Molly Basch, PhD

• PhD, Clinical Psychology with concentration in Pediatric Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, (2016-2021)
• BS, Psychology and Pre-Professional Health, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN, (2010-2014)

Molly Basch (she/her), PhD, is a child psychologist with a specialization in pediatric psychology at Children’s National Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics psychiatry and behavioral health at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She earned her degree from the University of Florida Clinical & Health Psychology program and completed a psychology internship and fellowship at Children’s National Hospital. Currently, she works in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s National, specifically the Youth Pride Clinic. Her role in this clinic is to provide a range of behavioral health services for gender-diverse youth ages 12-21 and their families. Prior to this, she provided psychological support for children, adolescents and young adults with severe obesity.

Historically, Dr. Basch's research has centered on the prevention and treatment of obesity in youth and health equity of youth holding marginalized identities, including obesity and diabetes. She recently served on the study team of two NIH-funded projects: 1) a multi-site U01 evaluating the feasibility of a clinical trial utilizing mindfulness-based intervention to improve depression and insulin resistance in adolescents at risk for type 2 diabetes and 2) an R34 trial evaluating the feasibility of a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce negative affect, impulsivity and maladaptive eating behaviors in youth with type 1 diabetes. More recently, Dr. Basch's research interests have centered on transgender and gender diverse youth, including a gaining an improved understanding of this population’s health needs and pathways for building resilience and optimizing well-being. Currently, she is serving as principal investigator on two pilot grants by the Lambert Family Foundation and Center for Translational Research at Children's National; these projects aim to: 1) quantitatively and qualitatively examine transgender and gender diverse youth domains of health and functioning and 2) adapt manualized interventions specifically for and with transgender and gender diverse adolescents to support stress management, resilience and overall mental health. Additionally, Dr. Basch serves as co-investigator on an NIH-funded R01 that involves evaluation of a clinic-based mindfulness intervention to address mood concerns in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Assistant Professor of Pediatric Psychiatry and Behavioral Health - George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences