Research in Psychology

Research faculty

• Stephen L. Boehm, II, Ph.D.
  • Work in Dr. Boehm's lab seeks to understand how developmental and genetic factors influence loss of control over alcohol intake, or binge drinking. His research uses mice of different developmental and genetic backgrounds to ask mechanistic questions about the complex relationships between brain and behavior.
• Cristine L. Czachowski, Ph.D.
  • Dr. Czachowski's research uses an animal model to better understand the processes by which humans regulate alcohol consumption. Currently, she is working with a model that closely approximates human alcohol-drinking: from the onset of a "drinking episode" which starts with the purchase of a bottle or the entering of a bar, to the termination of that particular drinking binge.
• Charles R. Goodlett, Ph.D.
  • Dr. Goodlett studies the effects of exposure to alcohol during critical periods of brain development. His goals are to understand the factors that determine the type and extent of brain damage-and associated behavioral dysfunction-and to identify treatments that may rehabilitate or protect against prenatal alcohol-induced brain damage (i.e., fetal alcohol syndrome).
• Nicholas J. Grahame, Ph.D.
  • Dr. Grahame seeks to understand genetic influences on behavior, specializing in alcoholism. Using animal models, he studies why some individuals prefer alcohol while others avoid it.
• Christopher C. Lapish, Ph.D.
  • The primary focus of Dr. Lapish's research is to understand the neurophsyiological basis of cognition and explore potential procognitive treatment vectors for disorders such as schizophrenia and addiction.
• Marian Logrip, Ph.D.
  • Dr. Logrip's lab studies sex differences in the brain and how it adapts to stress and alcohol. We look for differences in the brain circuits of male and female rodents to understand what neural processes support the development of mental illnesses like anxiety and alcohol use disorders.
• Bethany Neal-Beliveau, Ph.D.
  • Dr. Neal-Beliveau's basic areas of research are developmental psychobiology and psychopharmacology. She is currently examining the effects of early insults (i.e., drugs of abuse, lesions, and stress) on the development of brain dopamine system, using both behavioral and neuro-chemical methods.

Affiliated research areas and related faculty:

Clinical Health Psychology

Clinical health psychology is both an applied and a basic science, traditionally focusing on four areas: (1) health promotion and maintenance, (2) prevention and treatment, (3) etiology and correlates of health, illness, and dysfunction, and (4) the health care system and the formulation of health care policy.

Researchers: 

• Melissa Cyders, Ph.D.
  • My primary research area is the role of emotional experiences in risk processes for a wide range of maladaptive health behaviors, including alcohol use, drug use, gambling, risky sexual practices, sexting, and eating disorders.
• Adam Hirsh, Ph.D.
  • My lab conducts research on the biopsychosocial aspects of pain and functioning in humans. In one line of research, we use virtual human technology to investigate how providers make pain assessment and treatment decisions. In this work, we are particularly interested in examining the mechanisms that underlie disparities in pain care. A second line of our research focuses on pain and functioning in individuals with chronic pain secondary to a neurological disorder (e.g., spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis). Our third line of research examines how psychological constructs, such as pain-related fear and catastrophizing, influence the experience of pain. This work often involves using experimental stimuli to induce pain in healthy and clinical populations. We are a multidisciplinary laboratory and collaborate frequently with colleagues in Medicine, Nursing, Communication Science, Informatics, and Social Psychology.
• Catherine Mosher, Ph.D.
  • My current research falls into two general areas of behavioral oncology. One line of research focuses on the development and evaluation of interventions to reduce negative psychological and physical sequelae (e.g., distress, pain, fatigue) following a cancer diagnosis. For example, I have recently studied the health effects of written emotional disclosure for women with metastatic breast cancer (F32CA130600, PI: Mosher). My colleagues and I are also examining the impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in bone marrow and stem cell transplant survivors and potential mechanisms underlying the positive effects of this therapy (R01CA093609, PI: William Redd). My second research area concerns the development and evaluation of interventions to reduce family caregiver burden in cancer care. We are currently assessing the psychosocial and practical needs, barriers to psychosocial service use, and psychosocial service preferences of primary family caregivers of lung cancer patients (R03CA139862, PI: Mosher). Results from this research will inform conceptual models of psychosocial service use and the development of more feasible and accessible interventions for lung cancer patients' caregivers.
• Kevin Rand, Ph.D.
  • Currently, my research is focused on cancer populations, particularly patients with advanced cancer who may be near the end of life. I am interested in understanding how these patients cope with their illness and how these coping efforts influence psychological adjustment (especially symptoms of depression and anxiety) and future treatment decisions. I am a core faculty member of the RESPECT center, which is a collaborative, interdisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians who are interested in the science of palliative and end-of-life care across the lifespan. More generally, I investigate how people think about and pursue goals in their lives and how these goal pursuits influence people's mental and physical health.
• Jesse Stewart, Ph.D.
  • I conduct research examining the influence of negative emotions (e.g., depression, anxiety, and hostility/anger) on the development of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and hypertension. I also investigate the role of cardiovascular responses to stress in the development of cardiovascular diseases.
• Tamika Zapolski, Ph.D.
  • My primary research focus is on understanding important factors related to risk of drug use among youth and developing interventions to help mitigate risk for future use among youth. Although many of the findings based on the research from my lab are universal, applicable across ethnic groups, I do pay particular focus on understanding cultural factors that are influential in elevating risk of drug use among African American youth.

Severe Mental Illness

Severe Mental Illness researchers study risk factors, early identification, and interventions for individuals with severe psychiatric disorders (such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) and who have ongoing problems in community functioning. Psychiatric rehabilitation refers to a set of practices aimed at assisting such individuals to achieve personal life goals and full integration into the community. 

Researchers:

• John McGrew, Ph.D.
  • I investigate how clinical interventions and public mental health organizations can support persons with mental illness in their home and communities and help them achieve important life goals (e.g., work, better relationships).
• Kyle S. Minor, Ph.D.
  • My laboratory focuses on identifying clinical risk markers of psychosis and implementing interventions for individuals at risk for or diagnosed with Schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
• Michelle P. Salyers, Ph.D.
  • I study interventions that can help people with severe mental illnesses recover a meaningful life in the community, for example, learning to take care of themselves more independently and pursue goals that are important to them.  I also help mental health workers learn more effective ways to work with people with severe mental illness.

Affiliated Researchers:

• Marina Kukla, Ph.D.
  • I study psychiatric rehabilitation practices that assist people with severe mental illness to find and keep work in the community and better their lives.  I am also interested in cognitive behavioral interventions that may be used alongside evidence-based psychiatric rehabilitation services to improve consumer outcomes.
• Paul Lysaker, Ph.D.
  • I study barriers to recovery for persons with severe mental illness and the development of a recovery focused form of individual psychotherapy. I am very interested in meta-cognition and how to enhance this important aspect of people's lives.
• Alan McGuire, Ph.D.
  • I study the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based psychosocial interventions for people with severe mental illness. In other words, I am interested in making sure that people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses get treatments that we know work. To this end, I study ways to measure successful implementation, and ways to change organizational and programmatic factors that may lead to better implementation. I am also interested in how building treatment around a person's goals may make services more effective and satisfying.
• Angela Rollins, Ph.D.
  • I study the implementation of evidence-based practices including the best ways to conduct fidelity measurement.  I am also interested in recovery-oriented mental health practice and community mental health workforce issues such as reducing burnout.