Accepting new patients

Thomas Kern, Ph.D.

Accepting new patients

  • APOM Director of Pain Psychology
  • Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine

Expertise

  • Psychology

Special focus

  • Health Psychology

Locations and contact

I see patients at

About me

Dr. Kern specializes in helping patients manage chronic pain and other chronic conditions.  His emphasis is on improving quality of life and increasing functioning within the reality of having a chronic condition.  Pain affects much more than the part of the body that hurts and Dr. Kern helps patients manage all of the life disruption that accompanies a difficult medical problem.

 He spends his spare time with his family and he enjoys hobbies including making pottery and sculpture, working on an old sports car, and going fly fishing.

Languages spoken

  • English

Education and training

  • Degrees

    • Ph.D., 1992, University of Missouri
Read faculty profile

Insurance

Before scheduling your appointment, we recommend you contact your insurance company to verify that the OHSU Health location or provider you plan to visit is included in your network. Your insurance company will also be able to inform you of any copayments, co–insurance, or deductibles that will be your responsibility. If you proceed in scheduling an appointment and your health insurance benefits do not participate with OHSU providers, your out of pocket liability may be higher. Visit the billing and insurance section of our site for more information.

Ratings and reviews

Overall: 4.9 out of 5 (135 Ratings, 62 Reviews)

The patient ratings score is an average of all responses to the question "How likely would you be to recommend this provider to your family and friends (on a scale of 0 to 10)" on our nationally-recognized NRC patient surveys.

  1. You're lucky to have Dr. Kern...you should give him a raise!

  2. I found him to be very helpful. He was kind, knowledgeable,, funny, and had a way of looking at things just a smidge different from everyone else I'd listened to so far. It struck a chord and has made me reconsider a couple of things.

  3. Knowledgeable and compassionate provider

  4. My experience with Dr. Kern is always very positive and mentally great. He helps me understand and is able to help me relax

  5. I'm really happy for the care they do to me, all the chemo at OHSU.

  6. talked it out

  7. I was a little anxious about this appointment but he made me feel comfortable.

  8. I would like to say that Dr. Kern has been life-changing for me. He's an awesome listener and he responds when he feels that he needs to. He helps me to see how I need to move or respond or not respond in my own life.

  9. Dr Kern has incredible insight and is always able to allow me to find my truth and explore options for greater levels of pain management. He has extreme levels of skill in his tool box.

  10. This provider was excellent at listening and asking just the right questions to get the information he needed. He was observant and understanding of how I explained things and I appreciated his professional demeanor.

  11. Easy to talk to very approachable

  12. Mr. Kern was very polite. He listened. He gave me good feedback. He really understood where I was coming from. And I would totally recommend him again to anybody.

  13. I found the appointment that it was very knowledgeable and he was very supportive and I would recommend him to any other person. He really helped me out that day and I appreciate him hearing me out with all my issues and he gave me a lot of good feedback. I would recommend Dr. Kern.

  14. Dr. Kern is extremely empathetic. He is well-versed in his field. He is responsive to clients and has been a huge help and made a great difference in my life.

  15. provider was very kind and professional. I was very comfortable talking to him. He made sure I was able to ask any questions I may have had at all times throughout our conversation. He provided answers to any and all questions and gave me valuable information for my future success.

  16. Dr. Kern, was insightful, caring, and available for open discussion during my appointment with him. We touched on a variety of topics. If anything was lacking it was because I didn't bring it up. As always the time goes fast. And he is a very able and competent clinician. I appreciate his versatility.

  17. Dr Kern has been my guiding source for awhile now. He is intelligent. He is compassionate. His advice is always the best for me. I'm truly grateful to have Dr. Kern as my Dr. Would be lost without him.

  18. Dr. Kern is a good listener, has good thoughts of how to help me. He is kind.

  19. He was very easy to talk to and made me feel comfortable.

  20. The service from the doctors is all excellent. Thank you.

  21. Dr. Kern is a compassionate, caring doctor who is strength based, focuses on the importance of resiliency and ability to psychologically adapt to disabling, life changing conditions which can help clients experiencing distress, more easily move forward. His gentle, nonjudgmental and validating approach helps clients feel safe while sharing their struggles.

  22. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Thomas Kern for taking the time to listen. He was pleasant and explained every question I asked very well. I will recommend Dr. Kern to my friends and family. Thank you.

  23. Dr. Kern was very informative and helpfulHe gave me good advice and was able to give me alot of different ideas about how to make sure i am successful after my surgery, thank you!

  24. Dr. Kearn and I have worked together for over four years now, and our conversations and relationship is a vital part of my life. I am grateful for our conversations: they are insightful, thought provoking, and motivation for courage and change.

  25. Dr. Kern provided an excellent consultation session. He took the time to dispense helpful information and insights, as well as addressing all my questions and concerns. I very much appreciated his discussion style and honesty.

  26. I appreciate how Dr Kern keeps checking in on what's new and how I'm doing with past discussions and self-care. He has given me tools to be more protective of my time and personal resources like my energy so that I can care for myself, family and then work. I feel like I can balance them better than I used to and not feel guilt for prioritizing my own care.

  27. He was very understanding about my frustrations with the Liver Trasplant and Bariatric Surgerys.

  28. Dr kern was so kind and easy to talk with I really had a great visit

  29. Thomas was incredibly kind and friendly while also being highly professional and informative.

  30. Dr. Kern is an outstanding provider. He is empathetic, knowledgeable, and forthcoming. And he has made a huge difference in the management of my pain and my understanding of other issues in my life.

  31. Thomas was amazing easy to talk to and very helpful

  32. He was very nice an explained everything nicely . He was very respectful. I would recommend him to my family.

  33. Dr. Kern is extremely effective in discussing strategies to help alleviate pain and corresponding sleep issues. These strategies are not abstract, theoretical ideas. He advises self-directed action that you can immediately apply to your life and put into action. I feel so extremely lucky that I am able to meet with him. He is an asset to your department.

  34. ExcellentIf not for Dr Kern I wouldn't know what to do. He has and continues to help me through all my many challenges. I will be forever grateful and blessed to have Dr Kern's guidance.

  35. Dr. Kern is great! He listens, he is smart, and gives good feedback and ways to help me navigate my pain issues.

  36. He is extremely knowledgeable, caring and patient with me. He always has good advice and has helped me immensely.

  37. It was a very relaxed and pleasant experience!

  38. I feel this provider listens and really hears what I have to say. Dr Kern offers concepts and potential solutions to matters that I hadn't considered. We discussed an upcoming stressful situation, and he helped me create a list of personal care items to pack and conversation strategies. And he reminded me about self-care significance during a stressful time should not be neglected

  39. Very professional and kind! Good humor and to the point. Definitely makes you feel comfortable with all the personal questions. Great experience.

  40. My feedback on Thomas Kern is that he is very understanding. He explained everything very well and he let me know what I had to do correctly. So yes, I would totally recommend him.

  41. Great

  42. Dr. Kern is empathetic, caring responsive, intelligent, well informed and an outstanding therapist. I recommend him highly. I feel that he's made a huge difference in my life and I am grateful to have access to him and to have the knowledge...his knowledge help me deal with chronic pain.

  43. Dr Kern is great. He listens well, and give great suggestions.

  44. Great listener and great advice.