S.T.A.R.T Lab
Stress, Trauma, Anxiety Research & Treatment
University of Missouri- St. Louis, Department of Psychological Sciences
UMSL
People
Lab Prinicipal Investigator
Dr. Steven Bruce
Professor of Psychological Sciences
Center for Trauma Recovery, Director
Director of Clinical Training
Current Graduate Students:
Marissa Yetter (on internship)
Dissertation: An Examination of Avoidance Symptoms of PTSD
Thesis: Inhibitory Control and Functional Connectivity in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Marissa grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and received her BA in Psychology from Grinnell College. After graduating, she moved to Washington DC to work as a post baccalaureate IRTA at the NIH. Marissa is interested in studying mechanisms of treatment in PTSD and risk factors for the development of PTSD. In her free time, Marissa loves to travel, be outdoors, and explore St. Louis.
Taryn Fitzgerald (on internship)
Dissertation: Network Analysis of Socio-Biological Risk Variables Associated with an Increased Pro-Inflammatory State
Thesis: An Examination of the Factor Structure Underlying Chronic Pain and Post Traumatic Stress Within the Fear Avoidance Model
Jillian Heymann (5th year student)
Dissertation: Underlying Mechanisms in the Relationship Between PTSD and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Thesis: The Relationship between Trauma, PTSD and Gastrointestinal Distress
Kathryn Fleddermann (2nd year student)
Thesis: The Relationship Between PTSD symptoms and Suicide in a Cambodian Samplel
Caleb Sanders (1st year student)
Thesis: Alterations in resting state functional connectivity; Examination of DMN, Salience, and Affective Networks
Current Collaborators:
Adam Carrico, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychology
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine,
Director, Division of Prevention Science and Community Health
Nil Ean, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Royal University of Phnom Penh,
Phnom Penh,, Cambodia
Elena Molchanova, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychology
American University of Central Asia (AUCA)
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Rob Paul, Ph.D
Professor of Psychological Sciences
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Director, Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH)
Carissa Phillipi, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences
University of Missouri- St. Louis
Gregory S. Sayuk, MD, MPH, AGAF
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine and Psychiatry
Associate Program Director, GI Training
Washington University School of Medicine
Yvette I. Sheline, M.D.
McLure Professor of Psychiatry, Radiology, Neurology
Director, Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress (CNDS)
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Doctoral Alumni with Dissertation Titles
Sophie Haven (2023)
Treatment Outcome from Cognitive Processing Therapy Examined Three Ways
Anusha Challa (2022)
Trauma and Alcohol/Substance use: The role of Self-Regulation Flexibility
Robert Graziano, Ph.D. (2020)
Network Theory Analysis of PTSD Symptoms of Victims of Interpersonal Violence
Tessa Vuper, Ph.D. (2020)
Neurobiological Mechanisms of Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder: A Brain Network Approach
David Strasshofer, Ph.D. (2019)
Examining the Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Posttraumatic Growth: Pathways to Thriving in the Face of Adversity
Melissa Turkel, Ph.D. (2019)
Understanding Comorbid Depression and PTSD Through Underlying Dimensions
Nick Brown, Ph.D. (2017)
Examining Veterans' Preference for Mental Health Service
Wilson Brown, Ph.D. (2015)
Affectivity, Brain Activation, and Treatment Outcomes in Cognitive Processing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Katherine Buckholz, Ph.D. (2015)
Neural Correlates of Rumination in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Before and After Cognitive Processing Therapy
Emily Hu, Ph.D. (2015)
Cultural Conceptulizations of the Trauma Response: The Role of Fatalism, Locus of Control, and Religiosity
Ellen Koucky, Ph.D. (2013)
The Social Context of PTSD: Interpersonal Trauma and Postraumatic Social Support
Desiree Sutherland, Ph.D. (2012)
Maternal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Parenting Satisfaction, and Child Outcome
Ryan Walsh, Ph.D. (2011)
Decision-making following sexual assault: Reporting decisions and exposure to the criminal justice system
Tristan Robinson, Ph.D. (2010)
Emotional Response Patterns and Emotional Numbing in Trauma Victims
Meghna Patel, Ph.D. (2009)
Why Do We Blame Victims of Sexual Assault?