UChicago Faculty Physician
Ilayna Mehrtens, PhD
Ilayna Mehrtens, PhD
UChicago Faculty Physician
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
Specialties
- Pediatric Psychiatry
Locations
- Chicago - Hyde Park
- About
- Specialties & Areas of Expertise
- Locations & Patient Information
- Education & Research
- Accepted Insurance
- External Professional Relationships
Ilayna Mehrtens, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist who specializes in psychosocial oncology. Dr. Mehrtens works with adolescents and young adults, and their families, to help them cope with cancer diagnoses and treatments.
She also has expertise in LGBTQ+ affirming healthcare and gender-affirming healthcare. By working as part of a multidisciplinary affirming healthcare team, Dr. Mehrtens helps transgender and gender expansive children, adolescents and their families.
For both her cancer and LGBTQ+/gender-affirming patients, Dr. Mehrtens creates a safe and supportive environment for all children and teens, especially those who are facing serious health challenges. Her unique approach to care considers the psychosocial and emotional well-being of each patient, providing families with the tools and resources to manage stress and build resiliency.
In additional to her clinical practice, Dr. Mehrtens is passionate about research, including understanding risk and resiliency, and promoting access to equitable and affirming healthcare for historically marginalized and underserved populations.
Along with her patient advocacy, Dr. Mehrtens mentors advanced doctoral students and aspiring pediatric psychologists, offering them learning opportunities as they move forward in their medical careers.
She also has expertise in LGBTQ+ affirming healthcare and gender-affirming healthcare. By working as part of a multidisciplinary affirming healthcare team, Dr. Mehrtens helps transgender and gender expansive children, adolescents and their families.
For both her cancer and LGBTQ+/gender-affirming patients, Dr. Mehrtens creates a safe and supportive environment for all children and teens, especially those who are facing serious health challenges. Her unique approach to care considers the psychosocial and emotional well-being of each patient, providing families with the tools and resources to manage stress and build resiliency.
In additional to her clinical practice, Dr. Mehrtens is passionate about research, including understanding risk and resiliency, and promoting access to equitable and affirming healthcare for historically marginalized and underserved populations.
Along with her patient advocacy, Dr. Mehrtens mentors advanced doctoral students and aspiring pediatric psychologists, offering them learning opportunities as they move forward in their medical careers.
Specialties
Areas of Expertise
UChicago Medicine Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine - Hyde Park5758 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago IL 606371-888-824-0200
Practicing Since
- 2020
Languages Spoken
- English
Medical Education
- Louisiana State University
Internship
- Rush Children's Hospital
Fellowship
- University of Chicago Medicine
News & Research
Insurance
- Aetna Better Health *see insurance page
- Aetna HMO (specialists only)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- Aetna POS
- Aetna PPO
- BCBS Blue Precision HMO (specialists only)
- BCBS HMO (HMOI) (specialists only)
- BCBS Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- BCBS PPO
- Cigna HMO
- Cigna POS
- Cigna PPO
- CountyCare *see insurance page
- Humana Medicare Advantage Choice PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Choice PFFS
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Plus HMO
- Medicare
- Multiplan PPO
- PHCS PPO
- United Choice Plus POS/PPO
- United Choice HMO (specialists only)
- United Options (PPO)
- United Select (HMO & EPO) (specialists only)
- United W500 Emergent Wrap
- University of Chicago Health Plan (UCHP)
Our list of accepted insurance providers is subject to change at any time. You should contact your insurance company to confirm UChicago Medicine participates in their network before scheduling your appointment. If you have questions regarding your insurance benefits at UChicago Medicine, please contact our financial counseling team at OPSFinancialCounseling@uchospitals.edu.
UChicago Medicine is committed to fostering a corporate culture of ethical behavior and integrity in all matters related to compliance with the laws and regulations that govern the delivery of healthcare. This aspiration is central to supporting patient care, research, and teaching at UChicago Medicine.
Some of our physicians and health professionals collaborate with external pharmaceutical, medical device, or other medical related entities to develop new treatments and products to improve clinical outcomes for patients. In some instances, the physician has ownership interests in the external entity and/or is compensated for advising or speaking about the entity’s products or treatments. These payments may include compensation for consulting and speaking engagements, equity, and/or royalties for products invented by our physicians. To assure objectivity and integrity in patient care, UChicago Medicine requires all physicians and health professionals to report their relationships and financial interests with external entities on an annual basis. This information is used to review relationships and transactions that might give rise to potential financial conflicts of interest, and when considered to be significant a management plan to mitigate any biases is created.
If you are a patient at UChicago Medicine and would like more information about your physician’s external relationships, please talk with your physician. You may also visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ . CMS Open Payments is a national disclosure program that promotes a more transparent and accountable health care system. It houses a publicly accessible database of payments that reporting entities, including drug and medical device companies, make to covered recipients like physicians and hospitals.
Information in the CMS Open Payments database could potentially contain inaccurately reported and out of date payment information. All information is open to personal interpretation, if there are questions about the data, patients and their advocates should speak directly to their health care provider for a better understanding.
Some of our physicians and health professionals collaborate with external pharmaceutical, medical device, or other medical related entities to develop new treatments and products to improve clinical outcomes for patients. In some instances, the physician has ownership interests in the external entity and/or is compensated for advising or speaking about the entity’s products or treatments. These payments may include compensation for consulting and speaking engagements, equity, and/or royalties for products invented by our physicians. To assure objectivity and integrity in patient care, UChicago Medicine requires all physicians and health professionals to report their relationships and financial interests with external entities on an annual basis. This information is used to review relationships and transactions that might give rise to potential financial conflicts of interest, and when considered to be significant a management plan to mitigate any biases is created.
If you are a patient at UChicago Medicine and would like more information about your physician’s external relationships, please talk with your physician. You may also visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ . CMS Open Payments is a national disclosure program that promotes a more transparent and accountable health care system. It houses a publicly accessible database of payments that reporting entities, including drug and medical device companies, make to covered recipients like physicians and hospitals.
Information in the CMS Open Payments database could potentially contain inaccurately reported and out of date payment information. All information is open to personal interpretation, if there are questions about the data, patients and their advocates should speak directly to their health care provider for a better understanding.