News

Working through life challenges using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

December 6, 2021

group hiking along river bed

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an alternate treatment that may prove beneficial to individuals that are not seeing results with CBT. It can also be helpful for changes in life that prove to be trying such as handling grief or loss, transitioning to a new role like parent or caregiver, or managing pain. ACT shares some common themes with CBT but relies on a unique idea that there are some things that we can't change, and for those situations, it’s possible to change our attitude towards these struggles.

David Moorman and Karine Fenelon receive ADVANCE Seed Grant

December 2, 2021

IALS building with squared geometry

This UMass Amherst funding program supports innovative and equitable collaborative research projects among faculty

The UMass ADVANCE program is pleased to announce that three research teams are recipients of ADVANCE Collaborative Research Seed Grant awards for 2021-22. These competitive grants aim to foster the development of innovative and equitable collaborative research projects among faculty. 

Research examines the role of psychotherapists in treatment effectiveness

November 23, 2021

Therapist sits with client (illustration)

UMass Amherst study may lead to more personalized clinical training

New research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that different psychotherapists use common treatment processes to varying benefits for patients.

The findings, published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, ultimately may lead to more personalized clinical practices and trainings for therapists to help maximize their therapeutic impact and improve patient outcomes.

Interactions of sedentary behavior, physical activity, and sleep in early childhood

November 22, 2021

children jumping in playground

Although physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep (i.e., 24-hr behaviors) have been associated with cognitive and brain outcomes in older children and adults, studies in early childhood are limited and typically examine these behaviors separately. Early childhood serves as an important time for brain and cognitive development and is a time when healthy habits (i.e., low sedentary time, high physical activity, and sufficient sleep) are formed.

Christine St. Laurent, post-doctoral researcher in the Somneuro Lab directed by Rebecca Spencer, has been awarded an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award fellowship to pursue research examining the relations between early childhood 24-hr behaviors, cognition, and brain structures associated with learning and memory.

Mélise Edwards honored at Alzheimer’s Association International Conference Neuroscience Next

October 28, 2021

Mélise EdwardsThe Alzheimer’s Association Excellence in Neuroscience Mentoring Award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the mentoring of dementia scientists through either research mentorship, career mentorship or personal mentorship. Mélise Edwards was recognized at this year’s conference.

Christina Rowley receives NRSA Fellowship for her proposal 'Understanding Stress and Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities in Multiethnoracial Families'

October 12, 2021
Christina Rowley
Christina Rowley

Christina Rowley has received a two-year Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her proposal “Understanding Stress and Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities in Multiethnoracial Families.” Rowley’s award is classified as a Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research, which will enable her to receive mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors, enhance her understanding of health-related sciences, and develop into an independent research scientist.   

Natasha de la Rosa-Rivera, 2019 CRF Graduate Student Grant Writing Program Member Receives NIH Funding

September 21, 2021

Improving the Diagnosis and Treatment of Memory Disorders in Aging and Alzheimer's 

Natasha de la Rosa-RiveraNatasha M. de la Rosa-Rivera, a 4th year Ph.D. candidate in the Neuroscience and Behavior Program, and 2019 CRF Graduate Student Grant Writers Program member was recently named as a recipient of an NIH dissertation award (R36) to complete and further her research. Receiving this award will allow Natasha to test her overarching hypothesis that brain regions contribute to a cognitive task – be it perceptual or mnemonic – according to the representations they contain. 

Pages