Steven Branstetter has research interests in nicotine addiction, smoking behaviors, and individual and contextual influences on tobacco use in adults and adolescents.
Assistant Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Jeff Brown's teaching in undergraduate, graduate, and professional settings has included integrative and clinical neuroscience, neurophysiology, electrophysiological techniques, and drugs, behavior, and health.
Mary Campbell manages communications and marketing needs for the College of Health and Human Development, specifically the departments of Biobehavioral Health and Human Development and Family Studies. This includes website, social media, and writing and press coverage.
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.
Michelle provides oversight in the financial operations of BBH by compiling data for analysis and forecasting, reviewing budget amendments, managing labor distribution functions and communicating financial policies and procedures to the unit.
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 r
Professor
Director, Social Science Research Institute
Summary Statement
Deborah Ehrenthal, MD, MPH, is director of the Social Science Research Institute and professor of biobehavioral health. Her research is focused on the social and healthcare factors that shape the health of women and children over the life course.
Christopher Engeland is interested in how stress, age, gender, and hormones affect immunity, inflammation, and health. He has a particular interest in wound healing and surgical recovery, dementia, depression, and preterm birth.
Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Co-Chair, Sustainability Council
Summary Statement
I am interested in the cultural, environmental and social factors that influence individual and societal-level health; particularly how the arts, especially music, nature, social justice and inequality affect the health of individuals and their communities.
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.
Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Associate Director, Center for Healthy Aging
Summary Statement
Jenn Graham-Engeland, Director of the MESH Lab, investigates the the associations between psychological stress and stress responses with physical health and well-being.
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.
Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
I am a neuropharmacologist with interests in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling, nutritional neuroscience, neuroendocrine physiology, and preclinical drug discovery.
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.
Assistant Teaching Professor (World Campus)
HHD Faculty Council communications liaison
Summary Statement
Will Horton’s primary research interest is understanding the intersection between circadian rhythms and drug abuse, especially nicotine. He is particularly interested in how molecular/genetic changes lead to differences in behavior and vice versa.
Amy is an undergraduate academic adviser for BBH students. She helps students with course registration, career/graduate school exploration, and graduation requirements for BBH.
Assistant Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Mary Justis prioritizes social, behavioral, and environmental factors influencing quality of life outcomes with a goal to engage student learning using high-impact teaching practices to assist them with real-world experiences in health fields.
Helen Kamens focuses on identification of genetic and environmental mechanisms that contribute to complex behaviors with a special emphasis on alcohol and tobacco use.
Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Nutritional Sciences
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.
Associate Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Director of Undergraduate Public Health Program
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
Professor of Human Development and Family Studies (courtesy)
Edna P. Bennett Faculty Fellow in Prevention Research
Summary Statement
Stephanie Lanza's career is devoted to advancing research in behavioral health through the development and application of innovative quantitative methods; much of her work leverages intensive longitudinal methods and focuses on young adult substance use behavior.
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
Harold Lee is a behavioral and social health scientist trained in genetics. He uses behavioral sciences to improve population health, particularly among those who are socially and genetically predisposed to poor health.
Director of the Biomarker Core Laboratory (BCL)
Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Advisory Committee, Leadership Initiative
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.
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
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
Associate 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.
Cass is an undergraduate academic adviser for BBH students. She helps students with course registration, career/graduate school exploration, and graduation requirements for BBH.
Associate Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Dr. Rauff has been teaching 10 years including courses on Research Methods, Exercise & Mental Health, Exercise Psychology, Sport Psychology, and Health and Wellness.
Elaina is primarily responsible for promotions and tenure administrative tasks and coordination, facilities coordination, CCURE swipe access and key distribution, social media postings, website updates, job postings and new hire paperwork.
Assistant Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Summary Statement
Dr. Rhubart is a rural sociologist and demographer with expertise in the social and structural determinants of health disparities and rural population health.
Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Director of Water, Health and Nutrition Lab
Environmental Health Sciences Program Area Leader
On sabbatical for the 24-25 academic year
Summary Statement
Asher's overall research program is designed to understand how humans meet their water needs, how this relates to adaptation, environmental changes, 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.
Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Professor-In-Charge of the Graduate Program
Summary Statement
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.
My research is focused on understanding how biopsychosocial processes across the lifespan, and at multiple time scales, influence variability in systemic dysfunction, aging and disease decades later, through changes in biological aging.
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.
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
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.
Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Assistant Professor of Statistics
Summary Statement
Dr. Veturi’s research includes integration of high-dimensional data with electronic health records to dissect shared genetics among complex human traits/diseases and to understand sex and ethnic differences in cognitive decline.
