 |
 |
 
-Vita
|
My
research focuses broadly on studying psychological factors and how they
influence
health and human performance. Currently, I am exploring basic questions about stress and coping through two models of stress reduction. In one line of research, I am examining the stress pathways linking mindfulness meditation training with improved health outcomes. In this work, I am studying how mindfulness meditation can improve clinical health outcomes in patient populations (HIV/AIDS, older adults), and the underlying psychosocial, neural, genetic, physiologic, and stress pathways guiding these effects. For example, I am currently collecting data on a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation training on functional neural responses to threatening stimuli in a sample of healthy older adults. This study also includes measures of inflammatory mediators, genetic polymorphisms, gene expression, psychological status, working memory, and stress. In other studies, I am exploring the stress pathways of mindfulness in laboratory stress-challenge tasks. In second line of research, I am exploring the stress buffering effects of self-affirmation. These studies consist of laboratory investigations exploring how self-affirmation reduces stress and improves health outcomes. In summary, my work consists
of exploring how psychological processes can be used to
|