Dr. Comer is Director of the Mental health Interventions and Novel Therapeutics (MINT) Program, and Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Florida International University. He is Editor-Elect for the journal Behavior Therapy, Past President of the Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12 of the American Psychological Association), and a leader in the field of clinical child and adolescent psychology. He is the author of over 200 scholarly publications, including several textbooks, such as Abnormal Psychology (11th edition) and Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology (10th edition).
Dr. Comer’s program of research examines child psychopathology and youth mental health care, placing central emphasis on the nature and family-based treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders, irritability, disruptive behavior problems, and traumatic stress. Much of Dr. Comer’s research focuses on telehealth and digital mental health strategies, as well as the broader role of technology and other non-traditional treatment formats for overcoming traditional barriers to care. This work examines novel strategies for expanding the scope, accessibility, acceptability, and responsivity of children’s mental health services. In addition, Dr. Comer studies the psychological impact of disasters, terrorism, and other public health crises on children and families. On this front, he serves as the Director of the Network for Enhancing Wellness in Disaster-Affected Youth (NEW DAY)–a SAMHSA-funded center that provides trauma-informed training and consultation to youth-serving professionals in disaster-prone and disaster-hit regions.
Dr. Comer’s work has received current and past funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the American Psychological Foundation (APF), as well as from several private foundations and donors. Dr. Comer’s work has been recognized through the receipt of several early- and mid-career awards, including awards from the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Clinical Psychology, the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice, the APA Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Dr. Comer has been named one of FIU’s “Top Scholars.”
Dr. Comer received his B.A. from the University of Rochester, and went on to receive his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a Concentration in Developmental Psychopathology from Temple University. Dr. Comer completed his clinical psychology internship training in the Child and Adolescent Track of the NYU-Bellevue Clinical Psychology Internship Program and the NYU Child Study Center, after which he completed an NIH-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Child Psychiatry at Columbia University, where he also served as Chief Research Fellow in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Before joining Florida International University, Dr. Comer served as Co-Director of Research in the Child Program of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD) of Boston University, where he directed the Early Childhood Interventions Program.
Contact: jocomer@fiu.edu
Selected honors and awards
Recent and representative publications (from over 250 papers, chapters, and books)
Comer, J.S. (in press). State of the science in behavior therapy: Taking stock and looking forward. Behavior Therapy.
Comer, J.S., Georgiadis, C., Schmarder, K., Chen, D., Coyne, C.A., Gudiño, O., Kazantzis, N., Langer, D.A., LeBeau, R.T., Liu, R.T., McLean, C., Sloan, D., Williams, M., & Pachankis, J. (in press). Reckoning with our past and righting our future: Report from the Behavior Therapy Task Force on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression Change Efforts (SOGIECEs). Behavior Therapy.
Malloy, L.C., Dykstra, V.W., Steen, R., Filoso, D., Salem, H., Comer, J.S., Peris, T.S., Pincus, D.B., Ehrenreich-May, J., & Evans, A.D. (in press). Avoidant parent-child communication about COVID-19: A longitudinal investigation of associations with youth adjustment across the first 6 months of the pandemic. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology.
Sanchez, A. L., Javadi N., & Comer J. S. (in press). Family engagement in a behavioral parenting intervention: A randomized comparison of telehealth versus office-based treatment formats. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
Freitag, G.F., Coxe, S., Cardinale, E.M., Furr, J.M., Herrera, A., & Comer, J.S. (in press). Irritability patterns and associations with family accommodation among youth with selective mutism: A latent profile analysis. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology.
Urcuyo, A.E., Comer, J.S., Chavira, D., de Dios, M.A., Zvolensky, M.J., & Cano, M.A. (in press). Self-efficacy moderates the impact of ACEs on anxiety in Latine emerging adults. Journal of Latinx Psychology.
Bagner, D.M., Berkovits, M.D., Coxe, S., Frech, N., Garcia, D., Golik, A., Heflin, B.H., Heymann, P., Javadi, N., Sanchez, A.L., Wilson, M.K., & Comer, J.S. (2023). Telehealth treatment of behavior problems in young children with developmental delay: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA Pediatrics, 177(3), 231-239.
