Diane G. Sanford, PhD is a psychologist, educator, and speaker, whose work in women’s health psychology has received national attention. For her contributions to improving women’s health, she was given the Award for Clinical Excellence from the National Association for Women’s Health in 1999. In practice for 20 years, she is president and co-developer of the Women’s Healthcare Partnership, an interdisciplinary clinical and consulting group whose mission is to educate and counsel women so that they can attain optimal mental, emotional and physical health. Dr. Sanford’s innovative approach to clinical practice was featured in the February 2001 issue of the American Psychological Association Monitor.
An internationally recognized expert in pregnancy and postpartum adjustment, she has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows including Good Morning America and MSNBC Crosstalk. She is one of the most called upon women’s health experts for the American Psychological Association, and has been interviewed for stories in the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, Redbook, Parents, Ebony, Cosmopolitan, and most major women’s publications. She has contributed her expertise to numerous women’s health and parenting websites including WebMD, Babycenter, Sports Illustrated for Women, Fit Pregnancy, Child, Lifetime, and Health A to Z. She has lectured on women’s reproductive mental health to health practitioner and consumer groups throughout the United States and Canada.
Dr. Sanford is co-author of Postpartum Survival Guide, Midlife and Menopause: A Celebration of Women’s Health and the soon to be published, Pregnancy and Postpartum Survival Guide. In July 2002, she completed a three-part video series on prenatal emotional health covering postpartum disorders; depression during pregnancy; and high-risk pregnancy, fertility issues, and pregnancy loss. Through her videos and audiotapes, she has taught thousands of women and their health providers about the importance of woman-focused care and taking an integrated, mind-body-spirit approach, to women’s health. Her relaxation CD “Letting Go of Stress” was released in September 2002.
Committed to improving women’s health on a national and local level, she serves on the Board of Depression After Delivery and the Board of Consultants for ICEA. She is Clinical Director of Mother to Mother, a free community-based phone support program for pregnant and parenting moms in St. Louis. She has worked with hospitals both in and outside of St. Louis to develop women’s programs which facilitate optimal care to women by addressing their physical, mental, and emotional health needs. She is an adjunct associate professor in the School of Public Health at St. Louis University.
Dr. Sanford obtained her masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Syracuse University in 1982, and her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Syracuse University in 1984. She completed her internship in Clinical Psychology at the Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1984 where she specialized in marriage and family therapy. The mother of two, she lives in St. Louis with her husband and daughters.
