Dr. Comer is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Center for Children and Families. He is director of the Mental health Interventions & Novel Therapeutics (MINT) Program, an interdisciplinary clinical research laboratory devoted to expanding the quality, scope and accessibility of mental health care for youth. In addition, he serves as director of the SAMHSA-funded Network for Enhancing Wellness in Disaster-Affected Youth (NEW DAY), which provides trainings to youth-serving professionals across the nation in multi-tired, trauma-informed supports in the wake of disaster.
Education
- NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Child Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY
- Clinical Internship, New York University, NYU Child Study Center, Bellevue Hospital Center
- Ph.D., Clinical Psychology (Concentration in Developmental Psychopathology), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
- M.A., Clinical Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
- B.A., Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Research Areas
Broadly speaking, Dr. Comer’s program of research examines child psychopathology and youth mental health care, focusing on anxiety disorders and trauma, family-based intervention, the roles of technology in overcoming traditional barriers to care, and youth disaster mental health. He is a leading expert in the study and treatment of pediatric anxiety and related problems, and he has been a pioneer in the development and testing of technology-based innovations for expanding the reach of supported mental health care. In addition to this work, Dr. Comer directs a funded line of research examining the psychological impact of disasters, terrorism, and other public health crises on children and families, and he is a leader in the dissemination of multi-tiered trauma-informed supports for youth in disaster-hit communities.
Dr. Comer has received current and past funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the American Psychological Foundation (APF), as well as from several private foundations and donors. He and his work have been recognized through the receipt of several research and career awards, including awards from the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Clinical Psychology, the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice, the APA Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. In 2025, he was honored by the American Psychological Association’s Society of Clinical Psychology with the Florence Halpern Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Clinical Psychology. Dr. Comer has been named one of FIU’s “Top Scholars,” and in 2025 he was promoted to the rank of “Distinguished University Professor.”