Dr. Sherry Pagoto is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Fellowship Training Director in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Medicine.  She is a licensed clinical psychologist and a staff clinician in the UMass Weight Center.  Her clinical work in the Weight Center informs her program of research which focuses on psychological and physical health co-morbidities.  She currently has an R01 from the NIMH for a randomized clinical trial comparing two behavioral approaches to weight loss for women with clinical depression.  She completed an NHLBI career development award on emotional eating, and has received 5 private foundation grants (Boston Obesity and Nutrition Research Center, American Cancer Society, Worcester Foundation of Biomedical Research, University of Massachusetts Clinical and Translational Science Pilot Project Program, Healey Foundation).  She is also actively involved in skin cancer prevention research and has completed 2 large randomized trials in this area. She teaches courses on Team Science and Randomized Clinical Trials in the Master’s of Clinical Investigation and Clinical and Population Health Research Doctoral Programs, respectively. She was also the recipient of the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Early Career/Young Investigator Award in 2006 and is currently a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.  

Sherry L. Pagoto, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Division of Preventive and
Behavioral Medicine.

Dr. Pagoto's research interests include:

• Psychiatric co-morbidities of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome
• Lifestyle interventions
• Translation of research to practice
• Behavioral Activation treatment of depression
• Skin cancer prevention 

Currently Funded Research

Principal Investigator:

Treating Co-Morbid Obesity and Major Depressive Disorder, NIH/NIMH,             5 R01 MH078012-03, 04/19/07 – 03/31/12, The goal of this study is to compare the efficacy of a behavioral activation weight loss treatment to standard behavioral weight control on weight loss.

The Role of Stress in Insulin Resistance Following Bariatric Surgery, Boston Obesity and Nutrition Research Center, Boston Med/5 P30 DK46200, 05/01/07- 09/31/11, This laboratory study will compare changes in insulin resistance, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, and inflammatory markers in patients with and without chronic stress before and 6-months following roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

ENGAGED: E-Networks Guiding Adherence to Goals for Exercise and Diet, NIH/NIDDK  1 RC1 DK087126-01, 09/25/09 – 08/31/11, In the proposed study, Dr. Pagoto (subcontract) will share her expertise in the administration of the DPP intervention, supervise the interventionists, participate in the development of the ENGAGED system, assist in data analyses and interpretation, participate in manuscript development and grant preparation.

Cultural Translation of a Mind/Body Wellness Program for Diabetes Prevention in China, OGH & CTSA, P60016190000026,  6/1/11 - 5/31/13, The present application proposes to culturally translate and pilot test a comprehensive lifestyle program, the Mind/Body Wellness Program, for adults with pre-diabetes in Shanghai, China.

Co-Investigator:

A Simple Dietary Message to Improve Dietary Quality for Metabolic Syndrome, NIH/NHLBI 1 R01 HL094575-01A1 (Ma), 4/01/09 – 03/31/13, In a randomized clinical trial, we will compare the efficacy of two intervention approaches to dietary change for CHD prevention among persons with metabolic syndrome.

Behavioral Activation Enhanced Exercise Intervention for Diabetes and Depression, NIH/NIMH 1 R34 MH086678-01 (Schneider), 08/12/09 – 05/31/12, This study aims to develop and pilot test a novel exercise intervention that is based on principles of behavioral theory and incorporates strategies of behavioral activation (BA) treatment for depression.

UMMS Prevention Research Center for Obesity and Related Conditions – Category 2, CDC 1 U48 DP001933-01 (Lemon), 09/30/09 – 09/29/14, The mission of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) Prevention Research Center (PRC) is to develop community-academic partnerships for preventing and managing obesity and related conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, through community-responsive interventions.

Depression, Antidepressant Use and Risk of Diabetes in the WHI, NIH/NIDDK            1 R21 DK083700-01A1 (Ma), 2/01/10 – 11/30/11, The goal of this study is to examine whether depression or antidepressant medication use are positively associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes. 

Integrated Smoking Cessation and Mood Management for Cardiac Patients, NHLBI K23HL107391 (Busch), 4/11- 3/16, Role: Mentor

Self-care Management: Patient-Centered Diabetic Wound Care Using Smart Phones, National Science Foundation (Strong, D). Submitted 6/2011

An Appearance-Based Intervention to Reduce Teen Skin Cancer Risk, NCI, National Institutes of Health 1R01CA134891-01A2 (Hillhouse, J), 7/1/10 – 12/31/14, Role: Consultant

Epidemiology and Genetics of Tanning Addiction, NCI, National Institutes of Health R21 (Cartmel, B), 10/1/10-9/30/12, Role: Consultant

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Oakland University, 1995
Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, Western Michigan University, 1998
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Western Michigan University, 2001
Post-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2001-2003

Teaching

Clinical & Population Health Research PhD Program
Course: Randomized Clinical Trials in Behavioral Research

Faculty Development Seminars
"Applying for a K Award"
"Getting the Most From Your K Award"

