Clinical Psychology

Dr. David C. Cicero, Assistant Professor, is focused on understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of psychosis and using that understanding to improve our ability to predict and prevent future psychosis. Most social-cognitive models of psychosis have included two specific components: Aberrant salience (i.e., the unusual or incorrect assignment of significance or importance to stimuli, which is thought to be associated with dopamine dysregulation; Kapur, 2003) and self-processing (i.e., the way in which an individual processes information related to the self). His research program focuses on: (a) defining and measuring the constructs of aberrant salience and psychotic-like experiences; (b) examining the relations between self-processing and psychotic and psychotic-like experiences; and (c) investigating the interaction between aberrant salience and self-processing in psychosis. Dr. Cicero’s research uses questionnaire and interview assessments of psychotic symptoms, basic social cognitive neuroscience tasks to measure aberrant salience and self-processing, experimental psychopathology paradigms to understand normal and abnormal belief formation, and advanced statistical techniques to examine the factor structure of psychotic-like experiences.

Dr. Frank J. Floyd, Professor and Director of Clinical Studies Program, has research interests that include three longitudinal investigations of adaptation in families of children with intellectual and other disabilities. The goal of this work is to understand how family interactions and family relationships (marital, parent-child, sibling) are influenced by raising a child who has disabilities, and how family adaptation, in turn, influences the psychosocial development of the child and the health and well-being of all family members. Dr. Floyd has also conducted research on parental bereavement and on sexual orientation identity development and family relationships among gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth.

Dr. Elaine M. Heiby, Professor and Coordinator of the Clinical Respecialization Program, has research interests which include: (1) development of an integrative theory for compliance to health and sports regimens; (2) development of an integrative theory of mood disorders; (3) chaos theory; (4) development of culturally sensitive assessment devices that measure not only problems in living but also the potential maintenance factors that can inform selection of treatment and prevention strategies; and (5) effects of spiritual beliefs and practices upon the quality of life.

Dr. Velma A. Kameoka, Professor, is interested in the following research areas: risk for substance abuse and related psychosocial problems among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI); ethnocultural variation in depression and help-seeking; and psychometric and methodological issues in cross-cultrual research. Current research includes: (a) risk and protective factors associated with substance use and behavioral problems among AAPI youths and families; (b) prediction of depression among AAPI elders; and (c) cultural conceptions and contexts of illness/health. Examples of recent publications include: (a) Cultural differences in illness schema: An analysis of Filipina and American illness attributions; (b) Perceived control, self-reinforcement, and depression among Asian and Caucasian American elders; (c) Psychometric evaluation of measures for assessing the effectiveness of family-focused substance abuse prevention intervention among Pacific-Island families and children.

Dr. Janet D. Latner, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Clinical Studies Program, has research interests that focus on improving the scientific understanding of obesity and eating disorders and developing methods of relieving the significant disability, stigma, and impairment associated with these conditions. Obesity is a major public health problem, and this research program investigates ways to effectively treat obesity. Dr. Latner's research also aims to document the prevalence of the stigma and prejudice commonly directed at obese individuals. At the same time the prevalence of obesity has grown, the bias against obese individuals has also dramatically increased. Many negative psychological consequences result from this bias, yet novel interventions may be able to reduce this harmful bias. Dr. Latner's research is also focused on improving the understanding of eating disorders and their impact on health and quality of life. These investigations aim to develop a better understanding of the factors that maintain these disorders, and the impairment associated with them, to ultimately improve their treatment.

Dr. Charles W. Mueller, Professor, is focused on both research and applied work. He incorporates ideas and approaches from both social and clinical psychology. His primary research interests focus on applied social psychology with an emphasis on aggression and violence (e.g. effects of family violence, innovative treatments, and externalizing behavior problems) and children’s mental health service delivery (e.g. child and adolescent mental health systems improvement).

Dr. Brad J. Nakamura, Assistant Professor, is interested in investigating dissemination and implementation concerns as they relate to diffusing evidence-based practices into community-based settings; youth assessment and diagnostic issues; and anxiety disorders among children and adolescents. Students interested in these topics, the scientist-practitioner training model, and working with children and adolescents are encouraged to apply to work with Dr. Nakamura in the clinical studies program.

Dr. Kelly M. Vitousek, Associate Professor, has research interests in eating disorders and cognitive-behavioral theory and therapy (CBT). Her recent work includes the assessment and enhancement of motivation for change in anorexia nervosa, development of modified CBT approaches for the eating disorders, therapist training in CBT, and caloric restriction for longevity. Dr. Vitousek serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Eating Disorders. Recent publications focus on motivation for change in the eating disorders, CBT for anorexia nervosa, problems in the assessment of personality traits and disorders, and the implications of caloric restriction for longevity on the eating disorder field. Dr. Vitousek is the Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy at UH, and Director of the Eating Disorder Program.