Assistant Professor
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Lisa S. Panisch is an Assistant Professor at the Wayne State University School of Social Work. She was previously a NIMH T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She earned her PhD from the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin (2020), and her MSW degree from Florida State University.
Panisch conducts research on how dissociation and dissociative disorders are addressed in graduate mental health-focused educational programs. She is a dedicated social work educator, earning Teacher of the Year in 2023.
Panisch’s research uses an interdisciplinary approach to investigate mechanisms of intergenerational patterns of trauma transmission and interventions meant to interrupt these cycles. She studies the intersections between interpersonal factors and systemic influences to better understand trauma and its consequences throughout the lifespan and across generations. Specific areas of focus include researching social support among people with dissociative disorders, intergenerational consequences of childhood betrayal trauma within families, as well as the role of dissociative processes in maintaining and exacerbating symptoms of trauma-related and other mental health disorders (e.g., obsessive compulsive disorder), and symptoms of functional conditions (e.g., chronic pelvic pain). She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles on these topics, in which she elaborates on the subsequent implications for parent-child attachment and the behavioral health and development of infants and children, and provides guidance for more trauma- and dissociation-informed child welfare, medical, and mental health service provision. Panisch also specializes in researching neurofeedback and other biobehavioral interventions meant to address manifestations of complex trauma, dissociation, and other trauma-related mental health challenges.
Panisch received the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation’s David Caul Research Award (2019) for her studies on connections between childhood betrayal trauma, dissociation, and chronic pelvic pain.
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Dissociative Amnesia & Supportive Relationships Moderate Ties Between Aces & Mental Health
Monday, March 30, 2026
11:10 AM - 11:30 AM US Pacific Time