Christina T. Gentile, PsyD

Christina T. Gentile, PsyD, MA, ABPP

Dr. Gentile is a board-certified clinical health psychologist specializing in psychogastroenterology and behavioral medicine, with expertise in the psychological and behavioral aspects of chronic medical conditions. She graduated summa cum laude from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, earning a double major in nutrition-dietetics and psychology. Her training in nutrition-dietetics, along with additional coursework in nutritional psychology and the relationship between nutrition and mental health, sparked her interest in how nutrition influences eating behaviors, cognition, emotional well-being, and physical health. Dr. Gentile earned both her Master of Arts and Doctor of Psychology degrees from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Illinois. She completed a clinical health psychology fellowship at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where she received advanced training in gastroenterology, oncology, and cardiac rehabilitation.

In 2019, Dr. Gentile joined the UCLA Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases to develop its integrated GI Health Psychology Program. Her clinical practice focuses on brain-gut behavioral treatments for patients with irritable bowel syndrome and other disorders of gut-brain interaction, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and other chronic gastrointestinal conditions. She utilizes GI-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, gut-directed hypnotherapy, acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions, and other behavioral medicine approaches to address symptom-related distress, illness adjustment, symptom-specific anxiety and avoidance, and impairments in daily functioning and quality of life. Dr. Gentile's broader clinical interests include perinatal mental health, with a particular focus on the psychological impact of high-risk and medically complex pregnancies, maternal medical complications, postpartum recovery, and NICU hospitalization.

She has provided expert commentary for Healthline, SELF, PopSugar, Everyday Health, and WebMD. In addition, she develops and presents educational programs for healthcare professionals and patients through invited lectures and webinars. Her contributions to Beyond Celiac include webinars and newsletter articles, and she is the author of a book chapter on eating disorders in gastroenterology.

Dr. Gentile is a member of the Rome Psychogastroenterology Group, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, and the Society for Health Psychology. She is board certified in clinical health psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.