 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| About Us |
| Mission Statement |
| Project Directors |
 |
| Mentors |
| Consultants |
The project has been structured to allow for a wide inclusion and flexible participation of experts in the field. The faculty span disciplines of psychiatry and psychopharmacology; epidemiology and public health; social, health, counseling, and clinical psychology; and medical and economic anthropology. Their research has focused on children, adults, and older adults, as well as on a variety of ethnic and cultural groups. Here is a list of current mentors.
Benight, Chip, Ph.D.
Dr. Benight received a Ph.D. in Counseling/Health Psychology from Stanford University in 1992, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Miami in Behavioral Medicine (1993), and is presently an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and is Director of the CU: Trauma Studies and Resource Center. He served as the Director of Clinical Training from 1996-2004. His research over the last 11 years has focused on the application of social cognitive theory to traumatic stress. More specifically, he has studied the self-evaluative mechanism of coping self-efficacy in the context of natural (hurricanes, forest fires, floods)and man-made (terrorist bombings) disasters with a variety of outcome variables including psychological health (PTSD symptoms, depression) and physical health (immune responses, cardiovascular reactivity) measures. He has also investigated recovery from individual traumas (domestic violence, automobile accidents, sexual abuse). Dr. Benight has mentored a large number of graduate students through the training program and through his laboratory. He is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Traumatic Stress. He would best serve as a mentor to an investigator with interests in psychological adaptation following trauma including both positive (resiliency) and negative (PTSD, Depression, violence, health) outcomes after disasters.
Boscarino, Joseph A., Ph.D.
Dr. Boscarino received a PhD degree in Social Psychology and Research Methods at New York University in 1977 and his MPH degree in Epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley in 1993. He also has completed Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Psychiatric Epidemiology and Health Services Research at Yale University and the West Haven VA Medical Center 1977-1979), and in Epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco (1992-1995). Currently he is a Senior Investigator at the Geisinger Clinic in Danville, PA. He is also an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Departments of General Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
Bromet, Evelyn, Ph.D.
Dr. Bromet received a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Public Health from Yale in 1971, and she is presently a Professor at SUNY Stony Brook, with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and the Department of Preventive Medicine. Dr.Bromet's expertise spans a number of areas, including the epidemiology of PTSD and other mental disorders. With regard to disasters, Dr. Bromet is best known for her research regarding the nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. She is among the few people who have studied the consequences of disasters for very young children and their mothers. Her writings also include chapters on methodological and practical issues in disaster mental health research. Dr. Bromet would best serve as a mentor to researchers with interests in technological disasters, mothers, children, the seriously mentally ill, or epidemiologic approaches to the study of disasters.
Canino, Glorisa, Ph.D.
Dr. Canino has extensive experience in the implementation of interdisciplinary, multisite mental health research programs of major scientific importance to Latinos. She administers the Research Core of the The Latino Research Program Project,Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research Cambridge Health Alliance at Harvard Medical School.
Dougall, Angela, Ph.D.
Dr. Dougall received a PhD in Health Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1999 and is presently a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and in the Behavioral Medicine and Oncology Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. In collaboration with Dr. Andrew Baum, Dr. Dougall has conducted extensive longitudinal research examining the determinants of long-term stress responding following traumatic and chronic stressors in a variety of populations, including workers involved in industrial explosions, rescue and recovery workers at an airplane crash site, and direct victims. She would best serve as a mentor to an investigator with interests in the psychosocial determinants of chronic psychological, behavioral, and physiological stress responding and health outcomes after disasters.
Fullerton, Carol, Ph.D.
Dr. Fullerton received a Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Maryland in 1987 and is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. In collaboration with Dr. Ursano, Dr. Fullerton has been conducting research on trauma and disasters for many years. Most of these studies have focused on rescue/recovery workers and caregrivers of disaster victims, often in a military context. Topics range from social support to neuroimaging of PTSD. She would best serve as a mentor to a newcomer with interests in disaster workers and their families.
Galea, Sandro, MD, DrPH
Dr. Galea is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Dr. Galea was formerly Associate Director of the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine and Assistant Professor at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. He did his graduate training at the University of Toronto Medical School, at the Harvard University School of Public Health, and at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Galea is primarily interested in the social production of health, particularly mental health and behavior, in urban settings. He has a particular interest in mass traumas and their impact on population behavioral health. His work includes basic epidemiologic research, theoretic development, and the application of innovative methods to epidemiologic problems. Dr. Galea is an elected member of the American College of Epidemiology and a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and the Royal Institute of Public Health. He is board certified in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine and is a licensed physician in Ontario, Canada, Michigan, and New York State. He has worked as a clinician in remote rural communities in Northern Canada and in Mudug Region, Somalia.
