Emily M Cherenack

Emily M. Cherenack, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with a primary appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Neurosciences, and a secondary appointment as Assistant Research Professor of Global Health in the Duke Global Health Institute. She is also an affiliate of the Duke Center for Global Mental Health. Dr. Cherenack earned her PhD in psychology from Duke University in 2021, which included a clinical internship in behavioral medicine at Brown University. Before joining the Duke faculty, she completed an NIH-funded NRSA (F32) postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Miami focused on psychoneuroimmunology. Her mixed-methods research integrates self-report measures, qualitative approaches, and biomarkers to examine how individuals cope with unchangeable stressors and investigate how adaptive coping can buffer the negative effects of stress on immune functioning, reproductive health, and cardiovascular health. Dr. Cherenack is particularly interested in how acceptance-based coping, self-compassion, and exercise can be used to promote mental and physical health outcomes.