GRADUATE PROGRAMS:
Clinical M.A. Faculty

David Albeck (Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder,1992). His research interests include Behavioral Neuroscience with an emphasis on neuroendocrinology and the effects of aging on the brain.

Richard Allen (Ph.D., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1999). His research interests include Nerurobiology; Behavioral pharmacology, drug tolerance and dependence, reinforcing and aversive effects of psychoactive substances; conditioning models of drug use and addiction.

Beth Allen (Ph.D., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2003). Assistant Professor.  Her primary research interest is couple functioning, including infidelity, military marriage, and the bi-directional influence between relationship functioning and health.

Allison Bashe (Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook, 2000).  Program Director Psychology: Clinical MA Program.  Her interests include program development and evaluation and ethics training.  She currently teaches the graduate professional issues and ethics course.  Dr. Bashe is a licensed psychologist, and her clinical specialties include work with adolescents and young adults.

Abbie Beacham (Ph.D., University of Louisville, 2000). Director of Clinical Training, Clinical Health Psychology, Ph.D. program, Assistant Professor. Dr. Beacham's research interests include development and implementation of brief, evidence-based interventions in primary care and specialty medical settings addressing factors related to management of chronic medical conditions (e.g., chronic pain) and health behavior change. Her clinical orientation is Cognitive-Behavioral and "Third Wave" Behavioral approaches to intervention. She also has a master’s degree in Physical Education/Exercise Science, which informs her work in health(y) behavior adoption and maintenance.

Sondra Bland (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 2000). Assistant Professor. Her research interests include the neurobiology of addiction and stress, and how the two interact.  She is especially interested in neurochemistry, focusing on in vivo studies of dopamine and serotonin in brain regions including the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens in rat models of drug and stress responding.  Other interests include sex differences in addiction and stress responses, adolescence as a critical period of development, and the effects of drugs of abuse on glial cells.

Evelinn Borrayo (Ph.D., University of North Texas, 1999). Program Director, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Clinical Health PhD, Associate Professor. Dr. Borrayo’s research focuses on health disparities in the prevention, control, and treatment of cancer among ethnic minorities, women, and older adults. Her research projects have focused on the psychological, cultural, and social factors involved in breast cancer screening and in the treatment of lung and head-and-neck cancers among Latinas and Latinos affected by these cancers. She conducts research in both community and medical settings.

Mary Coussons-Read (Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1994) Associate Professor. Dr. Coussons-Read’s research interests include 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, and Pavolvian conditioning of immune responses.

Kevin Everhart (Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 2000).  Senior Instructor.  Dr. Everhart is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with expertise in Pediatric and Clinical Child Psychology.  His research and clinical interests include infant mental health, the effects of post-partum depression on child development, neurondevelopmental assessment of young children, developmental disabilities, and community-based prevention and early intervention programs. He also serves as Clinical Supervisor for the UCD Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology.

Rick Gardner (Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno, 1969). His research interests include Experimental Psychology; Body image perception; perception & psychophysics.

Jim Grigsby (Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder, 1980). Professor in Psychology, and in the Department of Medicine, UC Denver School of Medicine. His research interests include health psychology, cognitive neuroscience (especially executive cognitive functioning), Fragile X-related cognitive phenotypes, and the effects on cognition of cancer chemotherapy.

Mitchell Handelsman (Ph.D., University of Kansas, 1981). Professor and University of Colorado President’s Teaching Scholar. His research interests include professional ethics.

Peter Kaplan (Ph.D. Indiana University, Bloomington, 1982). His research interests include Experimental Psychology; Development psychobiology, infant perception and cognition, and postpartum depression and infant learning.

Kristin Kilbourn (Ph.D., University of Miami, 1996).  Assistant Professor.  Her research interests include psychosocial oncology, psychoneuroimmunology and health promotion.  Her clinical orientation is cognitive-behavioral and she is very interested in group-based interventions. In addition to her doctorate in Clinical Health Psychology, she has a master’s degree in Public Health.

Michael Zinser (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1993).  Associate Professor.  His research interests include addiction (particularly nicotine addiction)/ drug-use motivation, behavioral medicine, psychophysiology, cross-cultural Psychology, and underserved/minority populations. Dr. Zinser also teaches a range of courses including Abnormal Psychology and Adult Psychopathology.

Note: Students take courses and conduct research with faculty from other specialty areas in psychology, and often collaborate with faculty from area colleges, universities, and hospitals.  If your research interests/experience overlap with those of a faculty member, you should contact that faculty member directly.  Please see the department's faculty and staff page for information on all psychology faculty members and their interests.