Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology

Cousins Professor receives 2012 WPA Early Career Research Award

Marina Samaltanos — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:42:54 +0000

Article link:

http://www.semel.ucla.edu/sites/all/files/WPA%202012%20Early%20Career%20Award.pd...

In recognition of his prolific and substantive research contributions, the Western Psychological Association is pleased to recognize Dr. George Slavich with the 2012 WPA Early Career Research Award. For full release, click here.

Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology

Cousins Professor named fellow by American Association for the Advancement of Science

System Admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:49:57 +0000

Article link:

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/5-ucla-professors-named-fellows-220287.aspx

Dr. Steve Cole, Cousins Center for PNI Professor, is one of seven UCLA scholars have been selected as fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science. Members are chosen for their distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology

Stress, inflammation, and breast cancer: Association between stress exposure and tumor-associated inflammatory cells in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients

Marina Samaltanos — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:20:04 +0000

Project summary

Grant title: Stress, inflammation, and breast cancer: Role of tumor-associated macrophages
Funding: Breast Cancer Research Foundation
The role of stress in breast cancer initiation and progression has long been of interest to patients, clinicians, and researchers, although empirical research on this topic has yielded mixed and inconclusive results. A major barrier to investigating linkages between stress and breast cancer has been a lack of knowledge about biological pathways that may mediate these effects. Over the past decade, inflammation has emerged as a plausible and compelling biological pathway linking stress and breast cancer outcomes. The role of inflammation in tumor growth and progression is now well established, with tumor-associated inflammatory cells such as macrophages facilitating many of the hallmark characteristics of cancer (i.e., proliferation, angiogenesis, resistance to cell death, invasion, and metastasis. There is also growing evidence linking inflammation and psychosocial stress. The primary goal of this study is to determine whether chronic stress is associated with macrophage infiltration and gene expression in tumor samples from newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Stress will be assessed using reliable and valid questionnaires that have been associated with adverse health and immune outcomes in previous research. In addition, we will administer a state-of-the-art computer-based, semi-structured interview to systematically probe a diverse variety of acute and chronic stressors (e.g., job loss, major relationship break-up, ongoing financial difficulties) that may have occurred across the lifespan. Together, these measures will provide a brief yet comprehensive assessment of cumulative stress burden, which we hypothesize will shape inflammatory responses in the tumor microenvironment via effects on tumor-associated macrophages.

Investigators

Primary Investigator:

Julienne Bower

Research at the Semel Institute

Stress, inflammation, and breast cancer: Association between stress exposure and tumor-associated inflammatory cells in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients

Marina Samaltanos — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:17:22 +0000

Study Detail

Review and Approval

Renewal Date:

2011, October 4

Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology

Current Trainees

Marina Samaltanos — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:41:27 +0000

Current Trainees

Post-Graduate Training Program in Psychoneuroimmunology and Mental Health

Date	Name	Project Title	Current appointment
2010-2012	Judith E. Carroll, PhD	Subjective Social Isolation and Late Life Vulnerability to Inflammation and Cellular Aging	Post Doctoral Fellow in PNI
2010-2012	Donald Lamkin, PhD	Molecular mechanisms of stress effects on leukemia

Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology

Cousins Center Recently Awarded Seed Grants

System Admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Article link:

http://www.semel.ucla.edu/cousins/current-ucla-faculty-awarded-seed-grants

The Cousins Center has recently awarded six seed grants across the departments of Psychology, Geriatric Psychiatry, Neurology, Geriatric Medicine and Hematology / Oncology. Click here for a full listing of PI's and grant titles.

Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology

Viola Vaccarino, MD, PhD - Cousins Center Lectures in PNI

Marina Samaltanos — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:58:14 +0000

Cousins Center Lectures in Psychoneuroimmunology

in Co-Sponsorship with UCLA Department of Public Health

Viola Vaccarino, MD, PhD

Professor, Rollins School of Public Health;

Department of Epidemiology, Emory University

Any questions, please call Marina Samaltanos: 310 825 8281

Event detail

9 May 2012 - 12:00 - 13:00

Host/Organizer:

Marina Samaltanos

Dean's Conference Room, 1st floor Public Health

650 Charles E Young Dr South

Los Angeles 90095-1772

Phone: (310)825-4321

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, MapQuest

Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology

Matthew Walker, PhD - Cousins Center Lectures in PNI

Marina Samaltanos — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:49:45 +0000

Cousins Center Lectures in Psychoneuroimmunology

in Co-Sponsorship with

UCLA Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds

presents

Matthew Walker, PhD

Assistant Professor, Psychology,
University of California, Berkeley

"Sleep, Memory and Emotion"

Any questions, Please call Marina Samaltanos: 310.825.8281

Event detail

10 Apr 2012 - 12:00 - 13:00

Host/Organizer:

Marina Samaltanos

Semel Institute/NPI

Semel Auditorium

760 Westwood Plaza

Los Angeles

Phone: (310)825-4321

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, MapQuest

Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology

Lari Wenzel, PhD - Cousins Center Lectures in PNI

Marina Samaltanos — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:41:49 +0000

Cousins Center Lectures in Psychoneuroimmunology

in Co-Sponsorship with

UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center presents:

Lari Wenzel, PhD

Professor, Department of Medicine and Public Health;
Associate Dean, Faculty Development School of Medicine;
University of California, Irvine

“Psychosocial Counseling for Cervical Cancer Survivors:
Biobehavioral Considerations”

Thursday, February 16, 2012
12:00 – 1:00 pm
73-105 CHS

A light lunch will be provided

Event detail

16 Feb 2012 - 12:00 - 13:00

Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology

Gayle Page, DNSc, RN, FAAN - Cousins Center Lectures in PNI

Marina Samaltanos — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:26:34 +0000

Cousins Center Lectures in Psychoneuroimmunology

in co-sponsorship with

UCLA School of Nursing

presents

Gayle Page, DNSc, RN, FAAN

Director, Center for Nursing Research and Sponsored Projects;
Professor and Independence Foundation Chair
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

“Modeling Biobehavioral Consequences and Predictors of Pain and Stress”

Monday, January 23, 2012, 10:30 am

Factor Building, Room 4-145
700 Tiverton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Brunch will be provided

Event detail

23 Jan 2012 - 10:30 - 11:30

Host/Organizer:

Marina Samaltanos

Factor Building, room 4-145

700 Tiverton Avenue

Los Angeles 90095-1702

Phone: 310 825 8281

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, MapQuest