Supervisor Directory

Dr. Arias’ research interests center around the intersection between cognitive aging, contextual and socioeconomic factors, and medical conditions in older adults. Specifically, her work explores social determinants of health and their role in propelling or interfering with, healthy cognitive aging in patients from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Dr. Arias has received funding from the Alzheimer’s Association (2019-AARFD-644816) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA; Diversity Supplement to Grant No. P01AG031720; PI: Inouye) to identify contextual-level factors that increase the vulnerability for acute and long-term cognitive decline to explore social determinants of health in the context of acute changes in cognition in older adults presenting for major, non-cardiac, surgery.

Dr. Asken’s research broadly focuses on clinico-pathological heterogeneity across the spectrum of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs). He has specific interests in how lifetime head trauma exposure relates to clinical and neuropathological variability among patients with ADRD, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This work involves using a combination of neuropsychological testing, fluid-based biomarkers (blood, CSF), neuroimaging, and neuropathology to address the links between head trauma and dementia. Dr. Asken is especially interested in how biomarkers and cognitive testing can help improve diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of mixed etiology dementia, or progressive cognitive/behavioral decline in later life due to multiple co-existing neurodegenerative diseases. Prior work focused on fluid biomarkers and recovery outcomes associated with sport-related concussion, and this experience relates directly to his current interests in the later-life neurological effects of head trauma exposure, especially among former athletes. Dr. Asken has active collaborations with investigators across UF as well as multiple institutions around the country.

Individuals interested in Dr. Asken’s research lab may have diverse goals and experiences. While an ideal “fit” is someone pursuing a clinical-research career in neuropsychology and hoping to study how head trauma exposure relates to later-life neurological conditions like dementia, Dr. Asken welcomes a broad range of interests within the field of aging/Alzheimer’s disease and related causes of dementia. At a bare minimum, Dr. Asken’s expectation as a research mentor is that trainees will leave their experience excited to apply the knowledge gained about neurodegenerative syndromes and the brain changes that can cause them to their own research, clinical work, or both.

Current research focuses on psychophysiological and behavioral signatures of cognitive/emotional change associated with normal aging and  Parkinson disease  and novel treatment approaches for apathy and executive dysfunction.  Her laboratory uses a variety of different tools to investigate hypothesis driven research ranging from transcranial magnetic stimulation, psychophysiology/electrophysiology (ERP), face digitizing, computational modeling, to experimental cognitive probes.  

Current funding

NIH/NINDS, T32-NS082168-06,  Interdisciplinary Training in Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration. MPI:  D. Bowers & D. Vaillancourt

NIH/NIA  R01-AG064587, Revitalizing Cognition in Older Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s disease with Near Infrared Photobiomodulation. MPI: D. Bowers, A. Woods, & G. Alexander.

Parkinson Foundation Impact Award IMP-1938, Revitalizing cognition and motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson disease, PI: D. Bowers

NIH/NIA R21-AG057200, Determining plasticity of brain-regulatory mechanisms related to emotion processing: A Neurofeedback Approach in Aging and Parkinson Disease. MPI: D. Bowers & N. Ebner

Florida Department of Health Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Program (Grant #20A15), Determining Plasticity of Brain-Regulatory Mechanisms Related to Emotion Processing: A Neurofeedback Approach in Older Adults with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. PI: Ebner; Bowers Co-I

NIH/NIA R01-AG12802177, Uncovering and Surveilling Financial Deception Risk in Aging, Supplement. PI: Ebner Co-I Bowers

NIH/NINSA-1UH3NS109845, Dual Lead Thalamic DBR-DBS Interface for Closed Loop Control of Severe Essential Tremor. MPI: Oweiss & Foote; Co-I Bowers

McKnight Brain Research Foundation. A Pilot Multi-Site Intervention with Near Infrared Stimulation. MPI: D. Bowers, G. Alexander, A. Woods

NIH R01 HD091658-01. Mechanisms of airway protection dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease. PI: K. Hegland, Co-I: D. Bowers

NIH/NINDS R01-NS096008, The Human Thalamocortical Network in Tourette. MPI: A. Gunduz & M.S. Okun, Co-I Bowers

NIH/NINDS UH3-NS095553, Closing the Loop on Tremor: A Responsive Deep Brain Stimulator for the Treatment. MPI: G. Gunduz & K. Foote, Co-I Bowers.

