A Developmental Lens on
Health Promotion Research
Employment
Clemson University, 2023 - Present
Full Professor, Program Director, Health Psychology graduate program
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University of North Florida, 2017 - 2023
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
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University of North Florida, 2012 - 2017
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2009 - 2012
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Pediatric Psychology
Education
University of Notre Dame, 2003 - 2009
Ph.D., M.A., Developmental Psychology
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University of Texas at Austin, 1999 - 2003
B.S. Human Development and Family Sciences,
with honors
Research Agenda
I am a preventionist with my research focused on the intersection of health and developmental psychology. Models of health behavior change strongly influence my work, but I approach applying these models from a developmental perspective, integrating metatheories such as Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological model, Baltes’ Lifespan perspective, and Sameroff’s Transational model. My research is community-based to ensure the ecological validity and translational potential of my work.
Current Research
Preventing Dementia with Cognitive Training: I lead a site for an NIA-funded randomized, controlled trial testing the effectiveness of computerized cognitive training on reducing the onset of dementia (PACT: Preventing Alzheimer's with Cognitive Training, https://pactstudy.org). The PACT study is a multi-site study and recruited 7,600 participants, 65 years of age and older, from June 2021- January 2025 (see Nicholson, . Participants are followed for three years, so the primary aims paper will be published in Spring 2028. I am currently focused on using this expansive dataset to investigate participant motivation, attitudes, beliefs, and contextual factors related to impacting training, all of which could influence their adherence and retention. Representation is critical for the generalizability of findings from clinical trials and makes it critical to understand how to recruit and retain underrepresented populations in research studies.
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Midlife in the US: Currently, I lead a data collection site for an NIA-funded randomized, controlled trial (MIDUS: Midlife in the US, https://midus.wisc.edu). In particular, I work under the guidance of Dr. David Almeida to continue data collection for the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE), which collects daily diary information for people who have been participating with the MIDUS project since it began in 1994. With Dr. Almeida and our collaborators, Dr. Eric Cerino, Dr. Hye Won Chai, Jennie Holmberg, and Dr. Susan Charles, we are focused on contributing to the understanding of daily stress processes and events and how this impacts the aging process and wellbeing. My work is largely influenced by the expansive contributions of Dr. Jacquie Mogle to the current data collection protocol for the NSDE.
Want to Join my Lab?
I will accept up to two graduate students in 2026 and accept undergraduate students to my Creative Inquiry course on a rolling basis depending on need and fit. Interested students should send an email outlining why they are interested in my lab, the types of relevant experiences they have, and include an unofficial transcript and resume.