Associate Professor, Vice Chair for Research
University of Louisville
I am an Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Otolaryngology-HNS & Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. I am a licensed clinical psychologist trained in the Scientist-Practitioner Model of Medical/Health Psychology, a model that emphasizes the integration of research and clinical practice. From this orientation, I have investigated behavioral and biological factors, including depression, stress response systems, circadian rhythm dysregulation, and inflammation, that impact head and neck cancer outcomes, such as overall survival. My work has highlighted biological pathways by which depression adversely affects adequate head and neck cancer control and survival, including systemic inflammation and tumor response to treatment. My work has been acknowledged as meritorious and has generated several national and international press releases. I have extended this science, driving the field of head and neck cancer research to advance our understanding of how circadian rest/activity and endocrine disruption impacts cancer treatment outcomes. I also consult widely with many different healthcare professionals on clinical trial design, the use of psychometric questionnaires and behavioral assessments, and have conducted statistical analyses for a wide variety of social and medical research projects.