Masters in Clinical Investigation Program
Course: Team Science

Service

Committee Member, Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine Committee, Society for Behavioral Medicine, 2004-present
Program Chair, Program Committee, Society of Behavioral Medicine 2007-present
Fellowship Director, UMass Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, 2007-present
Committee Member, Library and Learning Committee, UMass Medical School, 2006-present
Committee Member, Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research, UMass Medical School, 2008-present
Reviewer, UMass ACS Institutional Research Grant Committee, 2008-present
Committee Member, UMass NIH funded Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (DERC), 2009

Fellowship Program

Behavioral Medicine Research Post-doctoral Fellowship Program
The behavioral medicine research post-doctoral fellowship is a two-year position for trainees interested in developing academic research careers in the area of behavioral medicine with an emphasis on obesity, nutrition, exercise, cancer prevention, and psychological comorbidities of physical health problems.  Individuals with doctoral degrees in psychology, nutrition, exercise science, or related fields are welcome to apply.  Fellows will join interdisciplinary project teams for ongoing experimental studies and randomized clinical trials, assist with manuscript and grant preparation, administer clinical assessment and treatment protocols to research participants, and be expected to apply for independent grant funding in their second year.  The mission of the post-doctoral program is to assist the fellow in the development of an externally funded independent program of research, be a collaborative and productive member of an interdisciplinary research team, and to facilitate the fellow's transition to an academic research career.  For inquiries regarding available post-doctoral fellowship positions, please contact Sherry Pagoto, Ph.D. at sherry.pagoto@umassmed.edu.  Position for fellowship year 2010-11 is currently pending funding.  Please check back for updates or contact Dr. Pagoto for more information.

Current Fellow

Matthew C. Whited, Ph.D.

Dr. Whited received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from West Virginia University.  He joined the department of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine in 2009 following his internship in clinical psychology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center/Jackson VAMC.  Dr. Whited is interested in factors related to cardiovascular disease risk (i.e., cardiovascular reactivity, depression,  and obesity) and healthy methods of modifying these risk factors.  His dissertation involved investigating the influence of forgiveness and apology on cardiovascular stress reactivity following an interpersonal transgression.  He currently is working to expand his research to investigate the unique patterns of reactivity in an overweight and obese population. He has also begun investigating the influence of depression on risk for cardiovascular disease and the mediating role of autonomic imbalance and antidepressant medication. He is also interested in studying methods of treating depression with the goal of minimizing cardiovascular disease risk.

Past Fellows

Kristin L. Schneider, Ph.D.

Dr. Schneider is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.  Dr. Schneider was a post-doctoral fellow in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine from 2007 - 2009.  Previously, she received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed her APA-approved internship in Health Psychology at the University of Wisconsin.  Her dissertation, funded by an NIH National Research Service Award, examined the relationship between exercise, mood and caloric intake in overweight, sedentary individuals.  Her research interests include the study of novel interventions for increasing exercise in sedentary populations, relationships between exercise and mood and research on health behavior change.  She is currently working to expand her exercise research to populations with psychiatric and physical diseases such as individuals with co-morbid depression and type 2 diabetes.  She was awarded an R34 from the National Institutes of Mental Health in August 2009 to develop and test an exercise intervention utilizing strategies from brief behavioral activation treatment for depression in women with type 2 diabetes and major depression.  Dr. Schneider has reported her work in over 20 papers published in peer-review journals.

Jamie Bodenlos, Ph.D.

Dr. Bodenlos is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Hobart and Wiilliam Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.  Dr. Bodenlos received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Louisiana State University in 2006.  Her research interests are in understanding the bio-psychosocial pathways of eating that contribute to obesity among low-income minority groups and individuals with co-morbid psychiatric conditions and obesity.  She is interested in developing obesity interventions for these populations through better understanding these pathways.  During her graduate training at LSU, she received clinical and research training at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA.  On her APA-approved clinical psychology internship, she received training in obesity interventions through the Weight Management Center at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC.  She was the 2007 recipient of the Boston Obesity and Nutrition Research Center Award for research examining the role of acute vagus nerve stimulation in eating behavior in depressed adults.  In addition, she is recipient of the competitive NIH Health Disparities Loan Repayment Program.  She was a post-doctoral fellow in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Sherry Pagoto from August 2006 - July 2008 and then an Instructor from July 2008 - July 2009. Dr. Bodenlos has reported her work in 19 papers published in peer-review journals.

The Team

Jessica Oleski, MA, Project Director
Phil Merriam, MSPH, Project Director
Susan Foley, BA, Administrative Assistant
Susan Bakke, Research Coordinator/Recruiter/Health Educator
Amanda Harp, MA, Behavior Therapist (Clark University)
Kristin Schneider, Ph.D., Behavior Therapist
Matthew Whited , Ph.D., Behavior therapist
Tasha Mayen, M.Ed., Exercise Physiologist
Sally Gore, MS, Exercise Physiologist
Barbara Olendzki, RD, LDN, MPH, Nutrition Supervisor
Rich Prager, Ph.D., Assessment Clinician
Yunsheng Ma, MD, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
Sybil Crawford, Ph.D., Biostatistician
Ira Ockene, MD, Study Cardiologist