Dr. "Amy Jo" Payne received a Doctorate in Clinical Social Work from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She is also a graduate of the University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work (MSSW, ’02) and Eastern Kentucky University (’96, ’93).

Professionally, Amy Jo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) for the Veterans Health Administration. As a mental health therapist, she provides suicide prevention treatment to our nation’s Veteran population. Additionally, she is trained in evidence-based therapies designed to treat PTSD and Prolonged Grief.

Amy Jo’s platform, Turning It Up Green, increases awareness, advocacy, and education surrounding Bile Duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma). The movement, founded by Dr. Payne, is a dedication to her late mother, Joan, who lost her battle with this incredibly fatal cancer in 2016.

In her free time, Amy Jo enjoys horseback riding, landscape photography, and travel.