I
have a somewhat dual research focus is on brain function in psychiatry, using
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalogram
(EEG). I have focused in the last several years of
my training in the general area of cognitive
neuroscience using fMRI, although
my interests range to health
psychology/behavioral medicine/chronic pain and
neuropsychology.
Being
a cliniciam, my interests are in research that is translational, and
can
thus be applied to clinical treatment and better understanding of
mental
illness. I am currently developing an assessment of real-world decision making which I
hope will be useful in the assessment and understanding of decision making impairments in patients
with serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, and may be
applicable to study of cognitive impairment in dementia. I am also
examining fMRI data test-retest reliability using intraclass
correlation.
I
am currently setting up (with Dr. Erik Everhart) a laboratory for
conducting psychophysiology
(heartrate, temperature, skin conductance, respiration, electromyogram)
and electrophysiology
(EEG) experiments
where students can be involved in research. This laboratory could be
available for a variety of research in the general area of brain
function in cognition/affect/sensation/perception,
psychophysiology, and health psychology. We will also have
computing workstations for the
analysis of neuroimaging and EEG data, along with other general
software tools. I hope to continue to collaborate with other
neuroimaging researchers and colleagues in psychiatry, geriatrics,
health
psychology, and psychology on projects related to the study of
psychopathology,
serious mental illness, aging, and the use of functional imaging to
examine
neuroplasticity and the effects of interventions and training on
long-term
changes in brain functioning. In this work, I would like to able to
involve a
number of students at undergraduate and graduate levels in different
levels of
design and development of experiments and in the analysis of
neuroimaging or
other data. Furthermore, students would be able to develop independent
projects
and seek funding for conducting original experiments. Also, I would
hope to
develop and teach specialized courses related to my research
interests. I believe that supervising and
fostering the
development of clinician-scientists, who are proficient in both
cognitive
neuroscience and psychosocial interventions, could be very rewarding
and
beneficial to society, especially with an aging population and an
increasing
need to better understand brain function.
Some of my previous work involved the study of cortical pain processing and emotion states using fMRI. I continue to be interested in research and treatment of chronic pain.
In
conjunction with the Orofacial Pain Clinic at
Owing
to my earlier background in electrical engineering, electromagnetics,
microwave component design, and 10 years designing and manufacturing
electromagnetic flowmeters,
I am always interested in ways to apply mathematics, statistics,
research, and practical
skills that I acquired as an electrical engineer, to my research,
teaching, and clinical work in psychology. My research
relates to my teaching and clinical interests which include
hard-science
(methods, statistics), clinical, health psychology--teaching and
practice, psychophysiology, and
neuroscience.
I encourage
students and other collaborators to get in touch with me to discuss
opportunities and possible research projects. The following PowerPoint
presentation further describes some of my research and current projects.
Research Opportunities
PowerPoint
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Rawl Building Room 104
Greenville
fax 252-328-6283