Meet Us

Jeanette M. Bennett, PhD

Entering college, I planned on becoming a MD – even conditionally accepted into medical school. However, through my then minor in psychology, I found my passion: psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) and stress. I decided to double major in biology & psychology and set course for a career in research. Before applying to graduate programs, I developed my skills in both academia- and industry-based research environments. In Fall 2005, I began training with Laura Cousino Klein, PhD at Penn State and earned my MS (2007) and PhD (2010) in Biobehavioral Health.  During my postdoctoral fellowship, I worked under the tutelage of Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, PhD in the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center. Although I enjoy conducting research, I also learned that I love to teach and sought a research/teaching professorship.

In August 2012, I joined UNC Charlotte as an assistant tenure track professor and created StressWAVES BRL. In addition, I laid the groundwork for the Psychological Science’s first BSL-2 data collection space, the BioBehavioral Core Lab.  In July 2018, I was promoted to associate professor with tenure.

The underlying concept driving my research lab is that variability in physiological systems drives behavior and ultimately promotes health, both physical and mental. We focus on individual differences or factors that influence the functional variability within the bidirectional neuroendocrine-immune communication or stress/arousal response. A flexible stress/arousal response increases survival, health, and leads to successful maintenance of balance or homeostasis.  Unfortunately, loss of flexibility results in dysregulated biological process, reduced efficiency, diminished health, and accelerated aging. 

This communication between the neuroendocrine and immune systems can be influenced by psychological (e.g., stress, depression), biological (e.g., sex, drug use, age), and psychosocial (e.g., socioeconomic status, social support) factors which ultimately affect overall health.  We seek to understand the antecedents or the factors that contribution to chronic disease development. Specifically, we study the effects of stress (psychological, social, and pharmacological) and stressful life events on neuroendocrine and immune system functioning and ways to improve communication between the two systems across the lifespan in healthy and clinical populations.

Graduate Research Assistants

Ameante Payen, MA, BS

Update coming soon…

 

 

Micah McWhorter

My name is Micah McWhorter and I am a second year student in the Masters in Psychology program here at UNCC. I have been in the lab for 2 and a half years. During this time, I have been a study coordinator of two studies focused on stress and interventions targeted towards impacting psychological and physiological states in the human body. My research interests include how stress manifests in the body and how various behaviors, such as exercise and diet, mitigate the implications of stress, including inflammation and psychological states. Outside of my research, I love to spend time with friends and family (including my 3 fur babies!), travel, play pickleball, try new sports, exercise, and spend time in nature. My favorite thing of all is trying new things and challenging myself, inside of research and in my personal life. Thanks for reading a little bit about me!
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Persin, MA

Update coming soon…

 

 

 

Kelsey Julian, MA

My name is Kelsey and I am a first year graduate student in the Health Psychology PhD Program. In 2018, I graduated with a BS in psychology and minors in Biology and Family Development from the University of Dayton. I stayed at the University of Dayton to earn an MA in Clinical Psychology in. After my Master’s, I worked for a few years at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in a lab studying child physical abuse and epigenetics. My research interests broadly focus on understanding the long-term effects of early adversity and trauma on health outcomes. In particular, I am interested in studying the role of dysregulated stress systems in the development of physical health conditions and identifying biomarkers for early detection of chronic disease susceptibility. In my free time I enjoy weightlifting, listening to podcasts, trying new restaurants, and traveling to see my friends and family.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Angela Bang
Divya Agarwal
Elle Benigni
Evelyn Valenzuela
Isabella Rodriguez
Jade Moran
Eric Hamrick
Nate Joseph
Nyla Varh
Praneeta Veluri
Rhoen Hoff

David Boswell-Samuels
My name is David Boswell-Samuels and I am a Research Assistant in Training. I was just recently accepted into the lab earlier this semester. I am an Honors College undergraduate sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Psychology. I have an interest in neurocognitive disorders like dementia and alzhiemers, and I’m writing a research synthesis on the effect of excitotoxicity in PTSD, as well as how that excitotoxicity affects cognition. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, going on walks around campus, and eating out.

Sophie Smith

I am in my senior year at UNCC majoring in psychology and minoring in criminal justice. I am just starting out in the lab, and joined the lab at the beginning of this semester (8/19/24). I am currently practicing MINDGRIP and Z-FLO visits in the lab. My personal research interests are neurodegenerative disorders, inflammation, ADHD and the brain, and stress effects on the brain. My hometown is Charlotte, and my interests are psychological research and listening to music, while my main hobbies include reading and playing the piano. 

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Post-Bac Research Assistants

Updates coming soon…