Recently Completed Funding

Fogarty Foundation, Dose Response Relationship between Near Infrared Stimulation and Brain Activity using Neuroimaging. PI: P. Sinha & Bowers (Mentor).

NIH/NINDS R21NS079767, Emotion Regulation, Executive Function, and Parkinson Disease, PI: D. Bowers

NIH/ NINDS R01-NS50633, Masked Faces in Parkinson Disease: Mechanism and Treatment. PI: D. Bowers

NIH/NIA R21-AG033284, Language and Executive Function in Parkinson’s Disease: Effects of dual task and exercise. MPI: L. Altmann & C. Hass; Bowers Co-I.

NIH/NIMH R01 MH62458, Priming, TMS, and Hemispheric Asymmetries. PI: D. Bowers.

Michael J. Fox Foundation, Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for theTreatment of Apathy in Parkinson’s Disease (The Restore Study). MPI: H.Fernandez & D. Bowers

Dr. Cascio’s research interests span a variety of topics within neuropsychology; although, she holds a particular interest in pediatric cancer and traumatic brain injury. Her doctoral dissertation involved the development of a recovery guide for children who have experienced mild traumatic brain injury/concussion and their families, which comprised an activity book geared toward assisting school-age children in understanding the recovery process. Since joining the faculty, Dr. Cascio has been a part of many interdisciplinary research studies and clinical trials within oncology, neurology, pediatric congenital heart, and neonatology. Her interest in program development has also led to procurement of several philanthropic grants supporting service provision within pediatrics.

Dr. Driscoll’s clinical research addresses adherence to medical treatment regimens, with a focus on using technology and diabetes device downloads to assess and optimize adherence and health outcomes in type 1 diabetes. She was awarded an NIDDK K23 Career Development Award focused on improving adolescents’ type 1 diabetes self-management behaviors via tailored feedback using insulin pump downloads and problem-solving interventions. She then extended her research program through an NIDDK R03 by providing intervention to reduce clinically elevated levels of fear of hypoglycemia, which was assessed as part of a patient-reported outcomes initiative in the clinic in mothers of adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Dr. Driscoll was awarded an NIDDK DP3 implementing integrated medical and psychological care to improve type 1 diabetes self-management behaviors and health outcomes via combined in-person and telemedicine visits. Her overarching research goals are to develop and implement behavioral interventions to improve adherence during routine type 1 diabetes clinical care.

Dr. Durning has been a collaborator on externally-funded research projects in health promotion, working as a data coordinator for two NIH-funded grants examining lifestyle intervention for obesity (PI: Michael G. Perri, Ph.D.). Dr. Durning has also been interested in gaining a better understanding of adjustment to medical conditions. To this end, she has participated in unfunded research in both infertility and psycho-oncology.

The Youth Risk and Resilience Lab is directed by Joy Gabrielli, Ph.D. It is housed in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Florida. Graduate students in the lab work toward doctorate degrees that lead to careers as clinical child psychologists and researchers.

We seek to improve understanding of factors (both environmental and individual) that contribute to youth trajectories of risk and resilience as they progress in development towards adulthood. Within this aim, we look to employ novel technologies and methodologies to promote research engagement and data capture and improve strategies for prevention and intervention efforts. Further, we actively seek to conduct research that benefits underserved and underrepresented youth populations.

For more information, visit Dr. Gabrielli’s Lab Page here: https://phhp-faculty-janicke-a2.sites.medinfo.ufl.edu/current-projects/dr-gabrielli-the-youth-risk-resilience-lab/

Dr. Gullett’s research is funded by the National Institute on Aging (K23-AG080127) and focuses on (1) the use of Artificial Intelligence methods to predict intervention outcomes and disease progression in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and (2) the relationship of white matter microstructure with clinical disorders and their associated neuropsychological function.

Dr. Heaton is an avid collaborator on a variety of internally and externally funded research studies, providing expertise on neuropsychological measurement across the lifespan. Her research endeavors have been quite diverse (ranging from her early work studying the neuropsychology of adult schizophrenia to her ongoing independent research examining cognitive and behavioral outcomes after pediatric traumatic brain injury). During her time at UF, Dr. Heaton’s research has primarily focused on novel ways to measure cognitive functioning (“outcome”) after neurological insult, studying short and long-term outcomes after traumatic brain injury across the lifespan, and examining the relationship between attention, executive and memory functions in pediatric conditions. Aside from her independent research and collaborations with many professions within UF Health Shands Hospital and the UF Health Science Center, Dr. Heaton also has provided research mentorship to more than three dozen UF undergraduate students conducting senior honor’s theses and doctoral students within the Department of Clinical & Health Psychology.

