FACULTY

John Gunstad, Ph.D

jgunstad@kent.edu

John Gunstad, PhD (Principal Investigator) is a clinical neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Kent State University.  His primary research interests include the impact of health factors, including such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and physical fitness on neurocognition, as well as cognitive changes in extreme environments.

Mary Beth Spitznagel, Ph.D

Mary Beth Spitznagel, PhD (Principal Investigator) is a clinical neuropsychologist and Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Psychology at Kent State University. Her primary research interests include neurocognition in older adults, predictors of cognitive change in early stages of dementia, and cognitive impact of  extreme environments.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Andreana (Anya) Benitez

Anya Benitez is a 6th year Clinical Psychology student at KSU.  She is currently a Psychology Resident in the Neuropsychology Specialty of the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program (Charleston, SC).  Her research interests include the associations between psychopathology and cognitive functioning in psychiatric and older adult populations.

Lindsay Miller

lmille92@kent.edu

Lindsay Miller is a 1st year Clinical Psychology student.  She received her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research interests include neuropsychological function in neurodegenerative diseases and how other factors, such as depression and insight, can interfere with testing performance and symptom presentation.

Lynn Reese

lreese3@kent.edu

Lynn Reese Kakos is a 3rd year Clinical Psychology student.  She received her BA in Psychology from Asbury College and her MA in Clinical Psychology from Cleveland State University.  Her research interests include neuropsychological function, military psychology, TBI, and concussion.

Kelley Stanek

kstanek@kent.edu

Kelly is a 4th year graduate student, completing her clinical placement this year. She received her undergraduate degree from Reed College, in Portland, Oregon. Her current research interests focus on the neuropsychology of obesity and white matter changes.

Ashley Szabo

aszabo6@kent.edu

Program and year: 3rd year Clinical Health Psychology

I received my bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin.  My current research interests focus on fusing health and neuropsychology, such as examining disease progression and cognitive functioning, particularly in HIV/AIDS patients.

Kristen H. Walter

kwalter2@kent.edu

B.A., Case Western Reserve University (2003)

M.A., Kent State University (2006)

I am a 6th year clinical psychology graduate student who is currently an intern in PTSD at the Cincinnati VA.  Outside of clinical work and research, I love to travel, exercise, spend time with friends and family, and am an avid fan of Cleveland sports! Research interest: Interested in psychological and neuropsychological outcomes of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment.  Also interested in the assessment and treatment of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD.

Suhrida Yadavalli

syadaval@kent.edu

Suhrida Yadavalli is a fourth year clinical graduate student.  She received her Masters degree from Case Western Reserve University.  Suhrida is interested in neuropsychological and cultural predictors of medication adherence, particularly in people living with HIV.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

Joseph L. Smith

jsmith52@kent.edu

Joe Smith will graduate in spring 2010 with B.A. in Psychology (with honors), B.S.  Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Pre-medicine.  He was the first member of  the Gunstad lab.  His current research topics include: The after drop effect of whole body cooling on cognitive function,   Alzheimer’s Disease & vascular dementia, and the cognitive effects of  extreme environmental conditions.  He enjoys running and weight lifting and is in the process of applying for medical school for fall 2010.

LAB DOG

Oreo