Grace Kao, PhD, MEd, ABPP
Department of Pain Medicine, Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, and Pain Medicine
In the News
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Associate Professor, Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Associate Professor, Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2013 | Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, US, Psychology, School, Clinical Child Strand, PhD |
| 2011 | Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, US, Educational Psychology, MEd |
Postgraduate Training
| 2013-2014 | Clinical Fellowship, Pain Psychology, Pediatric, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California |
| 2012-2013 | Clinical Internship, Health Service Psychology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2024 | Empowered Relief Instruction |
| 2021 | American Board of Professional Psychology |
| 2015 | Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Pain Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine | Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, 2014 - 2023
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Interim Director, Texas Children's Hospital Chronic Pain Service, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, 2018
Associate Director, Texas Children's Hospital Chronic Pain Service, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, 2016 - 2023
Other Professional Positions
Clinical Health Psychologist, Oshi Health, Houston, TX, 2022 - 2023
Extramural Institutional Committee Activities
Committee member, Continuing Education Committee, American Psychological Association, 2026 - 2029
Peer Messenger, Center for Professionalism, Support, and Success (CPSS), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - Present
Committee Member, Clinical Health Education Programs, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - Present
Editorial Activities
Associate Editor, Advances in Cancer Education and Quality Improvement (ACE-QI), 2025 - Present
Associate Editor, The Health Psychologist, 2024 - 2025
Editorial Team Member, The Health Psychologist, 2022 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2021 | Poetry Winner, Baylor College of Medicine Literary and Arts Review |
| 2014 | Scholarship/ Fundamentals of Pain Management, American Pain Society |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
National Presentations
- 2025. Pain Psychology. Invited. Palliative Fellowship Didactic Series, NYU Langone Health. New York, New York, US.
- 2025. Mindful and Minimalist Parenting: Applications for Busy Clinicians. Invited. American Psychological Association, Division 38 (Health Psychology). Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Pain Psychology. Invited. Palliative Fellowship Didactic Series, NYU Langone Health. New York, New York, US.
- 2019. Evidence and Ethics of Integrative Medicine: A Pre-Clinical Medical Student Elective. Conference. Integrative Pediatrics Special Interest Group Session, Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Baltimore. Baltimore, MD, US.
- 2019. Myth Busters: Opioid Myths and Prescribing Safeguards for the Anesthesiologist. Conference. Workshop at the Society of Pediatric Pain Annual Meeting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2017. Addressing Pain with Integrative Medicine at a Large Freestanding Children’s Hospital. Invited. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting Expo. Atlanta, GA, US.
- 2017. The birth of an interdisciplinary pain clinic: Challenges and considerations. World Congress on General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Chicago, Illinois, US.
- 2017. Pain acceptance as a predictor of health service utilization among adolescent chronic pain patients. Invited. Presentation at the University of Houston 2nd Annual Clinical Psychology Graduate Research Showcase. Houston, TX, US.
Formal Peers
- 2025. Panelist: Division Wellness Presentation. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Psychological Approaches to Chronic Pain. Visiting, US.
- 2019. Pediatric Chronic Pain Management. Visiting, US.
- 2018. Biofeedback and Guided Imagery. Visiting, US.
- 2017. We’re All in This Together: Interdisciplinary Pediatric Chronic Pain Management. Visiting, US.
- 2016. Behavioral Health Considerations for Pediatric Pain Management. Visiting, US.
- 2016. Pain, Pain Go Away: Therapy Techniques for Pediatric Practitioners. Visiting, US.
- 2016. Pediatric Pain Medicine. Visiting, US.
- 2016. Introduction to Clinical Hypnosis and Use of Therapeutic Language. Visiting, US.
- 2016. Introduction to Pain Psychology. Houston, Texas, US.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Kao, G, Javed, S, De Asis, O, Wang, J, Sun, X. Bridging the Gap. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 72(2):231-239, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 42105883.
- Kao, G, Parmar, J, Javed, S. Burden of Emotional Stress in Chronic Pain Care. Current Pain and Headache Reports 29(1), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40394430.
- Kao, G. With. Anesthesiology 142(4):753-754, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40553138.
- Chu, AS, Torres, L, Kao, G, Gilbert, C, Monico, E, Chumpitazi, BP. Multidisciplinary Care for Refractory Pediatric Functional Abdominal Pain Decreases Emergency and Inpatient Utilization. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition 74(2):248-252, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 34560729.