Dr. Holgerson’s research involvement can be categorized into three main areas: (1) psychological factors affecting bariatric surgery candidacy and outcomes, (2) eating patterns, and (3) clinical interventions for obesity prevention and treatment of binge eating disorder.

Dr. Holgerson has investigated psychological factors and the potential impact on bariatric surgery readiness and outcome, execution and evaluation of large clinical trials for childhood obesity prevention and treatment of binge eating disorder, weight stigma, the impact of cultural factors on attitudes surrounding eating and food, and the potential connections between stress, impulsivity, and weight

Dr. Janicke has broad research interests in pediatric psychology, most notably improving self-management to, and coping with, acute and chronic health conditions. His main area of interest is translational research intended to promote the dissemination of obesity interventions for individuals in community settings, with a primary focus on children. Unique aspects of his work include comparing family-based vs. parent-only interventions and using of phone –counseling and mHealth technologies to expand the reach of these interventions. His students have produced dissertation research in a variety of pediatric-focused areas including obesity, type 1 diabetes, sleep, inflammatory bowel disease, and oncology. His teams are using virtual human technology to examine the impact of provider weight bias in health care decision making.

Dr. Levy leads The Brain Health Equity and Dementia Prevention Lab (https://levy.chp.phhp.ufl.edu/). Her research program focuses on studying cognitive changes in older adults with MCI and neurodegenerative disorders (i.e., Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders). Broadly, her research goals are to better understand the health, psychosocial disparities, and resiliency factors that influence the onset, diagnosis, and treatment of these disorders in underserved populations in the context of a biopsychosocial-spiritual paradigm. Her work has spanned 1) examining behavioral/lifestyle interventions for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that will improve functional outcomes in individuals at risk for progression to dementia, 2) elucidating barriers to participation in behavioral intervention research for MCI amongst minoritized communities, and 3) examining vascular-related health conditions and disparate cognitive aging outcomes in ethnoracially diverse populations. She has received funding from federal and non-profit organizations to support her work. She is also supported by the Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory and The McKnight Brain Institute.

Dr. Marsiske’s research has focused on cognitive aging, with a particular emphasis on cognitive intervention strategies with older adults. Since 1997, Dr. Marsiske has been a principal investigator on the National Institute on Aging ACTIVE trial, a clinical trial of cognitive training for older adults with twenty years of followup data. With Dr. Adam Woods and Ron Cohen, the NIA-funded “Augmenting Cognitive Training” trial examined whether cognitive training benefits for older adults can be enhanced via transcranial direct current stimulation. Marsiske has also been funded by NIA, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, McKnight Brain Institute for studies of a variety of cognitive intervention approaches with older adults including exercise promotion, exergames, aerobic fitness, action video games, self-administered computer training, and cognitive collaboration. Dr. Marsiske previously led the Recruitment, Retention and Adherence Core of the University of Florida NIA-funded Claude Denson Pepper Older Americans’ Independence Center (PI: Marco Pahor, MD), and collaborates with Dr. Carolyn Tucker in the University of Florida Program for Health Disparities Research. Marsiske is currently core leader of the Data Management and Analysis Core of the NIA-funded 1Florida Alzheimers Disease Research Center. Marsiske also directs a UF NIA-funded institutional predoctoral training program (T32) in aging.

Cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia in adults and children. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness-based therapies for chronic pain. Dr. Payne-Murphy is clinical faculty and does not accept graduate students as part of a research lab.

Dr. Pearl directs the Body Image and Stigma (BIAS) Lab, which investigates appearance- and health-related stigma and associated health outcomes. Her research primarily focuses on weight stigma, with a particular interest in understanding and reducing internalized or self-directed stigma. Her work is supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, including the 2022 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award.

The long-range goal of Dr. Pereira’s research program is to improve health outcomes and promote the wellbeing of individuals with chronic and/or life-limiting illnesses, with an emphasis on malignancies that occur commonly or exclusively among women. Grounded in the biobehavioral model of tumor growth and development outlined by Antoni and colleagues (2006), her research seeks to understand the psychoneuroimmunologic (PNI) influences on cancer initiation, recurrence, progression, and mortality, as well as on cancer-related quality of life.