About

Dr. Kotay is a clinical health psychologist, licensed in New York and California, who has advanced training in biofeedback, mindfulness, and self-hypnosis. She has clinical expertise in addressing the psychosocial needs of patients with functional medical disorders or other chronic illnesses (e.g, chronic migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, myofacial pain syndromes, diabetes, asthma, and other chronic conditions that dysregulate the autonomic nervous system).

Anu Kotay has worked as faculty member, provider, and educator at a number of academic medical institutions. Her clinical and academic work focuses on the social, psychological, and relational meaning of wellness, health, and illness. She is available to support providers, organizations, and communities on a variety of topics, including addressing medically underserved populations and restoring a sense of humanity in medical care. You can see more about her professional credentials including degrees, licenses, board certification, and publications on Linked In.

As we all slowly crawl out of the pandemic into a world that appears to be a little less organized and a little more uncertain, she is focusing her current efforts on supporting health care providers. She is currently developing a Heal the Healers program, a collaborative, multidisciplinary, group-based program that helps healthcare providers reconnect their personal values to their practice in healthcare.

(Coming soon !) Dr. Kotay is actively working on several books related to the role of health care providers in addressing community manifestations of pain,as well as on the use of biofeedback to retrain neural pathways associated with pain.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Professional Employment

2018- Present Behavioral Health Manager I- Biofeedback and Acupuncture, Pain Medicine

Kaiser Permanente Medical Group , San Francisco, CA (40 hrs./week)

Provide expert clinical program leadership. Responsible for setting strategic direction and developing budget for biofeedback program. Identify, coordinate, and implement projects to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of operations and service. Explore effectiveness of program in meeting larger organizational goals and values.
Independently initiated, developed, and maintained regional network of biofeedback professionals to enhance biofeedback training. Recruited nationally recognized speakers to provide professional training.
Expanded regional funded post-doctoral psychology training program. Provides primary and delegated supervision.
Co-developed and piloted Spanish language pain management program.
Converted pain management and biofeedback group-based services to virtual platform.

2016- 2017 Primary Care Behavioral Health Expert Trainer

Contractor Employee through Venesco, LLC (40 hrs./week) supporting

Defense Health Agency, Defense Psychological Center of Excellence, Silver Spring, MD

Provide telephonic and on-site training and evaluation of mental health providers national and internationally across military service branches.
Support large scale implementation of clinical program in primary care facilities

2013- 2016 Private Practice - Anu Kotay, PhD, Clinical Health Psychologist

Bronx, NY (10-15 hrs./wk)

Independently developed and managed office operations for clinical health psychology services
Clinical care included the assessment and management of patients with chronic pain, chronic illness, prescription medication addiction, and unexplained physical symptoms among individuals and families of all ages
Provided consultation services for local mental health and medical professionals

2010- 2016 Assistant Professor/ Senior Psychosocial Faculty

Residency Program in Social Medicine-Family Medicine and Preventive/Integrative Medicine

Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dept of Family & Social Medicine, Bronx, NY (20-40 hrs./wk)

Advanced and evaluated educational curriculum to support the biopsychosocial training 30+ family medicine residents, preventative medicine residents, and psychology doctoral students yearly.
Innovations achieved in this position include interdisciplinary intensive diabetes management team, cross-disciplinary care support tool in electronic health record, grand rounds presentation on opiate addiction, and faculty development in key areas of behavioral science (Group Visits, Motivational Interviewing, and Mindfulness).

2007-2010 Clinical Instructor/ Director of Behavioral Science

Family Medicine Residency

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Dept of Family Medicine & Community Health, New Brunswick, NJ (40+ hours/wk.)

Primary responsibility of behavioral science training of 12+ family medicine residents yearly
Coordinated Community Health rotation
Managed faculty-resident evaluation process
Developed out-patient Primary Care Psychology assessment and treatment service program

2007 Psychology Trainee

NY Presbyterian/ Columbia University

Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

Integrated Mental Health Pediatric Primary Care Program, New York, NY (16-20 hrs./wk)

Provided Primary Care Psychology services for children, teens, and families of diverse ethic, linguistic, and economic backgrounds services by out-patient pediatric clinic

2006-2007 Psychology Intern (APA)

UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Department of Psychiatry, Piscataway, NJ (40+ hours/wk.)

