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Brown University Brown University Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Brown Psychology Training Consortium
Clinical Psychology Internship
Research

Research and grant writing are a major activity of many psychologists in academic settings. The training program provides three possible research experiences. Two are optional and one; required. One option is that interns may choose to participate in research that is being conducted as part of the ongoing clinical programs. This could be integrated into part of their clinical duties. A second option is that interns may choose to independently investigate a research question under faculty supervision. Participation in the Research Placement Program, which is required, is described in more detail below.

Research Placement Program

The Research Placement Program provides interns with opportunities to work on programmatic faculty research, typically grant funded projects. Research sites have been developed within each of the four training tracks. Interns are assigned to a project based upon their previous experience in an area, research interests, training needs, and on the availability of training sites. Interns are assigned to a research site for the full internship year and spend approximately four to six hours a week at that placement. Interns may participate in research team meetings and have responsibilities that could include, but are not limited to, research design, data collection, coding and analysis, and manuscript preparation.The following represents current areas of faculty research interests:

 

Adult Clinical Track

For research and clinical interests on faculty listed below please click HERE.


Susan Ramsey -- Comorbidity of depression and substance use disorders; reducing HIV risk among pregnant drug abusers; preventing depressive symptoms among patients undergoing treatment for hepatitis C; addressing at-risk drinking among diabetic patients

M. Tracie Shea -- Risk factors for chronic PTSD in military personnel returning from the war zone

Risa Weisberg – Anxiety disorder course and treatment; CBT in primary care settings; anxiety in African Americans, Latino/as, and older adults

Shirley Yen -- course and treatment of borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder, predictors and treatment of adolescent suicidality

Caron Zlotnick -- Interventions with financially-disdvantaged women; treatment of perinatal disorders; and interpersonal violence

Addictions Research, Butler Hospital

Rick Brown -- Development of treatments for tobacco, alcohol and drug dependence (both adult and adolescent) – modalities include combined (CBT/pharmacological) treatments, ACT/Distress Tolerance-based treatments, exercise and physical activity interventions and motivational interviewing. Focus often on comorbidity with depression.

David Strong – Motivational interviewing, cessation treatment for smokers with depression, statistical methodology

Center for Alcohol & Addiction Studies (CAAS)

Nancy Barnett - Efficacy of brief interventions for alcohol among adolescents and young adults; naturalistic change following critical alcohol events; developing clinical interventions using transdermal alcohol detection.

Suzanne Colby –- Treatment for adolescent smoking; Factors in smoking acquisition, maintenance, and cessation among adolescents 

Christopher Kahler -- Behavioral and pharmacological treatment interventions for adult smoking; alcohol and nicotine dependence; personality, psychopathology and addictions; and smoking cessation treatment for heavy drinkers

Peter Monti -- Efficacy of combined psychological and pharmacological treatment for addictions

Damaris Rohsenhow – Pharmacological treatments for smoking; smoking treatments for substance abusers

Dan Squires -- Dissemination of evidence-based clinical practices; distance learning; technology transfer

Psychosocial Research, Butler Hospital

Cynthia Battle –   Women's mental health; treatment of perinatal depression; family-based treatments

Brandon Gaudiano – Development of  acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies and severe mental illness, including psychotic depression and bipolar disorder

Ivan Miller -- Development of treatments for suicidal patients; combined treatments for severely depressed patients; and family interventions for mood disorders

Lauren Weinstock -- Depression and suicide risk in bipolar disorder; behavioral interventions for bipolar disorder; psychosocial predictors of bipolar illness course

Lisa Uebelacker – Improving treatment for depression in primary care; brief family interventions for depression; treating depression and comorbid physical health problems

BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE TRACK

For research and clinical interests on faculty listed below please click HERE.

Beth Bock: Yoga as a complementary treatment for smoking cessation; Text messaging for smoking cessation; Teachable moments and decision making in emergency medicine

Dale Bond: Behavioral aspects of bariatric surgery; Exercise adoption and maintenance

Belinda Borrelli: Adherence; Correlates and treatment of nicotine dependence; Environmental tobacco smoke exposure; Tailoring smoking interventions for different cultural and ethnic groups; Motivational interviewing; Preventing smoking relapse; Public health approaches to smoking cessation; Translating clinical theory into public health intervention; Treatment and fidelity/integrity

Mary Carskadon: Psychological, behavioral, social, and biological factors that determine adolescent sleep

Joseph Ciccolo: Correlates and treatment of nicotine dependence; Exercise adoption and maintenance

Judith DePue: Behavioral intervention in obesity; Cross-cultural and translational behavioral research; Primary care based illness prevention and lifestyle change interventions; Public Health approaches to chronic disease management

Jessica LaRose: Behavioral intervention in obesity; Psychological, behavioral, social, and biological factors in weight maintenance

Bess Marcus: Correlates and treatment of nicotine dependence; Exercise adoption and maintenance; Interactive technologies for public health promotion

Jeanne McCaffery: Gene by environment interactions related to obesity; Metabolic syndrome; Psychological, behavioral, social, and biological risk factors for coronary heart disease

Kathleen Morrow: Behavioral interventions for HIV/STD prevention; Microbicide acceptability and measurement; Qualitative and mixed research methods for behavioral research

Bernardine Pinto: Distress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in cancer patients; Exercise adoption and maintenance; Exercise interventions for cancer patients (breast, colorectal, young adult survivors); Health behavior changes after cancer; Maintenance of exercise after cardiac rehabilitation

Carolyn Rabin: Distress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in cancer patients; Exercise interventions for cancer patients (breast, colorectal, young adult survivors);  Health behavior changes after cancer

Rochelle Rosen: Cross-cultural and translational behavioral research; Microbicide acceptability and measurement; Public Health approaches to chronic disease management; Qualitative and mixed research methods for behavioral research

Eva Serber: Cardiac implanted devices and other biotechnological cardiac treatments; Coping and adjustment to cardiac disease; Psychological, behavioral, social, and biological risk factors for coronary heart disease

Laura Stroud: Environmental tobacco smoke exposure; Intergenerational transmission of depression and nicotine dependence ; Stress response and neurobehavior in infancy and adolescence

David Williams: Correlates and treatment of nicotine dependence; Exercise adoption and maintenance; Translating clinical theory into public health intervention

Rena Wing: Behavioral intervention in obesity; Exercise adoption and maintenance; Psychological, behavioral, social, and biological factors in weight maintenance

 

Child Track

For research and clinical interests on faculty listed below please click HERE.

