Grad student registration, admissions, & inquiries, doctoral committee composition, grad program milestones & procedures, BBH conference room reservations for grad students, grad school policies, comprehensive dissertation proposal and final oral defense scheduling.
Hilary Bethancourt is a nutritional anthropologist and epidemiologist whose research interests revolve around identifying dietary and lifestyle approaches to preventing chronic diseases and promoting health and well-being at all stages of the life cycle.
Steven Branstetter has research interests in nicotine addiction, smoking behaviors, and individual and contextual influences on tobacco use in adults and adolescents.
Carol is the Biobehavioral Health front desk greeter and receptionist. Her primary duties consist of maintaining inventory of kitchen and printer supplies, placing E-buy orders, reserving meeting rooms, assisting with reconciling purchasing cards and preparing expense reports.
Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Professor-in-Charge of the Undergraduate Program
Summary Statement
Sonia Cavigelli conducts interdisciplinary research on the causes and consequences of individual differences in stress- and fear-related behavior and physiology.
Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health and College of Nursing
Summary Statement
Anne-Marie Chang's research involves the inter-relationships of sleep physiology and behavior, circadian rhythms, cardio-metabolic health, cognitive function and genomics.
The goal of Eric Claus' research is to identify neural and cognitive mechanisms that support behavior change in substance use disorders. In addition, he uses neuromodulation techniques to modify functioning in relevant circuits in order to reduce
Assistant Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Marie Cross is interested in how positive psychological factors, including positive emotion and different types of smiles, are associated with health and health-relevant outcomes.
Assistant Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Melina Czymoniewicz-Klippel's applied research focuses on understanding and addressing the determinants of health and health risks and resilience of vulnerable children and families, including refugees and asylum seekers
Interim Professor-In-Charge of the Undergraduate Program
Director of the Online Bachelor of Science Degree
Associate Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Jean Phillips Shibley Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Department Head
Summary Statement
The goal of Thomas Gould's research is to use genetic, pharmacological, behavioral, and molecular biological techniques to study the neurobiology of learning and memory and the effects of addiction on it.
Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Professor-in-Charge of the Graduate Program
Summary Statement
Jennifer Graham-Engeland directs the Stress & Health lab; her research emphasizes psychological and physiological mechanisms underlying stress and health connections.
Assistant Research Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Margeaux Gray's translational sleep research is focused on nonpharmacologic interventions to improve sleep quality and continuity, with topics of emphasis including the interaction among sleep, pain, and attention, and sleep fragmentation's impact on daytime function.
Associate Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Joseph Gyekis teaches undergraduate courses in the department of Biobehavioral Health, with a strong focus on research methods and applications, as well as a variety of topics related to drugs, genetics, and epidemiology.
Diane works with students as they choose courses, consider minors or other engagement opportunities, strive to meet BBH BS graduation requirements, and discuss career/graduate school exploration.
Assistant Research Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Jillian’s current research examines biopsychosocial influences on health and well-being, with a specific focus on exploring these associations in everyday life using ecological momentary assessment and integrating these methods into clinical trial design and analysis.
Amy is an undergraduate academic adviser for BBH students. She helps students with course registration, career/graduate school exploration, and graduation requirements for BBH.
Helen Kamens focuses on identification of genetic and environmental mechanisms that contribute to complex behaviors with a special emphasis on alcohol and tobacco use.
Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Nutritional Sciences
Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professorship in Nutrition
Summary Statement
As a social and behavioral scientist, Stephen Kodish is interested in the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions aimed to improve the health and nutrition of vulnerable populations globally.
Assistant Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Kari Kulger's primary research interest includes the development of effective and efficient behavioral interventions targeting a wide range of health behaviors among various populations and contexts.
Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Human Development and Family Studies
C. Eugene Bennett Chair in Prevention Research
Director of Edna Bennett Piece Prevention Research Center
Summary Statement
Stephanie Lanza's career is devoted to advancing prevention research in behavioral health through the development and application of innovative quantitative methods. She focuses this work in two key areas.
Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Summary Statement
The goal of Nina Lauharatanahirun’s research is to use computational modeling, behavioral economic paradigms and functional neuroimaging (fMRI/EEG) to understand the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying health risk behaviors across the life
Director of the Biomarker Core Laboratory (BCL)
Associate Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Sheree Logue directs the Biomarker Core Laboratory (BCL) which is a fee-for-service facility offering biomarker research support for all departments in the College of Health and Human Development as well as other researchers at PSU.
Heather Low is an undergraduate academic advisor for BBH students. She helps students with course registration, career/graduate school exploration, and graduation requirements for BBH.
Assistant Research Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Project and Data Manager, Healthy Bodies Project
Summary Statement
Michelle Mannino is the Project and Data Manager for the USDA funded Healthy Bodies Project, a large-scale intervention research project focused on promoting heathy eating and physical activity in preschool children.
Jamie is an undergraduate academic adviser for BBH students. She helps students design holistic academic plans by supporting them in course registration, engagement in co-curricular opportunities, career/graduate school exploration, and fulfilling grad
Kyle Murdock focuses on the neurological, biological, and behavioral pathways through which emotions and interpersonal relationships may impact health outcomes using innovative/multidisciplinary research methods.
Director, Global Health Minor
Assistant Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
As a long-time clinician, educator and administrator in international and domestic health and social service settings, Dana Naughton is strongly committed to teaching and mentoring the next generation of health and global health practitioners.
Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor in Global Health
Director of Water, Health and Nutrition Lab
Summary Statement
Dr. Rosinger's overall research program is designed to understand how humans meet their water needs, how this relates to perception, environmental resources, and water insecurity, and the resulting health, hydration, and disease consequences.
Mike Russell's research focuses on connections between stress, affect, and health behaviors in the day-to-day lives of adolescents/young adults, using advanced statistical modeling and ambulatory assessment methods.
Research Professor of Human Genetics in the Biomarker Core Lab
Summary Statement
Sue Rutherford Siegel is a genetic researcher who examines interactions between the genetic and genomic basis of variation, the environmental interactions and the resulting behavioral and health outcomes of an individual.
Hannah Schreier’s lab focuses on how experiences during childhood and adolescence (e.g., growing up in poverty; child maltreatment) influence inflammatory and metabolic markers of chronic disease risk.
Distinguished Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Medicine
Summary Statement
Joshua Smyth's focus is on the application of the biopsychosocial model, with particular interests in ambulatory assessment and mHealth, understanding stress, affect, behavior and health in everyday life, and innovative interventions.
Amy Snipes examines socio-behavioral factors in health. Her primary research focuses on the role of culture in understanding pesticide exposures, occupational injuries and other health disparities experienced by Latino immigrant farmworkers.
Derek Spangler’s research utilizes mobile sensors to investigate the dynamic physiological (e.g., autonomic nervous system) and behavioral (e.g., body motion, self-report) features of real-world stress and their impacts on health.
Associate Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Michele Stine's background is in health education and psychopharmacology. As a member of the undergraduate faculty, her work has focused primarily on course and curriculum development. She has served as a General Education Faculty Scholar and the Faculty Ad
Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Prevention Research Center
Summary Statement
Rob Turrisi's research focus is in the application of behavioral decision-making in brief interventions to reduce underage substance misuse and cancer. This research is primarily funded by NIAAA and NCI.