Rotations included Medical Unexplained Symptoms- Biofeedback, Family Medicine, Clinical Latina, Employee Assistance Program, Psychological Assessment, and Geriatrics

2004-2006 Pre-doctoral Research Fellow

San Diego State University

Department of Public Health

Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health, San Diego, CA (15-20 hours/wk.)

Clinical provider for tobacco smoke exposure among latency age children. Helped develop protocol for control group
Recruited to provide data analysis for binational behavioral ecological research study. Presented nationally and co-authored 2 peer-reviewed scholarly publications.

2005-2006 Infant, Child, & Family Psychology Intern (CAPIC)

St. Vincent de Paul Village

Project SAFECHILD, San Diego, CA (15-20 hours/wk.)

Assessment and therapy for children 0-5 and their families residing in homeless shelter
Developed and facilitated group for chronic illness

2004-2005 Health Psychology Practicum- Biofeedback

Center for Applied Behavioral Sciences, San Diego, CA (15-20 hrs./wk)

Provided HRV, EMG, EEG, and temperature biofeedback assessment and therapy services along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to adult or teen patients concerned about a wide range of physical and mental health symptoms
Sites included Stress and Anxiety Disorders clinic, Kaiser Pediatric Gastroenterology, and Out-patient mental health clinic.

2003-2004 Behavioral Aide- Autism Spectrum Disorders

Social Training and Reinforcement (STAR) program, San Diego, CA (10-12 hrs./wk)

Applied Behavioral Analysis assessment and interventions for early school age children enrolled in after-school socialization training program

2003 Health Psychology Clerk- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Scripps Clinic for Integrative Medicine, San Diego, CA (4-8 hours/wk.)

Co-facilitated 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course

2002 Health Psychology Clerk- Health Promotion

Navy Medical Center, San Diego, CA (8 hours/wk.)

Supported health educators in provision of chronic illness education for a variety of common health conditions

Licensure / Board Certification

CA State Licensed Psychologist #PSY30026

NY State Licensed Clinical Psychology #018591

BCIA Board Certified in Biofeedback #B4631

Awards and Honors

Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, 2016- Leading Change Fellowship

Montefiore Team Award, 2011- Intensive Case Management for Diabetes

Star Vega Scholarship, 2005 National Multicultural Conference and Summit

Other Scholarly Activities

2024- Education Committee Member and Journal Reviewer

Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback

2015- 2016 Founding Co-Chair, Collaborative Family Healthcare Association

Special Interest Group on Medically Unexplained Symptoms

2010-2015 Journal Reviewer

Annals of Family Medicine

2011-2014 Consultant / Assessment & Therapy Supervisor

Albert Einstein College of Medicine/ Ferkauf School of Professional Psychology

Latinos Using Counseling for Help with Asthma and Anxiety Reduction (LUCHAR) study, NIMH Grant # 1R34MH087679-01

2009-2010 Co-Investigator

UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Psychiatry

Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback- Its Role in Asthma Therapeutics, NHLBI Grant #HL089495

2008-2010 Consultant

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Reproductive Health and Education in Family Medicine Program

2008-2010 Dementia Assessment

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Dementia Research

2006-2008 Co-Investigator

UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Psychiatry

Psychophysiological Treatment of Multiple Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS), Pilot Study for MUPS in Primary Care Research Center, NIMH Grant #5P20MH074634-05

Research

Original Communications in Reviewed Journals:

Kotay, A., Huang, J.L., Jordan, W.B., & Korin, E. (2016). Exploring Family and Social Context through the Electronic Health Record: Physicians' experiences. Families, Systems, and Health, 34(2): 92-103.
Feldman, J..M., Matte, L., Interian, A., Lehrer, P.M., Lu, S., Scheckner, B., Steinberg, D.M., Oken, T., Kotay, A., Sinha, S., & Shin, C. (2016). Psychological treatment of comorbid asthma and panic disorder in Latino adults: Results from a randomized controlled trial. Behavior Research and Therapy.
Katsamanis, M., Lehrer, P., Escobar, E., Gara, M., Kotay, A., & Liu, R. (2011). Psychophysiological treatment for patients with medically unexplained symptoms: A randomized controlled trial. Psychosomatics, 52(3), 218-229.
Martinez- Donate, AP, Hovell MF, Hofstetter CR, Gonzalez-Perez GJ, Kotay A, Adams MA. (2008) Crossing borders: Impact of the California Tobacco Control Program on both sides of the US-Mexico border. American Journal of Public Health, 98(2), 258-267.
Lehrer, P, Karavidas, M, Gara, M, Kotay, A, Liu, R, Cherkas, Y, & Escobar, J.(2008). Preliminary Results of a Psychophysiological Treatment for Patients with Multiple Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS). Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback, 33:173–179.
Oikawa, O, Malinovsky, I, Kotay, A, Karavidas, M, Sudo, K, Tashiro, K, Umezawa, A, & Lehrer, P. (2007). Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback: New Directions in Collaborative Medical and Related Healthcare Research. Japanese. Journal of Biofeedback Research, 34 (2), 17-21.
Martinez-Donate AP, Hovell MF, Hofstetter CR, Gonzalez-Perez GJ, Adams MA, Kotay A. (2007). Correlates of home smoking bans among Mexican-Americans. American Journal of Health Promotion, 21 (4),229-238.

Books, Chapters in Books, and Review Articles:

White-Davis, T & Kotay, A. (2019). Racial oppression and health: A biopsychosocial view. In Sinclair, V (Ed.), Rendering Unconscious: Psychoanalytic Perspectives, Politics, and Poetry Sweden, Trapart Books.
Kotay, A. & Lehrer, P. (2010). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Asthma. In R.A. Ditomasso, B.A. Golden, & H.J.Morris (Eds.), Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Approaches to Primary Care. (pp 547-565). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Kamdar, S., Kotay, A., & Hamm, B. (2009). Help Desk Answer: Does stress management improve outcomes of patients with heart disease? Family Physicians Inquiries Network, Evidence-Based Practice, 12(11), 9.
Kotay, A., Lin, K., & Hamm, B. (2009). Help Desk Answer: What is the most effective treatment for adjustment disorder with depressed mood? Family Physicians Inquiries Network, Evidence-Based Practice, 12(9), 6.

National Presentations:

Rosental, S, Kotay, A., & Fleishman, K (2025). Biofeedback for chronic pain management. Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback: Pre-conference full day workshop. San Diego, CA
Kotay, A., Parks, E., Fitts, S., & Mayerson, CR (2025). Biofeedback for chronic pain management. Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback: Symposium. San Diego, CA
Kotay, A., Huang, J, Jordan, W., & Korin, E. (2014). Losing Sight of the Forest for the Trees: Family and Social Context in the EHR. Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. San Antonio, TX
Kotay, A., Korin, E., Jordan, W., & Duggan, M. (2012). Lost in Translation: Examining Impact of Electronic Health Records on Family Systems and Biopsychosocial Integration. Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. Seattle, WA.
Kotay, A., Jordan, W., & Korin, E. (2011). Is the Biopsychosocial Model at Risk? Exploring ways to integrate a family and social perspective into EMRs. Collaborative Family Healthcare Association. Philadelphia, PA.
Lehrer, P.M., Karavidas, M., Gara, M., Kotay, A., Gonzalez-Restrepo, A., Diaz, E., Liu, R., Cherkas, Y, & Escobar. J. (2010) Preliminary Results of a Psychophysiological Treatment for Patients with Multiple Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS). Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. San Diego, CA
Ruddy, N., Kotay, A., & Borrensen, D. (2009). Buried in Their Laptops? Managing the Impact of Electronic Health Records on Communication Skills. Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Conference, Denver, CO.
Kotay, A. (2008). Online Tool to Enhance Psychosocial Teaching. Society of Teachers of Family Medicine- Northeastern Regional Meeting, Baltimore, MD.
Kotay, A. (2008). Bringing Psychophysiology to Family Medicine. Forum on Behavioral Science, Chicago, IL.
Oikawa, L., Malinovsky, I., Kotay, A., Radvanski, D., Hassett, A., Kountz, D., Lin,K., & Lehrer, P. (2008). Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback for Autonomic Dysfunction in Spinal Cord Injury (Pilot Study). Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. Daytona Beach, FL.
Kotay, A., Spira, J., Gevirtz, R., Peper, E., Stockinger, C. (2007). Psychophysiology of Occupational Stress and Pain Symptoms. Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. Monterey, CA.

