Research Director

I am the Research Director of the Mind Body Behavior Laboratory (MBBL) and an Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, College of Health Sciences, at the University of Delaware. I hold a MSc in Counseling Psychology, PhD in Health & Exercise Psychology, and have maintained my registration as a Clinical Counsellor in British Columbia, Canada. I have worked as both a researcher and clinician in fields of mental health and rehabilitation since 1998. I also have extensive experience developing and facilitating mindfulness-based programs and as a yoga teacher. Our lab utilizes mixed methods and community-engaged research approaches to investigate how engagement in physical activity and mind-body practices interacts with physiological, psychosocial, and phenomenological characteristics to influence health behaviors and outcomes. Ultimately, this innovative translational research approach aids in the development, implementation, and dissemination of state-of-the-art community-based health behavior interventions, programming, and education. Our mission is  to advance public health and medical care models to better include health behavior science as standard to health promotion and chronic disease prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.