- Misra, S, Monico, E, Kao, G, Guffy, D, Kim, E, Khatker, M, Gilbert, G, Bird, M, Roth, I, Giardino, A. Addressing pain with inpatient integrative medicine at a large children’s hospital. Clinical Pediatrics, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Kao, G. A family’s experience with chronic pain, grief, and healing. Families, Systems, & Health, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Huestis, S, Kao, G, Dunn, A, Hilliard, AT, Yoon, IA, Golianu, B, Bhandari, RP. Multi- family pediatric pain group therapy: Capturing acceptance and cultivating change. Children, 2017. e-Pub 2017.
- Clementi, M, Kao, G, Monico, C. Pain acceptance as a predictor of medical utilization and school absenteeism in adolescents with chronic pain. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 2017. e-Pub 2017.
- Kao, G, Bhandari, R, Huestis, S, Golianu, B. Traumatic stress and pediatric pain: Towards a neurobiological stress-health perspective. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 2017. e-Pub 2017.
Other Articles
- Kao G Finding Voice. The Oncologist 30(10), 2025. PMID: 40973053.
- Kao G Reinventing purpose: Meaning-making in the face of pain and illness. Synapsis: A Health Humanities Journal, 2025.
- Kao G “Beautiful” sacrifice/Unseen burden? Navigating emotional labor as a healthcare clinician, woman, and mother. Synapsis: A Health Humanities Journal, 2024.
- Kao G The importance of social connection for well-being: Insights from patients, the science of pain, and a “remarkably bright” octopus. Synapsis: A Health Humanities Journal, 2024.
- Kao G Seeing the world “as we are”: Can storytelling guide us to better health?. Synapsis: A Health Humanities Journal, 2024.
- Kao G Looking back to step forward: A reflection on the “emerging adulthood” era of professional identity development. The Health Psychologist, 2024.
- Kao, G “Who I used to be”: Chronic pain, identity paralysis, and forging a new sense of self. Synapsis: A Health Humanities Journal, 2023.
- Kao, G Graduation session. The Health Psychologist, 2023.
- Kao, G Early career lessons in navigating pediatric chronic pain care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health Psychologist, 2022.
- Kao, G Inside. Omentum: Baylor College of Medicine Literary and Arts Review, Volume 1, 2021.
- Kao, G The pain of invisibility: A perspective on the treatment of pediatric chronic pain. Journal of Patient Experience, 2020.
- Kao, G A perfect distance. Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, 2017.
Abstracts
- Gomez J, Huang H, Kao G S. Utilization of Behavioral Intervention for Cervicogenic Headache. Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Meeting.
- Vu E, Nguyen T, Monico C, Kao G, Chen E, Quinonez Z. Perioperative opiate trajectory of patients undergoing thoracotomy at a pediatric heart center. American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Pain Medicine Meeting.
- Misra S, Monico E, Kao G, Gilbert C, Marcus M, Biard M, Roth I, Kim E, Khatker M, Guffey D, Giardino A. Addressing pain with integrative medicine at a large freestanding children’s hospital. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting.
- Kao G, Nguyen T. The role of ethnicity in pediatric chronic pain acceptance. American Psychological Association.
- Nguyen T, Lee A, Morales P, Kao G. The effects of ethnicity and socioeconomic status on pediatric pain acceptance. Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference.
- Misra SM, Torres L Gilbert C, Kao G, Biard M, Fulkman J. Evidence and Ethics of Integrative Medicine: A Pre-Clinical Medical Student Elective. TEACH-S Medical Education Conference.
- Chu A, Torres L, Kao G, Gilbert C, Chiou E, Monico E, Chumpitazi B. A preliminary study of the impact of a multidisciplinary clinic intervention on emergency department and inpatient utilization by children with functional abdominal pain. Digestive Disease Week.
- Lee A, Nguyen T, Morales P, Kao G. Social support as a predictor of pediatric chronic pain acceptance. Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference.
- Nguyen T, Kao G, Woltering S. Perceived injustice and pain outcomes in pediatric pain patients. Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference.
- Gomez J, Huang H, Kao G S. Utilization of Behavioral Intervention for Cervicogenic Headache. 11th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine.
Book Chapters
- Kao, G, Schwartz, E. Distraction techniques in pediatric pain management. In: Case Studies in Pediatric Anesthesia, 2019.
- Kao, G, Monico, C, Bhandari, R, Huestis, S. Pediatric chronic pain. In: Pediatric Health Conditions in Schools, 2019.
Web Publications
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified September 18, 2026