EDUCATION & TRAINING
B.A. Cognitive Neuroscience magna cum laude, Harvard University
M.A. Psychology, University of Southern California
Pre-doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology, Health Psychology Track, Duke University Medical Center
Ph.D. Psychology (Clinical), University of Southern California
Welcome to our lab’s website! I am a clinical health psychologist and an Associate Professor of Psychology and Health Psychology here at UNC Charlotte. I also have faculty affiliations with our Department’s Community Psychology Learning Community, the Department of Communication Studies, and the Department of Public Health Sciences Ph.D. Program. In our research we utilize both qualitative and quantitative research methods in the pursuit of studying the positive psychology of eating, body image, and weight with an emphasis on ethnic minority women during the developmental period of emerging adulthood. Other research interests include the health impact of weight-related stigmatization along with how the mind-body connection affects appetite, eating, metabolism, and weight. Future investigations will integrate mindfulness- and self-compassion-based approaches to promoting positive body image, intuitive eating, enjoyable movement, and healthy weight regulation among ethnically-diverse first-year college women.
Our most recently completed NIH/NIDDK-funded project focused on better understanding the complex relationships among biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors that impact body composition changes (e.g., weight gain) during the first-year college transition in African American and European American young women. This research done in partnership with collaborators at North Carolina A&T State University and North Carolina Central University will enable gaining greater insights into whether African American first-year women starting college at a predominantly White institution versus at an HBCU share similar cardiometabolic-risk factor profiles and will consequently help to inform the subsequent design of culturally-attuned health promotion efforts in this target population.
I strive to infuse a positive psychology and multicultural inclusiveness value system in my approach to teaching and academic advising. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to serve as a course instructor for students traversing the spectrum of stages of academic development. At the undergraduate level I teach courses in Positive Psychology, Introduction to Clinical Psychology, Introduction to Health Psychology, and I supervise students conducting a senior honors thesis as well as those participating in the Undergraduate Psychology Research Assistantship/Independent Study experience. At the graduate level I am a routine instructor for the Practicum in Clinical Psychology (health psychology emphasis) course. I have also taught our Diversity in Health Psychology, Topics in Psychological Treatment (mindfulness-/self-compassion-/acceptance-based behavioral therapy focus), and Health Psychology I courses to our doctoral students during my time as faculty.
See my full CV at the link below:
Thank you for taking the time to explore our website. Please contact me at jennifer.webb@uncc.edu for further information and/or to address any inquiries you may have regarding the possibility of joining our research team.