Timmons, A.C., Duong, J.B., Fiallo, N.S., Lee, T., Vo, P.Q., Ahle, M.W., Comer, J.S., Brewer, L., Frazier, S., & Chaspari, T. (2023). A call to action on assessing and mitigating bias in artificial intelligence applications in clinical psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(5), 1062-1096.
Freitag, G.F., Grassie, H.L., Mallidi, A., Jeong, A., Comer, J.S., Ehrenreich-May, J., & Brotman, M.A. (2023). Measuring emotion dysregulation in children and adolescents: A systematic review of existing questionnaires. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 62(7), 728-763.
Sullivan, A.D.W., Bozak, A.K., Cardenas, A., Comer, J.S., Bagner, D.M., Forehand, R., & Parent, J. (2023). Enhancing parenting may buffer the impact of adversity on epigenetic age acceleration. Psychological Science, 34(10), 1173-1185
Freitag, G.F., Salem, H., Conroy, K., Busto, C., Adrian, M., Borba, C.P.C., Brandt, A., Chu, P.V., Dantowitz, A., Farley, A., Fortuna, L., Furr, J.M., Lejeune, J., Miller, L., Platt, R., Porche, M., Rivero-Conil, S., Read, K.L., Sanchez Hernandez, R.D., Shumway, P., Sikov, J., Spencer, A., Syeda, H., McLellan, L., Rapee, R., McMakin, D., Pincus, D.B., & Comer, J.S. (2023). The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pediatric and parent-proxy short forms for anxiety: Psychometric properties in the Kids FACE FEARS Sample. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 94, 102667.
Sanchez, A.L., Jent, J., Aggarwal, N.K., Chavira, D.A., Garcia, D., La Roche, M., & Comer, J.S. (2022). Person-centered cultural assessment can improve child mental health service engagement and outcomes. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 51, 1-22.
Georgiadis, C., Bose, D., Wolenski, R., Hong, N., Coxe, S., Pettit, J., & Comer, J.S. (2022). How flexible are evidence-based treatments for youth internalizing disorders? Examining modification guidelines included across supported treatments. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 51(5), 593-609.
Sanchez, A.L., Comer, J.S., & La Roche, M. (2022). Enhancing the responsiveness of family-based therapy through culturally informed case conceptualization and treatment planning. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 29(4), 750-770.
Wilson, M., Cornacchio, D., Brotman, M., & Comer, J.S. (2022). Assessing irritability in early childhood: A psychometric evaluation of the Affective Reactivity Index in a clinical sample of 3- to 8-year-old children. Assessment, 29(7), 1473-1481.
Conroy, K., Green, J.G., Phillips, K., Poznanski, B., Coxe, S., Kendall, P.C., & Comer, J.S. (2022). School-based accommodations and supports for anxious youth: Benchmarking reported practices against expert perspectives. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 51(4), 419-427.
Carl, J.R., Jones, D.J., Lindhiem, O.J., Doss, B.D., Weingardt, K.R., Timmons, A.C., & Comer, J.S. (2022). Regulating digital therapeutics for mental health: Opportunities, challenges, and the essential role of psychologists. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61(S1), 130-135.
Comer, J.S., Conroy, K., Cornacchio, D., Furr, J.M., Norman, S., & Stein, M. (2022). Psychometric evaluation of a caregiver-report adaptation of the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS) for use with youth populations. Journal of Affective Disorders, 300, 341-348.
Comer, J.S. (2021). Rebooting mental health care delivery for the COVID-19 pandemic (and beyond): Guiding cautions as telehealth enters the clinical mainstream. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 28, 743-748.
Dick, A S., Silva, K., Gonzalez, R., Sutherland, M., Laird, A., Gurwitch, R., La Greca, A., Squeglia, L., Gray, K., Nixon, S.J., Cottler, L., Tapert, S., & Comer, J.S. (2021). Neural vulnerability and hurricane-based media are associated with posttraumatic stress in youth. Nature Human Behavior, 5, 1578-1589.
