Michael A. Owens, Ph.D., graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Anthropology, and Spanish from the University of Alabama in 2010 and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Clinical/Medical Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2020.

He completed his clinical internship at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Florida, in 2021, and in 2023, he completed his T32 post-doctoral fellowship in Interdisciplinary Training in Biobehavioral Pain Research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

He is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at UAB. As a Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) K12 Scholar, he is currently investigating the impact of behavioral sleep interventions on sleep and pain outcomes in people with HIV. His research aims to identify the biopsychosocial factors that affect sleep and pain and impact health disparities in clinical populations.

“It’s great to be back in Birmingham and joining the Department of Psychiatry! My family and I are originally from the area and have missed the land of sweet tea, BBQ, and college football. Returning to UAB has been a goal since graduating because the University has an amazing collaborative environment that encourages training and development. I can’t wait to learn from and collaborate with so many faculty members doing amazing work.”

Welcome to the Department, Dr. Owens!