Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Research Laboratory Members
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Andrew J. Wawrzyniak, Ph.D.
Dr. Wawrzyniak received his M.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, his M.A. in Psychology from New York University, and his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh. After working with Prof. Andrew Steptoe at University College London, Dr. Wawrzyniak joined Prof. David Krantz's Behavioral Cardiology lab at Uniformed Services University.
Dr. Wawrzyniak oversees the BETRHEART Study (Behavioral Triggers of Heart Failure) that examines biobehavioral triggers of worsening in heart failure. The research group's interests include psychosocial correlates of cardiovascular health and health psychology issues relevant to cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the group is involved in examining longitudinal associations between stress and health using statistical techniques including latent curve modeling. The group's research collaborators include Dr. Steven Gottlieb at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and Dr. Willem J. Kop at Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
Graduate Students
Nadine Bekkouche, B.S.
Nadine Bekkouche is a third year student in the Medical and Clinical Psychology research track program. Nadine graduated in 2007 from McGill University with a BSc in Honors Psychology. Nadine worked as a research assistant at the Montreal Heart Institute before beginning graduate school at USUHS. She is currently completing her Masters thesis, which examines the multiple determinants of clinical anginal chest pain in patients with coronary artery disease. Nadine's primary research interest is the relationship between psychological function and cardiac symptom reporting.
Amanda Berg, B.S.
Amanda graduated from The Ohio State University in 2004 with a B.S. in visual communication design and a minor in psychology. Following graduation, she was employed as a graphic designer for a number of marketing and branding firms across the country. In anticipation of pursuing a graduate education in psychology, Amanda volunteered her time as a Research Assistant at the University of Houston in Texas assisting with projects in the Anxiety Disorders Clinic as well as Mood Disorder and Suicide Research Program. She, likewise, worked as a Bereavement Counselor for TrinityCare Hospice providing counseling for surviving family members of hospice patients. Since her acceptance to Uniformed Services University, Amanda has dedicated her efforts to the mental health of military service personnel and their families. She has completed clinical rotations at both the National Naval Medical Center and Naval Health Clinic Annapolis conducting individual and group psychotherapy. She has collaborated on projects with Dr. David Riggs at the Center of Deployment Psychology in addition to developing an outreach program for Marines reservists for which she received a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. Amanda was also honored to present at the 2010 American Psychological Association Annual Convention in San Diego aside seasoned Navy psychologists on means with which prescribing psychologists manage violent behavior in deployed military settings. Her current research initiatives are focused on the influence of social support on physical health outcomes, namely cardiovascular disease.
Mark Peugeot
Mark is a fourth year student in the Military Clinical Psychology Ph.D. track in the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology. Mark earned a B.A. in Psychology in 2006 at the of University of Texas - San Antonio. Mark's undergraduate thesis focused on the psychological and sociological impacts of alcohol use and the role acculturation played in drinking behaviors amongst Mexican-American men. He volunteered as a Research Assistant at the University of Texas - San Antonio working in the Drinking and Young Adult Dating (DYAD) Laboratory led by Dr. Tina Zawacki. Mark's work in the DYAD laboratory focused on the drinking related social behaviors relating to HIV risk taking behaviors, drunk driving, and sexual assault. At Uniformed Services University, Mark first worked with Dr. Michael Feuerstein and completed a study exploring measures of cognitive function and work in occupationally active breast cancer survivors and earned an M.S. in 2010. Mark's clinical rotations have included the National Naval Medical Center, Naval Health Clinic Annapolis, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), and Malcolm Grow Medical Center. Recently, Mark joined the Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Research Laboratory where his current research focuses on the impact of personality traits on training outcomes in Marines selected for Presidential Support Duty.
Kerry S. Whittaker, M.S.
Kerry earned her BA in Classics from Colby College in Waterville Maine, where she also minored in psychology and pre-medicine. After working for 2 years as an archivist and research assistant in a developmental and clinical psychology project at Judge Baker Children's Center and Harvard Medical School, Kerry started her graduate education at USUHS in 2006. Her Master's thesis entitled "Psychosocial Factors versus Single Predictors: A Factor Analytic Approach to Cardiovascular Outcomes in The Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) Study" was focused on using groupings of psychosocial variables to predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in women. Kerry's doctoral dissertation is focused on protective psychosocial factors, such as optimism and coping, and their impact of immune inflammatory markers and clinical exacerbations in heart failure patients. After finishing her PhD Kerry hopes to continue to work in the area of cardiovascular behavioral medicine. She is interested in exploring the connection between protective psychological factors and psychoneuroimmunological processes.
Research Staff
Kristie Harris, B.S.
Kristie earned her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Business from Virginia Tech University in 2006. She is currently finishing her M.S. in Clinical Psychology at Loyola College in Maryland. Her primary research interests include the impact of stress and hostility on cardiovascular functioning, gender differences in the treatment of heart failure, and novel ways for assessing functional status in patients with heart failure. She is currently serving as the Research Coordinator for the Biobehavioral Triggers in Heart Failure (BETRHEART) Study which examines triggers of symptoms in patients with heart failure.
Maria Banis, B.A.
Maria graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2010 with a B.A. in Psychology with a Clinical/Counseling concentration and a minor in Art History. She is currently a graduate student at American University studying to attain her M.A. in Psychology before applying to Clinical Psychology doctoral programs. Maria has worked as an intern at the University Medical Center at Princeton in the Eating Disorders Unit; she has also been a member of various research labs specializing in romantic relationships, aging and memory, the effects of smoking on post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and eating disorders. Maria began working at USUHS with Dr. Krantz's BETRHEART study in October 2010 with an interest in the effects of stress on cardiovascular difficulties. Her Master's thesis at American University is a study on the social and economic impacts of trichotillomania.
Sarah Godoy, B.A.
Sarah is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at American University. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and Italian from Vassar College. Under the mentorship of Dr. James Gray at American University, her research has focused on ethnic identity and body image. Her Master's thesis examined ethnic identity as a protective factor against eating disorder risk in biracial women. In addition to research, Sarah has also completed clinical externships at The Renfrew Center of Maryland and the DC VA Medical Center. At USUHS, Sarah is a research assistant for the BETRHEART study. Her current project focuses on positive affect and the role that mood plays in predicting health outcomes in heart failure patients.