Faculty

Rachel A Vaughn-Coaxum, PhD

Rachel A Vaughn-Coaxum, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
ECYMH Lab

Education & Training

PhD
Clinical Psychology, Harvard University
Clinical Psychology, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Clinical Research Training for Psychologists, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Research Interests

Development and treatment of youth depression; Depression treatment targets; Childhood adversity and youth psychopathology
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Hafeman DM & Vaughn-Coaxum RA. (2025). Addressing treatment inequities in youth bipolar disorder: Key considerations for improving youth outcomes. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, S0890-8567(25)00253-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2025.05.007
  2. Vaughn-Coaxum RA, Mills BL, Feldman JS, Johnston KE & Lindhiem O. (2025). Parent internalizing symptoms associated with parenting behaviors and children's symptoms in a national sample of parents of school-age children (5-12 years). Child psychiatry and human development, 10.1007/s10578-025-01875-7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-025-01875-7
  3. Vaughn-Coaxum RA, Merranko J, Birmaher B, Dickstein DP, Hafeman D, Levenson JC, Liao F, Gill MK, Hower H, Goldstein BI, Strober M, Ryan ND, Diler R, Keller MB, Yen S, Weinstock LM, Axelson D, Goldstein TR. Longitudinal course of depressive symptom severity among youths with bipolar disorders: Moderating influences of sustained attention and history of child maltreatment. J Affect Disord. 2021 Mar 1;282:261-271. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.078. Epub 2020 Dec 24. PMID: 33418377; PMCID: PMC8073228.
  4. Vaughn-Coaxum RA & Weisz JR. (2021). Leveraging the developmental science on psychosocial risk to strengthen youth psychotherapy. Development and Psychopathology. 33(2), 670-683. doi: 10.1017/S0954579420002035. Review. PubMed PMID: 33719995.
  5. Vaughn-Coaxum RA, Dhawan N, Sheridan MA, Hart MJ & Weisz JR. (2020). Dimensions of adversity in association with adolescents' depression symptoms: distinct moderating roles of cognitive and autonomic function. Development & Psychopathology, 32(3), 817-830. doi: 10.1017/S0954579419001172. PubMed PMID: 31845636

2025 Annual Services for Teens at Risk (STAR) Suicide Prevention Conference: Creating Partnerships for Just and Inclusive Schools

Empty hallway

The Services for Teens at Risk (STAR)-Center is a nationally recognized suicide prevention program that combines clinical and outreach services designed to combat the problem of child and adolescent suicide. The STAR-Center annual conference presents best practices in clinical care incorporated into practical guidelines, and this year addressed the theme Creating Partnerships for Just and Inclusive Schools. “The...

Pitt Psychiatry Investigators Receive YourMomCares Research Awards

Pitt Faculty Presented with YourMomCares Award

Congratulations to Heather Joseph, DO (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics), who received the inaugural YourMomCares Brilliance in Research Award. YourMomCares is a kids’ mental health nonprofit, founded by the moms of musicians, actors and athletes, to fund innovations in kids’ mental health and wellbeing. Candice Biernesser, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), and Rachel Vaughn-Coaxum, PhD...

Department of Psychiatry - Juneteenth 2023

Juneteenth 2023

On June 19, 2023, Juneteenth, Department of Psychiatry faculty, staff, and trainees—including a brand-new class of PGY1 psychiatry interns—gathered for a Juneteenth lunch, video presentation, and panel discussion. Following the presentation of a “The historical significance of Juneteenth,” produced by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Isaiah Crum, MD (rising PGY3 psychiatry...

Rachel Vaughn-Coaxum, PhD, Honored as an Association for Psychological Science Rising Star

Dr. Rachel Vaughn-Coaxum

Congratulations to Rachel Vaughn-Coaxum, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), who has been named a Rising Star in the Association for Psychological Science (APS)! Dr. Vaughn-Coaxum studies how childhood adversity can influence depression treatment response. Her research has shown that for some adolescents, childhood adversity can be associated with the employment of ineffective stress-management strategies...