PolicyLab

Karen Schwartz (she/her) is a research scientist at PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and a clinical psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at CHOP. Dr. Schwartz’s research broadly aims to improve the efficacy of evidence-based interventions for youth with, or at risk for, depression. Specifically, efforts have been in service of examining contextual characteristics of intervention success within community-based and research settings. In addition, she investigates mechanisms of disorder development and maintenance to better understand how interventions work. 

In addition to research activities, Dr. Schwartz has provided direct, evidence-based clinical care to preschoolers, school-aged children, adolescents, adults, and families in both individual and group formats across a variety of settings. While her work has primarily targeted anxiety and depression from a cognitive-behavioral orientation, she has gained substantial experience treating pediatric behavior problems and trauma-based psychopathology across the lifespan. Dr. Schwartz’s clinical work is synergistic with her research, supporting sustainable, acceptable and cost-effective innovations in psychosocial intervention.

Dr. Schwartz received her PhD from the San Diego State University/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, with a training emphasis in child and adolescent psychopathology. She completed her predoctoral clinical internship at Allegheny General Hospital, where she obtained specialized training in delivering trauma-focused interventions, facilitating interpersonal processing groups and working with perinatal populations. Dr. Schwartz’s postdoctoral training at University of Maryland focused on testing a school-based depression prevention program for teens with ADHD. She is licensed in both Pennsylvania and Maryland and has been certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) from PCIT International.