Resources & Interventions (Holly G. Prigerson). Conference. 27th Supportive and Palliative Care Clinical and Research Symposium. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. (Co-Facilitators) Challenging Communication Encounters with Patients with Advanced Cancer (Daniel Epner-Presenter). Conference. 26th Supportive and Palliative Care Clinical and Research Symposium. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. The Future, Prayers, and Lies: Existential Issues in Palliative Care (William Breitbart). Conference. 26th Supportive and Palliative Care Clinical and Research Symposium. Houston, TX, US.
- 2016. The effect of childhood quality on outcomes during the college years (Poster). Conference. Southwestern Psychological Association Conference. Dallas, TX, US.
- 2015. Physiological markers of pain sensitivity in health women in different menstrual cycles (Poster). Conference. The UTHSCSA Undergraduate Neuroscience Symposium. San Antonio, TX, US.
National Presentations
- 2023. The Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease Patients & Families (Poster). Conference. 11th National Association of Psychologists in Academic Health Centers (APAHC) Biennial Conference. Louisville, KY, US.
- 2022. The wellness wagon: Why leadership should get on board (Oral and poster: Virtual). Conference. 2022 American Psychosocial Oncology Society Conference, US.
- 2019. Comparing developmental screening discrepancies related to economic disadvantage in rural head start (Poster). Conference. 2019 Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Chicago, IL, US.
- 2019. Predicting Adolescent Suicide Potential from Somatization, Depression, and Parent Relations between Self- and Parent-Reports (Poster). Conference. 2019 Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA, US.
- 2019. Multi-informant Agreement for Parent- and Self-Report of Adolescent Executive Functioning (Poster). Conference. 5th Annual Conference of the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology. Las Vegas, NV, US.
- 2018. Concurrent Validity of the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (YOQ) Across Gender and Ethnicity (Poster). Conference. 2018 National Conference in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Kansas City, MO, US.
- 2018. Relationship between gender and informant reports for adolescent internalizing symptoms (Poster). Conference. 126th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. San Francisco, CA, US.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Gonzalez AA, Janak L, Elles A, Pangemanan I, Narayanan S, Bruera E. Caregiver Distress: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Patient Care. Am J Hosp Palliat Care, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39700042.
- Gonzalez AA, Chao K, Morin J, Zhang J, Yan K, Hoag J. The Prevalence of Burnout in a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT Division and Initiatives to Improve Workplace Wellness. Authorea, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Valencia MC, Hang L, Schmidt D, Nichols J, Zhang J, Yan K, Gonzalez AA, Schwartz CL, Phelan R. Next Steps: Survivor Healthcare Passport-A Novel Form of Survivorship Care Plan in the Pediatric Population. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 45(5):e573-e577, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36898042.
- Erickson JM, Kamke-Jordan A, Lancaster IJ, Palou-Torres A, Esch M, Gonzalez AA, Charlson J, Bingen K. Medication self-management behaviors of adolescents and young adults with cancer. Support Care Cancer 31(7):390, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37300714.
Review Articles
- Gonzalez AA, Jimenez-Torres GJ, Rozman de Moraes A, Geng Y, Pawate V, Khan R, Narayanan S, Yennurajalingam S. Psychological Interventions for Insomnia in Patients with Cancer: A Scoping Review. Cancers (Basel) 16(22):3850, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
Other Articles
- Gonzalez AA, Jimenez GJ, Fellman BM, Chaoul A, Bruera E Evaluation of a Five-Minute Meditation Intervention During Weekly Palliative Care Clinical Rounds. J Pall Med, 2025.
Abstracts
- Gonzalez AA, Chao K, Morin J, Yan K, Hoag J. The wellness wagon: Why leadership should get on board. 2022 American Psychosocial Oncology Society Conference, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
Book Chapters
- Lang CK, Gonzalez AA, Riccio CA. Mitochondrial disorders. In: Health-related disorders in children and adolescents: A guidebook for educators and service providers. American Psychological Association, 177-184, 2023.
- Riccio CA, Sun LH, Gonzalez AA. Understanding typical and atypical neurodevelopment in children and adults. In: Understanding the Biological Basis of Behavior. Springer, 71-106, 2021.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified July 22, 2026