Faculty Research Interests | School of Behavioral Health

At-risk youth
Group homes for at-risk youth
Program development
Staff development and trainings (group home, managed care, community mental health)
Community mental health
Professional mentoring
Narrative therapy
Diversity
Self-of-therapist

Alisha Saavedra, MA

MA, Psychology (emphasis in Child Development) — California State University, San Bernardino, 2009

Child development
Stress and coping in the hospital environment
Grief and loss
Clinical training and supervision
Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in child life

Jacqueline M. Williams-Reade, PhD

PhD, Medical Family Therapy — East Carolina University, 2011

Medical family therapy
Adult and pediatric illness
Palliative and hospice care
Maternal mental health
Burnout
Grief and loss
Qualitative research
Women's professional development in academia

Monique E. Willis, PhD

PhD, Marital and Family Therapy — Loma Linda University, 2014

Caregivers and chronic illness
Intersectional justice, health equity, and wellness
Person of the therapist and self-care
Black and brown women's leadership in academia
Qualitative research

Psychology

Hector M. Betancourt

PhD, Psychology — University of California, Los Angeles, 1983

Social, cultural, and health psychology
Cognition (attribution)-emotion processes in interpersonal and inter-group behavior
Role of culture in psychological processes and behavior
Culture, diversity, and behavior in health and social issues
Cultural and psychological factors in social inequities and health disparities

Maya Boustani

PhD, Psychology (Child and Adolescent Clinical Science) — Florida International University, 2016

Child and adolescent evidence-based treatments
Mental health prevention and promotion
Community-based research
Dissemination and implementation research

Kendal C. Boyd

PhD, Psychology — Fuller Theological Seminary Graduate School of Psychology, 1999

Psychology of religion and spirituality
Cognitive behavior therapy

Colleen A. Brenner

PhD, Psychology — University of Indiana, Bloomington, 2006

Serious mental illness (focus on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder)
Clinical neuropsychology
Electroencephalography (EEG)
Resiliency, self-efficacy, overall health, and well-being in serious mental illness
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp)

Patricia M. Flynn

PhD, Psychology — Loma Linda University, 2005

Cultural and health psychology
Health disparities and inequities
Cultural and psychological factors in health behavior and outcome
Cultural competence training in graduate medical education
Implicit bias in patient-provider clinical interactions

Richard E. Hartman

PhD, Behavior, Brain and Cognition — Washington University, 2001

Behavioral neuroscience with an emphasis on improving the brain's resiliency against neurodegenerative conditions (e.g., Alzheimer's, stroke, traumatic brain injury) via a variety of therapeutic strategies, but especially diet/nutrition

Grace J. Lee

PhD, Clinical Psychology — Fuller Theological Seminary Graduate School of Psychology, 2009

Clinical neuropsychology
Cognitive aging
Neurodegenerative disorders
Neuroimaging correlates of cognition and behavior

Holly E. R. Morrell

PhD, Clinical Psychology — Texas Tech University, 2007

Combustible cigarette use
E-cigarette use
Video game addiction
Advanced multivariate analysis

Kelly R. Morton

PhD, Life-Span Developmental Psychology — Bowling Green State University, 1992

Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), negative emotions, and physical health outcomes
Stress and health
Social support and health
Religion and health
Care quality in primary care
Primary care psychology
Dietary intake and morbidity and mortality

Aarti Nair

PhD, Neuropsychology — San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego, 2015

Autism spectrum disorder
Early-onset psychosis
Neuroimaging
Social cognition
Translational neuroscience
Pediatric neuropsychology

Cameron L. Neece

PhD, Clinical Psychology — University of California, Los Angeles, 2011

Developmental psychology
Childhood disorder (emphasis on intellectual disabilities, autism, and disruptive behavior disorders)
Parenting and family processes
Treatment outcome research (focus on mindfulness approaches)

David B. Newman

PhD, Social Psychology — University of Southern California, 2019

Well-being
Social psychology
Personality psychology
Health psychology
Emotions
Ecological Momentary Assessment
Multilevel modeling