Gershon, Robyn, DrPH
Dr. Robyn Gershon is an occupational health and safety researcher with over 15 years of experience in conducting complex occupational health research studies. Prior to her doctoral training, Dr. Gershon served for several years as the director of Biological Safety at Yale University. Her research interests, are generally focused on high risk, high stress work populations. She has conducted a number of applied research studies, including risk assessment studies as well as interventional studies. Dr. Gershon serves on various safety and health committees and panels and leads an active research team of public health scientists, epidemiologists, statisticians, occupational physicians, and research assistants, all focused on various safety and health aspects of the work environment. Dr. Gershon has a strong history of successfully completing large and complex studies, often multi-site, working with various study work populations and worker representative groups. She has published over 60 publications as well as a number of book chapters and monographs. Dr. Gershon collaborates with a number of colleagues from a wide variety of specialties and is a frequent presenter at scientific meetings. She also spends a good deal of time in public service activities, providing training, resources, and expertise to study participants through the agencies that represent them.
Holman, Alison, Ph.D.
Dr. Holman received a Ph.D. in Health Psychology from UC Irvine in 1996 and a family nurse practitioner (FNP) certification in 2001 and is presently a researcher at the Center for Health Policy Research at UC Irvine. Over the past decade, she served as project director for several studies of individuals coping with both disaster and individual trauma. She has successfully conducted immediate response research in the aftermath of disaster (e.g., the 1993 Southern California firestorms). Dr. Holman was the 2001 recipient of the Chaim Danieli Young Professional Award from ISTSS. She has served as mentor for both undergraduate and graduate students involved in trauma-related research. Dr. Holman would best serve as a mentor to a research interested in psychological mediators and moderators of disaster/trauma effects.
Kaniasty, Krzysztof, Ph.D.
Dr Kaniasty received a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Louisville in 1991 and is presently a Professor of Psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Drs. Kaniasty and Norris have collaborated since the late 1980’s on disaster mental health research, beginning with their prospective study of older adults exposed to floods in southeastern Kentucky and continuing through their longitudinal studies of Hurricanes Hugo, Andrew, and Paulina. Dr. Kaniasty was principal investigator of a three-wave study of the devastating 1997 floods in Poland, his country of birth. He is perhaps the foremost authority on postdisaster social support in the world, having authored or co-authored numerous empirical articles and chapters on the topic. Dr. Kaniasty has taught courses in statistics and research methodology at the undergraduate and doctoral level for many years. He would best serve as a mentor to an investigator with interests in social resources or community functioning after disasters. Dr. Kaniasty will chair the initiative regarding the development of an interdisciplinary graduate/professional seminar.
Kilpatrick, Dean, Ph.D.
Dr. Kilpatrick received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia in 1970 and is the Director of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina. A leading authority on PTSD, Kilpatrick has conducted a series of extramurally-funded research projects addressing a variety of topics including longitudinal assessments of rape victims, cognitive behavioral treatment procedures for trauma-related fear, anxiety, and PTSD, and assessment of exposure to trauma and its mental health impact in probability samples, including samples exposed to Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Andrew, and the Loma Prieta earthquake. His work has encompassed both adults and adolescents. Kilpatrick and colleagues also studied satisfaction with the criminal justice system and service utilization among family members of victims of the 1998 terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Kilpatrick and Resnick assisted their colleagues at the New York Academy of Medicine in planning and implementing a series of research projects examining the impact in New York City of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He has trained numerous pre- and post-doctoral students at his Center. Dr. Kilpatrick would best serve as a mentor to an investigator with interests in a range of mental health outcomes, epidemiologic approaches to he study of disaster, and service utilization.
Jones, Russell, Ph.D.
Dr. Jones received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pennsylvania State University in 1976 and is presently a Professor of Psychology at Virginia Technical University. Dr. Jones has investigated several aspects of childhood trauma, including the development and maintenance of emergency functioning and the psychosocial consequences of fire and related technological and natural disasters. Particular attention has been given to the assessment of risk (e.g., minority status) and protective factors (e.g., coping, social support). Within several of these investigations, the impact of traumatic events on parent and family functioning has also been obtained. He has mentored students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels across clinical and research settings for the 25 years. Dr. Jones would best mentor a researcher with interests in these areas.
LaGreca, Annette, Ph.D.
