Biobehavioral Health (BBH) Faculty Directory

Senior Research Associate, Professor-in-Charge of Undergraduate Programs

Ph.D., University of Hawaii, 1980

Research Interests:

Prescription drug use/misuse among the elderly; alcohol and the elderly; mental health and the elderly; genetic and environmental factors in aging.

http://bbh.hhdev.psu.edu/lab/medicine-health-aging

f4a@psu.edu

Collins O. Airhihenbuwa

Professor and Head, Department of Biobehavioral Health

Ph.D., University of Tennessee at Knoxville, 1983

Research Interests:

Culturally appropriate interventions in Health Promotion.

http://bbh.hhdev.psu.edu/lab/global-health-culture

aou@psu.edu

Steven A. Branstetter

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., University of Denver

Research Interests:

Youth tobacco use and cessation; parental and peer-influences on tobacco use; behavioral economics and tobacco use; smoking among cancer patients

sab57@psu.edu

Sonia A. Cavigelli

Associate Professor

Ph.D., Duke University, 1998

Research Interests:

Influence of temperament and social status on stress and health; individual differences in stress and health in the natural environment; development of temperament/personality.

http://bbh.hhdev.psu.edu/lab/behavioral-neuroendocrinology

s-cavigelli@psu.edu

Melina T. Czymoniewicz-Klippel

Lecturer and Global Health minor coordinator

Ph.D., Monash University (Australia)

Research Interests:

Theorization of childhood and youth; global health; health impact of migration, in particular forced migration; child maltreatment/protection; health and human rights; research methodologies and ethics.

mtc16@psu.edu

JoAnn Foley-DeFiore

Instructor of Biobehavioral Health, Pre-major Advisor

Ph.D. Sociology, University of Maryland, 1995

Research Interests:

Sociocultural and environmental influences on health and wellness.

jxf39@psu.edu

Lori A. Francis

Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Center for Family Research in Diverse Contexts.

Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, 2003

Research Interests:

Sociocultural factors influencing the development of obesity in low-income and minority children, including family environment, neighborhood characteristics and socioeconomic status; family-based interventions to reduce and prevent obesity and related morbidities in children; understanding biobehavioral, family environmental and cultural factors that influence self-regulation of energy intake and body weight in young children.

http://bbh.hhdev.psu.edu/lab/family-child-health

lfrancis@psu.edu

William Gerin

Professor of Behavioral Health; Director, The Mind-Body Cardiovascular Psychophysiology Laboratory

Ph.D., Columbia University, 1985

Research Interests:

Research Interests: The role of social stressors and angry rumination in biological dysregulation and development of heart disease; Non-pharmacological interventions to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients; white coat hypertension.

http://bbh.hhdev.psu.edu/lab/mind-body-cardiovascular-psychophysiology

wxg17@psu.edu

Jennifer E. Graham

Associate Professor

Ph.D., Stony Brook University, 2003

Research Interests:

The impact of stress and coping responses (emotional responses, cognition, and behavior) on physical health, particularly within the areas of chronic pain, aging, and immune function. Within that framework: pain and inflammatory responses; benefits of meaning-making and expressing anger; support from close others; and the relevance of personality traits and gender.

http://bbh.hhdev.psu.edu/lab/stress-health

jeg32@psu.edu

John W. Graham

Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Human Development and Family Studies; Professor-in-Charge of the Graduate Program

Ph.D., University of Southern California, 1983

Research Interests:

Adolescent, young adult, and college student health promotion and disease prevention. I have interest in prevention program development, but specialize in program evaluation and related research methods (survey and measurement design, missing data methods, structural equation modeling, detection and control of self-report bias).

jgraham@psu.edu

Joseph Gyekis

Instructor of Biobehavioral Health

Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, 2011

Research Interests:

Behavioral genetics, high throughput behavioral screening.

jpg186@psu.edu

Byron C. Jones

Professor of Biobehavioral Health

Ph.D., University of Arizona, Tucson, 1975

Research Interests:

Pharmacogenetics, i.e., the genetic basis for individual differences in response to drugs which affect the central nervous system. Current projects include localizing candidate genes which affect drug sensitivity in the mouse genome. Other interests include sex-specific genetic mechanisms for neurotransmitter receptor expression and genetics of stress response.

bcj1@psu.edu

Gary King

Professor of Biobehavioral Health

Ph.D., Boston University, 1987

Research Interests:

Current research using national data bases include: American smoking behavior, comparative international tobacco consumption (France and West Africa), and child maltreatment and reporting practices.

gxk14@psu.edu

Laura Cousino Klein

Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health

Ph.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 1997

Research Interests:

Biobehavioral effects of stress on drug abuse in humans and animals; sex differences in neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses; nicotine regulation of stress reactivity.

http://bbh.hhdev.psu.edu/lab/biobehavioral-health-studies

lxk18@psu.edu

Patricia Barthalow Koch

Professor of Biobehavioral Health

Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, 1983

Research Interests:

Sexual development, sexuality education and sexual health issues, particularly related to HIV/AIDS; women’s health; health promotion methodologies and evaluation.

p3k@psu.edu

Roger J. McCarter

Professor of Biobehavioral Health

Ph.D., Medical College of Virginia, 1968

Research Interests:

Mechanisms of aging; calorie restriction and aging; involvement of energy metabolism, muscle function and body temperature in aging process.

rjm28@psu.edu

Joshua M. Smyth

Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Medicine

Ph.D. Stony Brook University, 1998

Research Interests:

Three broadly defined areas – and the integration between them – comprise my research program: (1) What are the effects of experiencing stress on psychological and physical well-being? (2) Can we assess stress, affect, and health in an ecologically relevant manner that facilitates our understanding of biopsychosocial processes as they unfold in time and in context? (3) Can psychosocial interventions improve health and well-being?

jms1187@psu.edu

Shedra Amy Snipes

Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health

Ph.D., University of Washington

Research Interests:

Intersections between culture, biology and health; mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative); immigrant health; health disparities; Mexican immigrant farmworkers; community-based participatory research; anthropology in public health promotion.

sas84@psu.edu

Michele Stine