Research Expertise: 
Health Psychology | Integrative Medicine | Mindfulness & Stress

My translational research program integrates basic science and behavioral medicine to better understand the link between being mindful, and being healthy. In addition to studying clinical outcomes of mindfulness training to reduce stress and stress-related symptoms, we also investigate the underlying mechanisms of mindfulness. These mechanisms include a number of biological and behavioral pathways, ranging from sleep patterns, to stress physiology and stress hormones, to emotion regulation, immune function, and gene expression – all of which are implicated in chronic disease risk.

Honors and Awards:
Fellow, The Institute for Integrative Heath
Distinguished Fellow, NIH/OBSSR Summer Institute in Behavioral RCTs 
Ruth L. Kirchstein, NHLBI Institutional Training Grant

Member of:
American Psychological Association (APA)
American Psychosomatic Society (APS)
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) 

Recent Academic Projects:
Mindfulomics: Pioneering the field of Mindfulness, Stress & Health through the ‘Omics’ Sciences

Serenity Study: NIH-funded, multisite trial to study mindfulness training to reduce stress and lower blood pressure 

Serenity NOW: pilot study through Penn Mental Health AIDS Research Center to study mindfulness, HIV & depression