Dr. LaGreca received a Ph.D. in Clinical and Developmental Psychology from Purdue University in 1978 and is presently a Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at the University of Miami. She also is Co-Director of an NIH Training Grant on Health Behavior Research in Minority Pediatric Populations. In addition to her knowledge of chronic illness in children, she brings special expertise in the use of self-report measures with child and adolescent populations. Dr. LaGreca conducted a large-scale, longitudinal, school-based study of children in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew and is the author of two manuals written for professionals working with children in the wake of disasters and terrorism. Dr. LaGreca would be an excellent mentor for a researcher whose primary interests concern the effects of disasters on youth, especially minority youth.
Marshall, Randall, MD
Dr. Marshall is the director of trauma studies and services for the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York State Office of Mental Health; and associate professor of clinical psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Marshall has expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and has studied and written about the role of psychological trauma in anxiety disorders, psychotherapy of traumatized individuals, and the biology of PTSD.
Neria, Yuval, Ph.D.
Dr. Neria is a clinical psychologist who received his doctorate from Haifa University, Israel, in 1994. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology at the Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology at Columbia University and Associate Director of Trauma Studies and Services at The New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Neria has studied the psychological consequences of trauma exposure in a number of populations. In Israel he has focused on war veterans and prisoners of war documenting the long term effects of continuous exposure to extreme life events. His recruitment to Columbia University, after the attacks of 9/11, enabled him to study the long term consequences of 9/11 attacks in low income minority populations in New York City and the effect of traumatic loss among bereaved populations who lost family members, friends and colleagues during the 9/11 attacks.
North, Carol, MD, MPE.
Dr. North received an M.D. from Washington University St. Louis in 1983, completed an NIMH fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology in 1990, and obtained an M.P.E. from the same institution in psychiatric epidemiology in 1993. Dr. North has studied psychiatric effects of trauma resulting from major disasters for the past 15 years and is widely considered an international expert in this area. She and her team have visited more than a dozen different disaster sites and collected structured diagnostic interviews on more than 2,000 directly exposed victims using careful and consistent systematic methodology. The disasters spanned a range of natural and human-caused events, including the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Dr. North has mentored psychiatry residents, medical students, social work students, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral fellows. Dr. North’s professional and public educational accomplishments have been recognized through numerous local and national awards. Dr. North would best serve as a mentor to newcomers with a range of interests, including but not limited to psychiatric epidemiology.
Palinkas, Lawrence, Ph.D.
Dr. Palinkas received a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California San Diego in 1981, subsequently completed a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship in Epidemiology, and is presently a Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at UCSD. He is also Director of the UCSD Immigrant/Refugee Health Studies Program and a professor of the UCSD/San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. A medical anthropologist, his primary areas of expertise lie within the fields of behavioral medicine with a focus on psychiatric epidemiology and psychoneuroendocrinology, and in cross-cultural medicine with a focus on cultural epidemiology, ethnopsychiatry, and health services research. Dr. Palinkas has extensive experience in studies of disaster mental health of culturally diverse communities living in the United States. Best known for his research on the consequences of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on native communities, he is presently examining the impact of the East San Diego County cluster of school shootings. He has served as the primary mentor to many medical students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty, many of whom were members of underrepresented minorities. The overwhelming majority of these mentorship efforts have focused on projects that have addressed health disparities based on ethnicity. Dr. Palinkas would best mentor researchers in the areas of cultural diversity and postdisaster cultural epidemiology.
Pfefferbaum, Betty, MD, JD
Dr. Pfefferbaum received an M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco in 1972 and a J.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1993. She is presently Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine where she holds the Paul and Ruth Jonas Chair. Dr. Pfefferbaum helped plan and organize clinical services after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. She has treated many victims and family members and is actively engaged in research related to the bombing. Dr. Pfefferbaum was a member of a fact-finding delegation led by the U.S. Surgeon General to East Africa after the 1998 United States Embassy bombings, and she also provided consultation regarding clinical and research efforts associated with the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Dr. Pfefferbaum is the Director of the Terrorism and Disaster Branch of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, a federal initiative to improve treatment and services for traumatized children. Dr Pfefferbaum is presently serving as a mentor (2005-2007).
Resnick, Heidi, Ph.D.
Dr. Resnick received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Indiana in 1987 and is presently a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina and a leading investigator at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center. For the past 15 years, Dr. Resnick has been conducting research, teaching, and clinical activities related to PTSD and other adaptations following exposure to potentially traumatic events including crime and disaster (including Hurricane Hugo and the Loma Prieta earthquake), and she has developed early intervention strategies that may prevent development of PTSD and other psychopathology post-traumatic event. Currently she is conducting a randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention used with rape victims in the emergency hospital setting that is designed to prepare women for the procedures they will go through and that provides instruction in adaptive coping strategies following rape. She also served as a consultant to researchers at the New York Academy of Medicine on a series of studies assessing reactions over time following the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Dr. Resnick would best mentor researchers interested in intervention, treatment, and assessment of mental health reactions over the course of time.
