Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D (Principal Investigator)
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser holds the S. Robert Davis Chair of Medicine in The Ohio State University College of Medicine; she is also Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, and a member of the OSU Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. Working in the area of psychoneuroimmunology, she has authored  more than 200 articles, chapters, and books, most in collaboration with Dr. Ronald Glaser.  Their studies have demonstrated important health consequences of stress, including slower wound healing and impaired vaccine responses; they have also shown that chronic stress substantially accelerates age-related changes in inflammation which is linked to some cancers, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, and frailty and function decline.  In addition, their programmatic work has focused on how personal relationships influence immune and endocrine function, and health. Her current studies address questions such as the psychological and physiological consequences of chronic stress in older adults, the ability of omega-3 supplementation to alter mood and inflammation, how genetic and environmental influences contribute to depression and immune dysregulation in older adults, the impact of major life stressors on the progression of basal cell carcinoma, the ability of mind-body interventions such as yoga to modulate endocrine and immune responses, and the role that proinflammatory cytokines play in combination with depression among cancer survivors who experience debilitating fatigue. 

Most notable among her honors is her membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.  In addition, she is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as the American Psychological Association; she received an Award for Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology from the American Psychological Association's Division of Health Psychology, as well as the Developmental Health Psychology Award from the Divisions of Health Psychology and Adult Development and Aging. She is the past President of the Division of Health Psychology. The Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society gave her the Norman Cousins Award in 1998.  She is listed in the Institute for Scientific Information ISIHighlyCited.com (among the world's most highly cited authors, a group comprising less than one half of one percent of all publishing researchers). She has served on the NIMH Mental Health and AIDS study section, as well as the editorial boards of 10 professional journals including the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Psychosomatic Medicine, and Health Psychology.  Her research has been supported by a series of grants from the National Institutes of Health, including a MERIT award, as well as a Research Career Development Award, and she is currently a PI on NIH grants from the NCI, NIA, and NCCAM.  In 2008, she received The Ohio State University's highest honor for scholars, appointment as a Distinguished University Professor, a title awarded to only 38 faculty members since 1985.

She has published two mystery novels, Detecting Lies and Unconscious Truths.

Dr. Jeanette M. Bennett, Ph.D
Jeanette is a post-doctoral fellow on the Comprehensive Training in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences training grant in the College of Dentistry.  She recently completed her Ph.D. in Biobehavioral Health at the Pennsylvania State University prior to joining the lab in June 2010.  Her research interests in understanding the effects of health behaviors and psychosocial factors on the immune system led her to train with Dr. Kiecolt-Glaser in the College of Medicine.  However, Jeanette brings her specific interest in how nicotine exposure and smoking affect the immune system to add a new dimension to the lab.  Outside the lab, she enjoys baking, exercising, journaling, spending time with her family and friends, and watching collegiate sports, especially, Penn State football (WE ARE…)!

Dr. Chris Fagundes, Ph.D
Chris Fagundes is a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine at Ohio State University Medical Center.  Before coming to the lab, he earned a B.A in psychology from the University of California, Davis and a M.S. and Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of Utah.  He is interested in the psychological and physiological processes related to coping with major life stressors such as loss and cancer, as well as how people’s close relationships influence these processes.  Outside of the lab, Chris enjoys watching sports, exercising, listening to jazz music, eating good food, and spending time with his wife and dog.

Michael Digregorio, B.S., M.S.
Michael has been a clinical research coordinator in the lab since December, 2000. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Santa Clara University in Northern California with a double major in Psychology and Mathematics. He continued on at Nova Southeastern University in South Florida where he earned a Masters of Science in Clinical Psychology with emphases in neuropsychology. He has taken additional classes in qi gong, Chinese medicine, yoga and is a licensed massage therapist. Outside the lab, Michael enjoys drumming, yoga, soccer and live music.

Heather Preston, B.A.
Heather is a clinical research coordinator and has been with the lab since November, 2005.  She coordinates the Yoga for Breast Cancer Survivors study and also coordinated another yoga study that recently completed.  Heather received a Bachelor’s Degree from Kenyon College (Gambier, OH) in 2005 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology.  After graduation, Heather relocated to Columbus, but is still a true Clevelander at heart (go Browns, go Cavs, go Indians!).  When Heather is not working, you can find her on the soccer field, basketball court or softball diamond reliving her glory days as a collegiate athlete.  She also enjoys dancing, writing freestyles and the occasional long walk on the beach.

Lindsay Madaras, B.A.
Lindsay has been the scheduling coordinator for the Stress and Health Study since August, 2007.  She received a Bachelor’s Degree from Kenyon College (Gambier, OH) in 2006 with a double major in Psychology and Studio Art. After graduation, Lindsay lived and worked in New Orleans, Louisiana as a Graphic Artist.  Outside of the lab, Lindsay enjoys photography, making videos, playing basketball and she is attempting to run a marathon on all 7 continents (3 down, 4 to go!).

Arenda Nolan, B.S.
Arenda has worked at the Stress and Health study since April 2008.  She received a bachelor’s degree from the Ohio State University in 2007 in Anthropological Sciences with a minor in Women’s Studies.  Arenda has previously done research on oral cancer at the James Hospital and on Howler monkeys in Costa Rica. Besides working, Arenda enjoys cooking, bargain shopping and Ohio State football and basketball games.

Erika Campbell, B.A.
Erika received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from The Ohio State University in June of 2008. Upon graduation, she joined the Stress and Health Study as a clinical research assistant and assistant to Dr. Kiecolt-Glaser.  While working for the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Erika is also preparing for graduate school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she plans to obtain her Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy.  In her spare time she enjoys wine tastings, cooking, sewing, and can be found in the Short North district supporting local artists and musicians.

Liisa Hantsoo, B.A., M.L.A.
Liise is a graduate student in the Clinical / Health Psychology Ph.D. program at OSU. She earned her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins University, where her research centered on basic genetics. She then completed an interdisciplinary Master's degree at the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on Biological Bases of Psychopathology. There, she spent several years working with Dr. James Coyne, focusing on stress and depression during pregnancy, and psychophysiological responses to stress during androgen deprivation therapy. Her interests include women's health, genetics and the intersection between immune and endocrine function. In her spare time, she enjoys black and white photography, vintage shopping, independent film, and loves to travel!

Matt Price, RN, B.A.
Matt is a third year graduate student working towards his masters to become a cardio-pulmonary clinical nurse specialist.  His primary interest and background is as a physiologist, previously working with Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium examining pelagic fish physiology and ecology.  Matt hopes to apply physiologic characteristics, common to humans and animals alike, to better understand stress responses and cardiac functioning in humans.

Chantel Dixon
Chantel went to The Ohio State School of Cosmetology for Nails and became a nail technician for 8 years at Charles Penzone. Then in 1999, she switched gears and worked in the medical field for 6 years at Grant Medical Center as a technician on the Trauma Unit. In 2005, she became a physician assistant at Licking Memorial Hospital in the ICU and OB/GYN office before taking on the roll of clinical research assistant at the Stress & Health Lab in 2010. Chantel recently bought her own house in Baltimore and has 3 wonderful children (Delaney, Keaton & Eston) who fill up ALL of her spare time!