Mary Coussons-Read , Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Office: NC 5002M
Office Phone: 303-556-2687
Fax: 303-556-3520
E-mail: mary.coussons-read@cudenver.edu
Vitae: Curriculum Vitae (pdf version)
Biosketch
Mary Coussons-Read, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology and Health and Behavioral Science and the Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD). She received her PhD in Psychology and Neurobiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed postdoctoral training in Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School Of Medicine prior to coming to UCD.
Coussons-Read has a distinguished record of teaching, research, and service, and has served in numerous leadership positions on and beyond her campus including Chairing the UCD Faculty Assembly on the Downtown Campus and serving as Faculty Council Vice-Chair. Coussons-Read’s academic background is concentrated in psychology and mind/body health, and she has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles in behavioral and health science. A special focus of her research is the neural-immune consequences of stress during pregnancy and how these changes can affect maternal and infant outcome. She is also active in her profession and in the community, serving in leadership roles for her primary scientific society and as a member of the Board of Directors and incoming Board Chair for Smart-Girl, Inc., a Denver non-profit providing leadership training to girls and young women.
Research Interests
Effects of prenatal stress on maternal health and immunity.
Role of maternal stress in pregnancy complications and poor birth outcomes.
Impact of perinatal stress on early immunological and behavioral development.
Opioid-induced alterations in immune function and infection.
Pavolvian conditioning of immune responses.
Representative Publications
Coussons-Read. M.E. (in press) Neural-immune consequences of environmental and psychological stress in pregnancy, In S.G.Pandalai, (Ed.), Recent Progress in Life Sciences, Vol. 5
Coussons-Read, M.E. and Simms, S. (2003) The Psychoneuroimmunology of Pregnancy, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 21 (2), 103-112.
Coussons-Read, M.E., Mazzeo, R.S., Whitford, M.H., Schmitt, M., Moore, L.G., and Zamudio, S. (2002) Altitude-related changes in levels of catecholamines and proinflammatory cytokines in normal pregnancy. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 48, 344-354.
Mattes, C. G., Nanney, R., and Coussons-Read, M.E. (2003) The Online University: Who are its students and how are they unique? Journal of Educational Computing Psychology, 28, 89-102.