Ruggiero, Ken, Ph.D.
Dr. Ruggiero is an Assistant Professor at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC), earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from West Virginia University and completed his pre-doctoral internship and NIMH postdoctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at the Medical University of South Carolina. His prior and ongoing research efforts have examined exposure to violence, disasters, and other potentially traumatic events in relation to fear, distress, and externalizing behavior. Current interests also center on examining the efficacy, effectiveness, and processes and mechanisms associated with change in psychosocial interventions. Dr. Ruggiero is a co-investigator on seven federally funded grants. Two of these grants center on the development, efficacy evaluation, dissemination, and successful transport of evidence-based interventions. Another supports the development and feasibility evaluation of a brief Web-based intervention for disaster-affected populations. Three ongoing large-scale epidemiological studies target disasters, traumatic stress, and risk for psychopathology. Finally, he is one of several faculty involved in the Disaster Research Education and Mentoring Center.
Silver, Roxane, Ph.D.
Roxane Cohen Silver, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior and the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. She completed her undergraduate and graduate training in Social Psychology at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, and was on the faculty at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, before relocating to UC Irvine in 1989. A national expert in the field of stress and coping, Dr. Silver is a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society. In December 2003, Professor Silver was appointed by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to the nine member Academe and Policy Research Senior Advisory Committee of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Professor Silver also serves as Director of Graduate Affairs for the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, the coordinator of its doctoral program in Health Psychology, and the co-Director of her department’s NIMH Institutional Training Grant in Social and Environmental Contexts of Adaptation. Previously, Dr. Silver served as the Associate Dean for Research and the Faculty Chair in the School of Social Ecology, as well as the Associate Director of UC Irvine’s Newkirk Center for Science and Society. For the past 25 years, Dr. Silver has studied the acute and long-term psychosocial reactions to physical disability, death of a spouse or child, childhood sexual victimization, divorce, family violence, war, natural disaster, and human-caused disasters, such as the Columbine High School shootings and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. She has also examined physical and psychological responses to traumatic events among refugees and immigrant populations. Dr. Silver is currently principal investigator of the only national longitudinal study of psychological responses to the September 11th attacks; the first report of this study appeared in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association in September 2002. In her research, Dr. Silver seeks to identify factors that facilitate successful adjustment to stressful life events. Her work also explores the long-term effects of traumatic experiences, and considers how beliefs and expectations of one’s social network impact on the coping process. Dr. Silver is presently serving as a mentor (2005-2007).
Ursano, Robert, MD
Dr. Ursano received an M.D. in 1973 from Yale University and is presently Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is widely considered one of the foremost authorities on trauma and disasters, as reflected in his receipt of a Lifetime Achievement Award from ISTSS in 2000. Most of his studies have focused on rescue/recovery workers, often in a military context. He would would be an excellent mentor for a newcomer with interests in rescue/recovery workers, technological disasters, bioterrorism, or neurobiology.
Vernberg, Eric, Ph.D.
Dr. Vernberg is a Professor, Applied Behavioral Science, Associate Director, Clinical Child Psychology Program at the University of Kansas and Director, Child and Family Services Clinic. He receiveda Ph.D. from University of Virginia and completed internship at Children's Hospital National Medical Center, Washington, D.C. Current research initiatives include Intensive school-based mental health services for children with serious emotional disturbances, Violence prevention in public schools, including bully-victim-bystander programs and threat assessment, and Children's recovery from severely traumatic experiences, including terrorism and disasters.
Vlahov, David, Ph.D.
Dr. Vlahov received a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from John Hopkins University in 1988. He is the Director of the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. Vlahov was the principal investigator of population-based studies of the psychological reactions to the events of September 11 in the New York Metropolitan area. In addition, Dr. Vlahov has led work on the impact of the events of September 11 on substance abusers within New York City. Dr. Vlahov provides expertise in the design, conduct, and analysis of epidemiological studies, including extensive experience in cohort studies. As a Professor at Johns Hopkins, he twice received awards for excellence in teaching and has been primary advisor to over 20 pre- and post doctoral fellows. He is editor of the Journal of Urban Health that recently published an entire issue on mental health aspects of urban disasters. For the purposes of this training grant, Dr. Vlahov would be an outstanding mentor for a new investigator interested in social epidemiologic approaches to the study of disasters.
 |
| Home | About Us | Research Summaries | Instructional Materials | Mentoring Programs | Resources | Contact Us |
|
| REDMH VAMC (116D) 215 N. Main St. White River Junction, VT 05009 Phone: 802-296-5132 Fax: 802-296-5135 Email: redmh@redmh.org |
|