Comer, J.S., Furr, J.M., del Busto, C., Silva, K., Hong, N., Poznanski, B., Sanchez, A.L., Cornacchio, D., Herrera, A., Coxe, S., Miguel, E., Georgiadis, C., Conroy, K., & Puliafico, A.C. (2021). Therapist-led, internet-delivered treatment for early child social anxiety: A waitlist-controlled evaluation of the iCALM Telehealth Program. Behavior Therapy, 52(2), 1171-1187
Peverill, M., Dirks, M.A., Narvaja, T., Hertz, K.L., Comer, J.S., & McLaughlin, K.A. (2021). Socioeconomic status and child psychopathology in the United States: A meta-analysis of population-based studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 83, 101933.
Roy, A., & Comer, J.S. (2020). Advances in the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of pediatric irritability: Introduction to the special issue. Behavior Therapy, 51, 207-210.
Gurwitch, R., Salem, H., Nelson, M., & Comer, J.S. (2020). Leveraging Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and telehealth capacities to address the unique needs of young children during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S82-S84.
Georgiadis, C., Peris, T.S., & Comer, J.S. (2020). Implementing strategic flexibility in the delivery of youth mental health care: A tailoring framework for thoughtful clinical practice. Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 5, 215-232.
Comer, J.S., Hong, N., Poznanski, B., Silva, K., & Wilson, M. (2019). Evidence base update on the treatment of early childhood anxiety and related problems. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 48, 1-15.
Cornacchio, D., Furr, J.M., Sanchez, A., Hong, N., Feinberg, L., Tenenbaum, R., Del Busto, C., Bry, L.J., Poznanski, B., Miguel, E., Ollendick T., Kurtz, S., & Comer, J.S. (2019). Intensive group behavioral treatment (IGBT) for children with selective mutism: A preliminary randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 87, 720-733.
Hong, N., Cornacchio, D., Pettit, J., & Comer, J.S. (2019). Coal mine canaries in clinical psychology: Getting better at identifying early signals of treatment nonresponse. Clinical Psychological Science, 7, 1207-1221.
Comer, J.S., & Timmons, A. (2019). The other side of the coin: Computer-mediated interactions may afford opportunities for enhanced empathy in clinical practice. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 26, e12308.
Comer, J.S., Conroy, K., & Timmons, A. (2019). Ensuring wearable devices don’t wear out their welcome: Cautions for the mental health care road ahead. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 26, e12297
Carpenter, A.L., Pincus, D.B., Furr, J.M., & Comer, J.S. (2018). Working from home: An initial pilot examination of videoconferencing-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxious youth delivered to the home setting. Behavior Therapy, 49, 917-930.
Wiltsey-Stirman, S. & Comer, J.S. (2018). What are we even trying to implement? Considering the relative merits of promoting evidence-based practices, protocols, principles, or policy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 25, 1-3.
Sanchez, A.L., Cornacchio, D., Poznanski, B., Golik, A., Chou, T., & Comer, J.S. (2018). The effectiveness of school-based mental health services for elementary-aged children: A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 57, 153-165.
Bry, L.J., Chou, T., Miguel, E., & Comer, J.S. (2018). Consumer smartphone apps marketed for child and adolescent anxiety: A systematic review and content analysis. Behavior Therapy, 49, 249-261.
Kerns, C., Pincus, D.B., McLaughlin, K., & Comer, J.S. (2017). Maternal emotion regulation during child distress, child anxiety accommodation, and links between maternal and child anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 50, 52-59.
Doss, B.D., Feinberg, L.K., Rothman, K., Roddy, M.K., & Comer, J.S. (2017). Using technology to enhance and expand interventions for couples and families: Conceptual and methodological considerations. Journal of Family Psychology, 31, 983-993.
Carpenter, A.L., Elkins, R.M., Kerns, C., Chou, T., Green, J.G., & Comer, J.S. (2017). Event-related household discussions following the Boston Marathon bombing and associated posttraumatic stress among area youth. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 46, 331-342.
Comer, J.S., Furr, J.M., Miguel, E., Cooper-Vince, C.E., Carpenter, A.L., Elkins, R.M., Kerns, C., Cornacchio, D., Chou, T., Coxe, S., DeSerisy, M., Sanchez, A.L, Golik, A., Martin, J., Myers, K., & Chase, R. (2017). Remotely delivering real-time parent training to the home: An initial randomized trial of Internet-delivered Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (I-PCIT). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85, 909-917.