Invited Speaker

Kotay, A. (2025). Primer on biofeedback devices for pain management. Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. [Webinar] https://aapb.org/meetinginfo.php?id=45&ts=1738105011
Kotay, A. (2024). A primer on biofeedback devices for pain management. American Association of Pain Psychology. [Webinar] https://aapainpsychology.org/aapp-videos-for-members/
Kotay, A. (2021). Dynamic experience of chronic pain. Montefiore Medical Center, Department of Family and Social Medicine- Family Medicine Residency, Bronx, NY
Kotay, A. (2020). BF Mentoring: Retrain pain using biofeedback. Biofeedback Certification International Alliance. Aravada, CA [Webinar] https://bcia.mclms.net/en/package/6719/view
Kotay, A. (2019). BF Mentoring: Group biofeedback for chronic pain. Biofeedback Certification International Alliance. Aravada, CA. [Webinar] https://bcia.mclms.net/en/package/6696/view

Abstracts and Poster Presentations:

Pearce, R. and Kotay, A (2023). Benefits of Group-Based Virtual Biofeedback for Chronic Pain Patients: A Case Series Analysis. Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. Denver, CO.
Kotay, A. & Gilbert, C. (2019). Group biofeedback for patients with heterogeneous chronic pain conditions. Citation poster. Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. Denver, CO.
Kahan, M., Kotay, A.¸ Giardino, J., Batchelder, A. (2013). Group Medical Visits Improve Diabetes Self-Efficacy Among a Low-Income Urban Community. Eastern Psychology Association. New York, NY.
Kotay, A.¸ White-Davis, T., Batchelder, A., Spray, A., Korin, E. (2011). Exploring a Component of Integrated Primary Care: Association of "warm hand off" and adherence to follow-up behavioral health appointments. American Psychology Association. Washington, DC.
Martinez-Donate AP, Hovell MF, Kotay, A. (2006). Cultural and social determinants of smoking among Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 31,s090.
Sowder, E., Kotay, A., Gevirtz, R., Cannon, C. (2006). Heart rate variability biofeedback in patients with recurrent abdominal pain: A multiple case history study. Biological Psychology, 72,233.
Shapiro, W., Sowder, E., Gevirtz, R., Kotay, A. (2006). A new biobehavioral treatment approach for pediatric recurrent abdominal pain: Heart rate variability biofeedback. The American College of Gastroenterology. Las Vegas, NV.
Minnasian, A., Kotay, A., Perry, W., Potenza, (2006). The use of virtual reality for acute burn management in pediatric burn patients. American Burn Association. Las Vegas, NV.
Kotay, A., Meltzer, S., Wahlgren, D., Hovell, M. (2005). Secondhand Smoke Prevention Trial Linking Home-based and Physician Counseling. National Conference on Tobacco and Health, Chicago, IL.
Martinez-Donate, A.P., Hovell, M., Hofstetter, R.C., Gonzalez-Perez, G.J., Sanchez, J.J., Kotay, A., Adams, M.A. (2005). International tobacco control research on residential home bans among Mexican-descent populations. Tobacco-Related Diseases Research Program Conference, Los Angeles, CA.
Spira, J. & Kotay, A. (2004). The Influence of Zen Meditation and Stress on Very Low, Low, and High Frequency Heart Rate Variability. Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback Annual Meeting, Colorado Springs, CO.

Education

2004-2007 PhD, Clinical Psychology

California School of Professional Psychology

Alliant International University, San Diego, CA

Dissertation Title: Psychophysiology of occupational stress and upper extremity symptoms

2002-2004 MS, Health Psychology

California School of Professional Psychology

Alliant International University, San Diego, CA

1994-1998 BA, Psychology

The George Washington University, Washington, DC

Minor: Spanish Literature

Post-graduate Training

2008-2009 University of Medicine & Dentistry, New Jersey (UMDNJ) - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School,

Department of Family Medicine and Community Health