Rowland Barrett:  Asperger’s Disorder, Autism

Julie Boergers:  Pediatric sleep disorder, Smoking

Larry Brown:  Adolescent HIV Prevention 

Susan Dickstein:  Early childhood development in the context of family and social risk. 

Jen Freeman:  Assessment and treatment of childhood and adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorder.         

Wendy Hadley:  Adolescent HIV Prevention 

Chris Houck:  Adolescent HIV Prevention 

Elissa Jelalian, et al:  Behavioral interventions for adolescent obesity. 

Daphne Koinis-Mitchell:  Child-based, cultural and neighborhood risk and protective factors in  urban children with asthma. 

Celia Lescano:  Adolescent HIV Prevention

Barry Lester:  Development of behavioral processes in infants at risk. 

Debra Lobato:  Siblings of children with medical and developmental disorders. 

Elizabeth McQuaid:  Family asthma management and adherence to medication; Symptom perception and culture in childhood asthma.              

Robyn Mehlenbeck:  Family systems interventions for pediatric chronic illness and eating disorders.         

Jack Nassau:  Stress and immunity in pediatric asthma; Family systems interventions for pediatric chronic illness and eating disorders.           

Christie Rizzo:  Adolescent HIV Prevention 

Tom Roesler:  Family systems interventions for pediatric chronic illness and eating disorders. 

Stephen Sheinkopf:  Asperger’s Disorder; Autism; Development of behavioral processes in infants at rish. 

Anthony Spirito:  Behavioral interventions for adolescent depression and suicidal behavior. 

Marina Tolou-Shams:  Adolescent HIV Prevention

Barbara Tylenda:  Asperger’s Disorder; Autism


Neuropsychology Track

For research and clinical interests on faculty listed below please click HERE.

Ronald Cohen:

  • Relationship between Cardiac function and Cognition in the Elderly
  • Neuropsychological aspects of vascular dementia
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Mild Cognitive Impairment and Conversion to Alzheimer's disease

Steve Correia

  • Application of diffusion tensor imaging to neurologic populations

Jennifer Davis

  • Driving and dementia
  • Telephone Interventions with Dementia Caregivers
  • Executive functioning and depression in epilepsy
  • Nonpharmacologic interventions for aging and MCI
  • Neuropsychiatric aspects of thyroid disease

Margaret DiCarlo

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Driving and dementia

Allison Evans

  • Reading Fluency, Phonological Processing, and Dyslexia

Janet Grace

  • Neurobehavioral features of Parkinson's disease, Lewy Body disease, Alzheimer's disease and Frontal Dementia
  • Psychometric properties of the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale
  • Cholinesterase inhibitors and psychomotor and executive functioning in Parkinson's  disease
  • Validity of a Telephone-Based Cognitive Screening for Dementia and Mild Cognitive  Impairment

Thomas Guilmette

  • Assessment of effort and malingering
  • Forensic Neuropsychology and Jury Deliberation in Mild Head Injury

Karen Holler

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Melissa Jenkins

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Attention and Memory in PTSD
  • Auditory processing disorders
  • Measures of effort in the assessment of ADHD

Beth Jerskey

  • Genetics of Alzheimer's disease

Katarina Lukatela

  • Normal aging: effects of lifestyle on age sensitive cognitive functions

Paul Malloy

  • Mild Cognitive Impairment and Conversion to Alzheimer's disease
  • Neurobehavioral features of Parkinson's disease, Lewy Body disease, Alzheimer's disease and Frontal Dementia

Nicole McLaughlin

  • Genetics and neurosurgical interventions in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Anjali Palav

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Developmental language disorders, oral and written

Gregg Selke

  • Sleep Disturbance in Children with ADHD, TBI, and Cancer
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Lawrence Sweet

  • Functional, structural, and perfusion MRI in clinical populations(e.g., Multiple Sclerosis, Nicotine Dependence, heart failure)
  • Working memory and cognitive processing speed in Multiple
  • Sclerosis

Christine Trask

  • Late effects and quality of life issues related to pediatric cancer treatment
  • Academic functioning in children with sickle cell disease

Geoffrey Tremont

  • Telephone Interventions with Dementia Caregivers
  • Anosognosia in dementia
  • Executive functioning and depression in epilepsy
  • Validity of a Telephone-Based Cognitive Screening for Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment
  • Non-pharmacologic interventions for aging and MCI
  • Neuropsychiatric aspects of thyroid disease

Holly Westervelt

  • Clinicopathologic correlation in dementia
  • Olfaction in neurodegenerative diseases
  • Pharmacologic treatment of cognitive deficits in Mulitple Sclerosis
  • Early detection of Huntington's Disease

Bill Whelihan

  • Assessment of effort and malingering
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Neuropsychological aspects of vascular dementia
  • Driving and dementia

Julie Wilson

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Reading Fluency, Phonological Processing, and Dyslexia
  • Developmental language disorders, oral and written