Comer, J.S., Furr, J.M., Kerns, C.E., Miguel, E., Coxe, S., Elkins, R.M., Carpenter, A.L., Cornacchio, D., Cooper-Vince, C.E., DeSerisy, M., Chou, T., Sanchez, A.L., Khanna, M., Franklin, M.E., Garcia, A.M., & Freeman, J.B. (2017). Internet-delivered, family-based treatment for early-onset OCD: A pilot randomized trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85, 178-186.
Miguel, E., Chou, T., Golik, A., Cornacchio, D., Sanchez, A., DeSerisy, M., & Comer, J.S. (2017). Examining the scope and patterns of deliberate self-injurious cutting content in popular social media. Depression and Anxiety, 34, 786-793.
Myers, K.M., Nelson, E.L., Hilty, D.M., Rabinowitz, T., Barwell, S.S., Bernard, J., Boyce, G., Cain, S., Chui, L., Comer, J.S., Cradock, C., Varrell, J.R., Goldstein, F., Johnston, B., Krupinski, E.A., Lo, K., Luxton, D., McSwain, D., McWilliams, J., North, S., Ostrowski, J., Pignatiello, A., Roth, D., Turvey, C., & Wright, S. (2017). American Telemedicine Association Practice Guidelines for Telemental Health with Children and Adolescents. Telemedicine and e-Health, 23, 779-804.
Comer, J.S., Bry, L., Poznanski, B., & Golik, A.M. (2016). Children’s mental health in the context of terrorist attacks, ongoing threats, and possibilities of future terrorism. Current Psychiatry Reports, 18, 79.
Cornacchio, D., Crum, K.I., Coxe, S., Pincus, D.B., & Comer, J.S. (2016). Irritability and severity of anxious symptomatology among youth with anxiety disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 55, 54-61.
Comer, J.S., & Myers, K.M. (2016). Future directions in the use of telemental health to improve the accessibility and quality of children’s mental health services. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 26, 296-300.
La Greca, A.M., Comer, J.S., & Lai, B. (2016). Commentary: Key issues, concluding thoughts, and future directions for the study of trauma and child health. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 41, 149-158.
Gallo, K.P., Comer, J.S., Barlow, D.H., Clarke, R.N., & Antony, M.N. (2015). Direct-to-Consumer marketing of psychological treatments: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83, 994-998.
Comer, J.S. (2015). Introduction to the special section: Applying new technologies to extend the scope and accessibility of mental health care. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 22, 253-257.
Comer, J.S., Furr, J.M., Cooper-Vince, C., Madigan, R.J., Chow, C., Chan, P.T., Idrobo, F., Chase, R.M., McNeil, C.B., & Eyberg, S.M. (2015). Rationale and considerations for the Internet-based delivery of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 22, 302-31
Comer, J.S., Furr, J.M., Cooper-Vince, C., Madigan, R.J., Chow, C., Chan, P.T., Idrobo, F., Chase, R.M., McNeil, C.B., & Eyberg, S.M. (2015). Rationale and considerations for the Internet-based delivery of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 22, 302-316
Comer, J.S., Dantowitz,A., Chou, T., Edson, A.L., Elkins, R.M.,Kerns, C.,Brown, B., Green, J.G. (2014). Adjustment among area youth after the Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent manhunt. Pediatrics, 134, 7-14.
Comer, J.S., & Barlow, D.H. (2014). The occasional case against broad dissemination and implementation: Retaining a role for specialty care in the delivery of psychological treatments. American Psychologist, 69, 6-18.
Comer, J.S., Furr, J.M., Cooper-Vince, C., Kerns, C., Chan, P.T., Edson, A.L., Khanna, M., Franklin, M.E., Garcia, A.M., & Freeman, J.B. (2014). Internet-delivered, family-based treatment for early-onset OCD: A preliminary case series. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 43, 74-87.
Thompson-Hollands, J., Edson, A., Tompson, M.C., & Comer, J.S. (2014). Family involvement in the psychological treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 28, 287-298.
Comer, J.S., Kerns, C., Elkins, R.M., Edson, A.L., Chou, T., Dantowitz, A., Miguel, E., Brown, B., Coxe, S., & Green, J.G. (2014). Adjustment among children with relatives who participated in the manhunt following the Boston Marathon attack. Depression and Anxiety, 31, 542-550.
