Dr. Sonya Kim is a research scientist at the NYU School of Medicine, where she has a joint appointment as a clinical instructor in the Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine departments. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and a certified rehabilitation counselor. Her major research interests include chronic traumatic brain injury, cognitive deficits in individuals with multiple sclerosis, and exploring the mechanisms and interventions that help rehabilitate functioning post-brain injury. She pioneered the use of heart rate variability biofeedback to improve emotional regulation for individuals with severe and chronic brain injury. Currently, she is the principal investigator on a study funded by the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. Using a qualitative approach, this study aims to develop an instrument to measure post-traumatic growth in the partner of an individual with this disease. Dr. Kim
earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis on health from Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf School of Psychology in 2011. Her postdoctoral fellowship was at the Holy Name Medical Center’s Multiple Sclerosis Center. In this interview, Dr. Kim discusses the use of heart rate variability feedback to improve regulation for patients with severe and chronic traumatic brain injury. Sonya Kim: Pioneed of Heart Rate Variability in TBI Provides In-Depth Look at Novel Approach