Bridgette J. Peteet

PhD, Clinical Psychology — University of Cincinnati, 2005

Multicultural psychology
Substance use prevention and intervention
Health disparities and inequities
Cultural consciousness/equity and inclusion training

Janet Sonne

PhD, Clinical Psychology — University of California, Los Angeles, 1981

Ethical and legal issues in professional practice of clinical psychology (ethical/legal standards; ethical/legal decision-making; therapist misconduct)
Interpersonal dynamics in the psychotherapy dyad
Supervision/consultation
Adult and child sexual abuse
Adult and adolescent eating disorders
Adult and adolescent suicide

Tori R. Van Dyk

PhD, Clinical Psychology — University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2016

Pediatric health psychology
Pediatric health behavior promotion and intervention
Sleep
Pediatric pain and headache/migraine
Child and adolescent mental health
Integrated behavioral health

David A. Vermeersch

PhD, Clinical Psychology — Brigham Young University, 1998

Psychotherapy outcome
Psychotherapy quality management
Therapist effects on outcome
Effects of therapist/patient feedback on outcome
Reducing deterioration in psychotherapy
Effectiveness and patient-focused research
Outcome test construction

Social Work and Social Ecology

Qais Alemi, PhD

PhD, Social Policy and Social Research — Loma Linda University, 2013

Psychosocial needs of populations affected by political violence
Stigma, prejudice, racial, and religious discrimination
Immigrant and refugee acculturation, adjustment, identity, and resiliency
Mental health help-seeking behaviors

Kelly Baek, PhD

PhD, Social Policy and Social Research — Loma Linda University, 2018

Mental health
Culturally-sensitive interventions
Program development and evaluation
Community-based research

Monte Butler, PhD

PhD, Social Work — University of Utah, 2003

Social work administration
Medicare

Kimberly R. Freeman, PhD

PhD, Clinical Psychology — Loma Linda University, 1999

Child mental health
Assessment
Childhood trauma
Adolescent self-harm
Community based wellness

Donna Gallup, EdD, MSW

Organizational Change and Leadership — University of Southern California, 2019

Workforce development in human services, particularly with vulnerable populations

Talolo Lepale, MSW, MBA

Master of Social Work — Loma Linda University, 1999
Master of Business Administration — University of Redlands, 2003

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
Individual psychotherapy
Team building
Psychosocial oncology
Medical social work
Working with adults and older adults
Trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and end-of-life

Susanne Montgomery, PhD

PhD, Health Behavior/EPI — University of Michigan, 1987

Research design and analyses
Translational research (clinical and applied)
Community involved and based research
Health disparities research
Program evaluation and evaluation research
- Research design and analyses
- Translational research (clinical and applied)
- Community involved and based research
- Health disparities research
- Program evaluation and evaluation research

Gabriela Navarro, MSW, LCSW

MSW, Social Work — Loma Linda University, 2017

Individual psychotherapy
Medical social work
Trauma, anxiety, depression, and end-of-life
Adolescent mental health
Domestic violence
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Motivational interviewing
Trauma-focused cogntive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Larry Ortiz, PhD

PhD, Sociology — State University of New York, Buffalo, 1987

Race and ethnic studies
Critical theory
Latino/a issues
Community practice
Program evaluation
Social justice practice

Lynn Raine, PhD

PhD, Social Work — Smith College, 2019

Mental health
Trauma
Psychodynamic therapy
Latino/Latina therapy
Social work education

Interdisciplinary Studies

Alex Dubov, PhD

PhD, Health Care Ethics — Duquesne University, 2017

mHealth interventions
Behavioral economics
Medical decision-making
Conjoint analysis
HIV prevention
Implementation science

Susanne B. Montgomery, PhD, MPH, MS

PhD, Health Behavior/EPI - University of Michigan, 1987

Research design and analyses
Translational research (clinical and applied)
Community involved and based research
Health disparities research