Comer, J.S., Chow, C., Chan, P., Cooper-Vince, C., & Wilson, L.A.S. (2013). Psychosocial treatment efficacy for disruptive behavior problems in young children: A meta-analytic examination. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 52, 26-36.
Barlow D.H., & Comer, J.S. (2013). What are the optimal treatment courses for geriatric anxiety, and how do we find out? American Journal of Psychiatry, 170, 707-711.
Barlow, D.H., Bullis, J.R., Comer, J.S., & Armetaj, A.A. (2013). Evidence-based psychological treatments: An update and the way forward. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 1-27
Gallo, K.P., Comer, J.S., & Barlow, D.H. (2013). Direct-to-consumer marketing of psychological treatments for anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 27, 793-801.
Comer, J.S., Gallo, K., Korathu-Larson, P.A., Pincus, D., & Brown, T.A. (2012). Specifying child anxiety disorders not otherwise specified in the DSM-IV. Depression and Anxiety, 29, 1004-1013.
Comer, J.S., Pincus, D.P., & Hofmann, S.G. (2012). Generalized anxiety disorder and the proposed associated symptoms criterion change for DSM-5 in a treatment-seeking sample of anxious youth. Depression and Anxiety, 29, 994-1003.
Comer, J.S., Puliafico, A.C., Aschenbrand, S.G, McKnight, K., Robin, J.A., Goldfine, M., & Albano, A.M. (2012). A pilot feasibility evaluation of the CALM Program for anxiety disorders in early childhood. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 26, 40-49.
Comer, J.S., Mojtabai, R., & Olfson, M. (2011). National trends in the antipsychotic treatment of psychiatric outpatients with anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 168, 1057-1065.
Comer, J.S., Blanco, C., Grant, B., Hasin, D., Liu, S.M., Turner, J.B., & Olfson, M. (2011). Health-related quality of life across the anxiety disorders: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 72, 43-50.
Comer, J.S., Olfson, M., & Mojtabai, R. (2010) National trends in child and adolescent psychotropic polypharmacy in office-based practice, 1996-2007. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49, 1001-1010.
Furr, J.M., Comer, J.S., Edmunds, J., & Kendall, P.C. (2010). Disasters and youth: A meta-analytic examination of posttraumatic stress. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78, 765-780.
Comer, J.S., Fan, B., Duarte, C., Wu, P., Musa, G., Mandell, D., Albano, A.M., & Hoven, C. (2010). Attack-related life disruption and child psychopathology in New York City public schoolchildren 6-months post-9/11. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 39, 460-469.
Comer, J.S., Roy, A.K., Furr, J.M., Gotimer, K., Beidas, R.S., Dugas, M.J., & Kendall, P.C. (2009). The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children: A psychometric evaluation. Psychological Assessment, 21, 402-411.
Kendall, P.C., Comer, J.S., Marker, C.D., Creed, T.A., Puliafico, A.C., Hughes, A.A., Martin, E., Suveg, C., & Hudson, J.L. (2009). In-session exposure tasks and therapeutic alliance across the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 517-525.
Comer, J.S., Furr, J.M., Beidas, R.S., Weiner, C.L., Kendall, P.C. (2008). Children and terrorism-related news: Training parents in coping and media literacy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76, 568-578.
Comer, J.S., Furr, J.M., Beidas, R.S., Babyar, H., & Kendall, P.C. (2008). Media use and children’s perceptions of societal threat and personal vulnerability. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 37, 622-630
Comer, J.S., & Kendall, P.C. (2007). Terrorism: The psychological impact on youth. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 14, 179-212.
Comer, J.S., & Kendall, P.C. (2005). High-end specificity of the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) in a sample of anxiety-disordered youth. Depression and Anxiety, 22, 11-19.
Comer, J.S., & Kendall, P.C. (2004) A symptom-level examination of parent-child agreement in the diagnosis of anxious youths. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 878-886.
Comer, J.S., Kendall, P.C., Franklin, M.E., Hudson, J.L., & Pimentel, S.S. (2004). Obsessing/worrying about the overlap between obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder in youth. Clinical Psychology Review, 24, 663-683.
Books
Comer, R.J., & Comer, J.S. (in press). Fundamentals of Psychopathology, 11th Edition. New York: Worth/Macmillan Publishers.