Dr. Christine Runyan is a clinical health psychologist, the CEO and Co-Founder of Tend Health, and a former Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.
Dr. Runyan's career began in the U.S. Air Force, where she focused her research, clinical practice, and teaching on promoting integrated primary care models. She served as the lead architect of the original Behavioral Health Optimization Program (BHOP), which introduced primary care behavioral health into the Air Force. The success of this program led to its adoption across other uniformed services, the Department of Defense, and Veterans Affairs, setting the standard for primary care today.
She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and her PhD from Virginia Tech. Dr. Runyan completed her pre-doctoral internship at Malcolm Grow Medical Center in Maryland and her postdoctoral fellowship in health psychology at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas—the first APA-accredited health psychology program.
Her passion for teaching and training in academic medicine brought her to the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, where she spent over 10 years directing behavioral science education and training for family medicine residents and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship for psychologists in integrated primary care.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Runyan co-founded a tele-mental health company focused on providing rapid access to high-quality mental health care for healthcare professionals. With more than 50 affiliated clinicians, this specialized service is now available in 45 states.
Dr. Runyan is the past president of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Behavioral Science from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. She also teaches Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness. In addition to her professional work, Dr. Runyan is an avid reader and a movement enthusiast, enjoying hiking, walking, yoga, swimming, and cycling.