Meredith L Stensland, Ph.D., LMSW

Assistant Professor of Research

As a scientist practitioner with a background in clinical social work, I am devoted to understanding and improving the lives of individuals who have physical and emotional pain. I worked as a hospice social worker for five years, and it was the emphasis placed on pain management at end-of-life that first led to my interest in researching pain. My research focuses on older adults living with chronic pain; I also study the utility of animal-assisted interventions for pain and depression in dialysis clinics. In my clinical work, I facilitate a psychoeducational chronic pain therapy group.

Professional Background
Education
- 2017 - PhD - Social Work - University of Iowa
- 2013 - MSW - Social Work - University of Northern Iowa
- 2012 - BSW - Social Work - Wartburg College
Appointments
- 2020 - Assistant Professor - University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 2019 - Research Associate - University of Texas at Austin
Research & Grants

Grants

“Racial disparity in the context of pain management; Developing, administering and evaluating an e-learning training curriculum to foster awareness and empathy in medical students.” (2021). University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine Academy of Health Science Education Small Grants Award.
Publications

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

Stensland, M. & McGeary, D. D. (2022). Use of animal-assisted interventions in relieving pain in healthcare settings: A systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 46, 101519.

Stensland, M. (2021). Managing the incurable: Older pain clinic patients’ experiences of managing treatment-resistant chronic low back pain. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, doi: 10.1080/01634372.2021.1898073

Stensland, M. (2020). “If you don’t keep going, you're gonna die.”: Helplessness and perseverance among older adults living with chronic low back pain. The Gerontologist. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnaa150

Stensland, M. & Sanders, S. (2018). “It has changed my whole life”: The systemic implications of chronic low back pain among older adults. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 61(2), 129-150.

Stensland, M. & Sanders, S. (2018). Living a life full of pain: Older pain clinic patients’ experience of living with chronic low back pain. Qualitative Health Research, 28(9), 1434-1448.

Stensland, M. & Sanders, S. (2018). Not so golden after all: The complexities of chronic low back pain in older adulthood. The Gerontologist, 58(5), 923-931.

Meredith L Stensland, Ph.D., LMSW

Education

Appointments