Assistant Professor
Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital
Dr. Rachel Kentor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. As a pediatric psychologist embedded within the Palliative Care team at Texas Children’s Hospital, she delivers evidence-based assessment and intervention for children, adolescents, and young adults facing chronic and life-limiting medical conditions. Dr. Kentor’s primary clinical and research interests include illness-related communication with pediatric patients, impact of family functioning on child adjustment to disease, and anticipatory grief among dying children and their families. She has made significant contributions to the field through her publications in numerous peer-reviewed journals and played a key role in developing the recently published Competencies for Psychology Practice in Pediatric Palliative Care. An active participant in the academic community, Dr. Kentor frequently presents at national and international conferences and has been featured in prominent news outlets, including CNN and NPR. She co-founded the Palliative Care and End-of-Life Special Interest Group for Division 54 of the American Psychological Association (Society of Pediatric Psychology) and served on the inaugural Executive Steering Committee of the National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care (NCHPC) Pediatric Division.
Dr. Kentor earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a focus on Healthcare Systems Management from Eastern Michigan University before completing her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX.
Pediatric State of the Science
Thursday, March 5, 2026
1:00pm - 2:00pm PST
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose