Laboratory Members





 

Rodlescia Sneed is a graduate student in the lab. She studied molecular biology as an undergraduate at Princeton and did a master's program in public health/epidemiology at Columbia University. Rodlescia is interested in the impact of close relationships on immune function and also in psychosocial factors surrounding chronic disease activity and progression. Outside of the lab, Rodlescia enjoys singing and playing violin (perhaps to the chagrin of her roommate and neighbors). Although Rodlescia has enjoyed many honors and awards over the years, her greatest accomplishment to date has been winning the Pittsburgh City Paper's doggie look-alike contest with her adorable Shih Tzu, Gracie.

Rodlescia can be e-mailed at rssneed@gmail.com





















Ellen Conser is a research associate in the lab and assistant to Dr. Cohen.  She has worked on the Pittsburgh Cold & Flu Studies
and others since 2000. In 2000, she received an MA in medical ethics from Michigan State University after working as a graduate
research assistant at MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry.  Ellen has been a CMU Staff Council
representative since 2006.  She enjoys gardening, showering affection on canine passersby, and kayaking with her family in the
Everglades in close proximity to alligators.
                                                                                                                         Ellen can be e-mailed at conser@andrew.cmu.edu



























Denise Janicki Deverts is a post-doctoral fellow who joined the lab in January, 2006. She received a Ph.D. in Biological and Health Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Her present work focuses mainly on the effects of socioeconomic status and psychosocial stress on physiologic mechanisms relevant to cardiovascular disease risk.








                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                Denise can be e-mailed at djanicki@andrew.cmu.edu








 



Crista Crittenden is a graduate student in the lab. Her research interests are related to pediatric chronic illness, particularly asthma, and associated biopsychosocial factors. She received her undergraduate degree in brain and cognitive science, as well as her Masters in Public Health, at the University of Rochester. When she is not thinking of, entering data on, or analyzing cortisol samples, she enjoys kayaking, reading, sleeping, and watching copious amounts of television.


Crista can be emailed at ccritten@andrew.cmu.edu








Dr. Zora Crittenden received her Ph.D. from Cornell University. Her main area of interest deals with hostility in squirrels, especially as manifested through inter-species taunting. Her secondary research relates to apathy in pigeons. In her free time, she enjoys chasing plastic bottle caps and staring blankly at the wall.
















These are the Fur Girls. Dr. Cohen shares a house with them. Ypssi is 3 years old, Sadie is 10, and Irma is 16. All three have PhDs from MIT where they majored in nuclear engineering. They are helpful in writing (or at least sitting on) papers being prepared in our laboratory and have rubbed against many famous psychologists. They are best known for their classic paper on mousing and chipmunking techniques. The Fur Girls were drawn by their grandmother, Eleanora Miller. (We have received multiple emails suggesting that we shouldn't have drugged Ypssi to get her to pose. The truth is it was us who needed the drugs.)

Lab Alumni

 

Although we don't always like to admit it, Ian Brissette was a member of our research lab.  He is now the Director of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Evaluation and 
Research in the New York State Department of Health.  Staff in this Bureau are responsible for collecting, analyzing and reporting data on the burden of chronic 
disease and its risk factors, including obesity, lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, stress and tobacco use.  He and his staff are also responsible for 
collecting data to evaluate the New York State Health Department's public health initiatives addressing chronic disease.  Recent projects have assessed the impact 
of a media campaign on customers' use of posted calorie information and purchasing behavior, tested the association between tobacco retail density and smoking, 
evaluated the impact of a quality improvement initiative to promote exclusive breastfeeding in maternity hospitals, and measured changes in school's local wellness 
policies.  He can be contacted at: ifb01@health.state.ny.us

URL for the NYSDOH home page. http://www.health.ny.gov/
URL for the NYSDOH web pages that cover health statistics http://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/

 




















Ian and family, 2012




Pam and friend visiting the Coliseum (Rome, Italy), 2012

Pam Feldman, a former post-doctoral fellow in our lab, is currently a Fundraiser for a non-profit called Peace Brigades International (PBI), UK Section, which offers non-violent protection to human rights defenders in Latin America and Asia . She can be reached at the following address: Dr. Pamela Feldman, PBI UK, 1B Waterlow Road, London UK N19 5NJ.

Her e-mail address is pam@peacebrigades.org.uk

 






Natalie Hamrick, a former graduate student in our lab, is the founder of, and life coach, author, and speaker with Healing Journey Ministries, a Christian approach to partnering with God to get through life’s hardships.  Dr. Hamrick’s initial research in stress, coping and health led to the development of a faith-based support program for cancer survivors entitled Cope by Faith (link to Cope by Faith http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000266798/Cope-by-Faith.aspx), and she has expanded this approach to chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome.

You may e-mail her at healingjourneyministries@gmail.com . She receives mail at 13810 E. Camden Chase Ct., Wichita, KS  67228.


 

Natalie in 2001

Natalie and family, 2011









Gregory Miller, a former post-doctoral fellow in our lab, is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University. He receives mail at the Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Road, 102 Swift Hall, Evanston, IL 60208-2710. You can e-mail him at gregmiller@northwestern.edu

Profile: http://www.wcas.northwestern.edu/psych/people/faculty/faculty_individual_pages/Miller.html





 

Deb Polk, Ph.D., a former post-doctoral fellow in our lab, is currently Assistant Professor of Dental Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, 
School of Dental Medicine. In her current work, she is modeling the underlying causal structure of health behaviors. She may be e-mailed at dpolk@pitt.edu. 
Her profile may be accessed at http://researchgateway.ctsi.pitt.edu/dvprofiles/dpolk

 






























Sarah Pressman, a former graduate student in the Cohen lab, is currently an assistant professor at University of California, Irvine. Dr. Pressman's work focuses on understanding the connections between positive psychosocial factors and physical health, with the specific goal of disentangling the physiological and behavioral pathways that allow these connections to occur. 


Dr. Pressman¹s webpage and contact information are as follows:    
   
University of California, Irvine  
4201 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway
Department of Psychology & Social Behavior
Irvine, CA 92697-7085  http://faculty.sites.uci.edu/pressman/
Email:  pressmas@uci.edu


Sarah's buddy, Milo, enjoying a day off at the Doggy Beach








Staff updated January 24, 2013