Lesley Graff, PhD CPsych

Professor and Head
Department of Clinical Health Psychology
Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Manitoba
Provincial Medical Specialty Lead-Clinical Health Psychology
Shared Health Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB

Dr Lesley Graff (pronounced Groff) is Professor and Head, Department of Clinical Health Psychology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, and Provincial Specialty Medical Lead – Clinical Health Psychology, Shared Health Manitoba, responsible for clinical psychology services across the province.  She trained as a clinician-scientist, obtaining her Master’s degree at the University of Saskatchewan and her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Graff’s clinical and academic work is integrated in the area of behavioral medicine with acute and chronic disease, focused on gastrointestinal disorders.  She developed and continues to run the GI Psychology clinic, based at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre. Her research has centered on psychological processes and treatments in gastrointestinal and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.  Dr Graff has led the UM IBD Clinical and Research Centre team’s internationally recognized work to understand the role of psychological factors such as stress, depression, anxiety, and resilience in disease course and management of inflammatory bowel disease.