Biography
Dr. Afari received her B.A. from UCSD and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1996. She completed a predoctoral internship and postdoctoral training at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Afari was a faculty member in the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences before joining the UCSD faculty in 2006. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD, Associate Chief of the Clinical Health and Neurosciences Unit of the VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, and a staff Psychologist in the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

Research Focus
Dr. Afari’s interdisciplinary research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, involves twin studies to examine genetic and environmental influences on unexplained clinical conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic pelvic pain as well as the relationship between psychological trauma and health-related outcomes. Other research areas of interest include the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in medical populations.

Clinical Focus
Dr. Afari is responsible for the Behavioral Medicine Service at the Mission Valley outpatient clinic of the VA San Diego Healthcare System. This Service provides intervention for behaviors and psychological symptoms that have a negative impact on the health of primary care patients.

Selected Publications
1. Afari, N., Wen, G., Buchwald, D., Goldberg, J., & Plesh, O. (2008). The association between post-traumatic stress symptoms and temporomandibular pain: Findings from a community-based twin registry. Journal of Orofacial Pain, 22, 41-49.

2. Schur, E. A., Afari, N., Furberg, H., Olarte, M., Goldberg, J., Sullivan, P. F., & Buchwald, D. (2007). Feeling bad in more ways than one: Comorbidity patterns of medically unexplained and psychiatric conditions. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 22, 818-821.

3. Afari, N., Noonan, C., Goldberg, J., Edwards, K., Gadepalli, K., Osterman, B., Evanoff, C., & Buchwald, D. (2006). University of Washington Twin Registry: Construction and characteristics of a community-based twin registry. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9, 1023-1029.

4. Arguelles, L. M., Afari, N., Buchwald, D., Clauw, D., Furner, S., & Goldberg, J. (2006). A twin study of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and chronic widespread pain. Pain, 124, 150-157.