Faculty

Caitlin M Conner, PhD

Caitlin M Conner, PhD

Research Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

201 N. Craig Street
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
REAACT Lab

Education & Training

PhD
Clinical Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Clinical Psychology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine
Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Professional Affiliations

Member, International Society for Autism Research
Member, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

Research Interests

Emotion awareness and regulation in autism; Suicidality in autism; Adapting mindfulness for autistic clients
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Conner CM, Yu L, MacKenzie KT, Zeglen KN, Rutenberg E, Pilkonis PA, Eack SM, Mazefsky CA. The Relationships, Employment, Autonomy, and Life Satisfaction (REALS) Measures for Autistic Adults and Adults with Other Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Psychometric Testing of the Self-Report and Proxy Versions. Autism Res. 2025 March; 18 (3): 583-603. doi: 10.1002/aur.70002
  2. White SW, Conner CM, Beck KB, Mazefsky CA. Efficacy of Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE) Program in Autism: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2025.07.1058
  3. Conner CM, Kim PS, White SW, Mazefsky CA. The role of emotion dysregulation andintolerance of uncertainty in autism: Transdiagnostic factors influencing co-occurring conditions. Res Dev Disab. 2022 Nov; 130: 104332. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104332.
  4. Conner CM, Golt J, Shaffer R, Righi G, Siegel M, Mazefsky CA. Emotion dysregulation is substantially elevated in autism compared to the general population: Impact on psychiatric services. Autism Res. 2021 Jan; 14:169-181. doi: 10.1002/aur.2450. PMID: 33815651.
  5. Conner CM, Golt J, Righi G, Shaffer R, Siegel M, Mazefsky CA. A comparative study of suicidality and its association with emotion regulation impairment in large ASD and US census-matched samples. J Autism Dev Disord. 2020 Oct; 50(10):3545-3560. doi: 10.1007/s10803-020-04370-1. PMID: 31939083.

Clinical Interests

Co-occurring psychopathology in autism; Adapting mindfulness for autism; Adult diagnosis
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. White SW, Conner CM, Beck KB, Mazefsky CA. Clinical update: The implementation of evidence-based emotion regulation treatment for youth with autism. Evid Based Pract Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2021 Jan.; 6(1): 1-10. doi:10.1080/23794925.2020.1796551
  2. Beck KB, Conner CM, White SW, Mazefsky CA. Mindfulness 'here and now': Strategies for helping adolescents with autism. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry. 2020 Oct.; 59 (10): 1125-1127. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.07.004. PMID: 32981632

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Medical student/resident/fellow education

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Caitlin Conner, PhD, to Research Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Caitlin Conner, PhD

We are pleased to announce that Caitlin Conner, PhD, has been promoted to Research Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Conner earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, having completed a clinical internship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Upon receiving her doctorate, she came to Pittsburgh...

Recently Published in Autism Research & Psychological Medicine: Advances in Understanding of Self-Injury and Adult Outcome Measurement to Improve Quality of Life

Drs. Antezana, Conner and Mazefsky

Recent studies led by Carla Mazefsky, PhD (Nancy J. Minshew, MD Chair in Autism Research and Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and Psychology), highlight current advances in autism research. Dr. Mazefsky is an expert in emotion regulation in autism, which had been previously understudied in autism research. She directs the Regulation of Emotion in Autistic Adults, Children, and Teens...

Suicide Prevention: Promoting Safe and Supportive Environments for All Youth

STAR Center Child in Window

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 provides outpatient assessment and treatment for depressed and anxious children and teens, and offers acute treatment to depressed and suicidal youth through the Center’s intensive outpatient...

Pitt Psychiatry Awarded $11.5M National Institute of Mental Health Center Grant Focused on Investigating Emotional and Mental Health in Autistic Adults

ACE Center Grant Investigators

The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry an Autism Center of Excellence (P50) grant to fund “Mental Health in Autistic Adults: An RDoC Approach.” The University of Pittsburgh Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) will be led by Carla Mazefsky, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Clinical and Translational Science). The University of Pittsburgh...

Now in Autism Research: Elevated Emotion Dysregulation in Autism Compared to the General Population

Elevated Emotion Dysregulation in Autism Compared to the General Population

Children and adolescents with autism are nine times more likely than peers without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to require emergency room visits for psychiatric reasons, and twelve times more likely to require psychiatric hospitalization by age 21. Additionally, research suggests that poor emotion regulation is associated with a higher likelihood of co-occurring psychiatric disorders. The Emotion Dysregulation...