Mind-Body Medicine Faculty

Elizabeth Bigham, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist with interests in the psychophysiological mechanisms of pain, health and chronic medical conditions and assessment psychological and physiological factors in autonomic regulation. As a faculty member at California State University San Marcos, Dr. Bigham teaches senior applied research courses, supervises independent student research, and serves on the university curriculum committee and academic senate. She has an extensive background in research ethics, is an active member of the CSUSM Institutional Review Board, and chairs the University Outreach Task Force for the Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback."

Mary Kay Chess, PhD, is a seasoned entrepreneur and an intrapreneur within healthcare and an executive coach and consultant for individuals, making a difference in the delivery of care in communities and neighborhoods. Mary Kay is also a faculty member at Bainbridge Graduate Institute focusing on the learning and experience involved in personal development within leadership and team environments. She is particularly fascinated with the complex dance of life between the bluffs and beaches of Whidbey Island and the understanding this provides us in our dance of life, reflection and integration. "

Connie S. Corley, MSW, MA, PH.D., is Professor, Doctoral Program in Human and Organizational Development at Fielding Graduate University and a Professor in the School of Social Work/Associate Director of Life-long Learning Institute (Applied Gerontology Institute) at California State University, Los Angeles. She has an extensive background in interdisciplinary education and research, and completed a certification program from the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr. Corley is now a Co-Principal Investigator of "Forgiveness, Resiliency and Survivorship among Holocaust Survivors" (Principal Investigator: Dr. Roberta Greene, University of Texas , Austin) funded by the John Templeton Foundation. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). Dr. Corley co-hosts the ?Experience Talks? show on Pacifica station KPFK-FM."

Marie DiCowden received her degree in Clinical Psychology from the George Washington University.
Dr. DiCowden is a clinical healthcare psychologist and a behavioral medicine specialist. She writes extensively on issues of disability, health care, and health policy. She is an advocate on the need for patient care and health care reform.

Sharada Gwen Gibbs-Wade brings an interdisciplinary background and approach to her 35 years experience as an Applied Behavioral Scientist. Dr. Gibbs-Wade's career as a consultant in organizational systems, professor, licensed psychologist, and researcher has taken her to work, research, and study in Africa, Canada, Caribbean, England, India, Mexico, Switzerland, and Trinidad.Transformative Leadership, Action Research and Complex System Change, Cross Cultural Research Methodology and Curriculum Development, Multi-Media and Arts from an Interdisciplinary Perspective, Global Sustainability in Education, Spiritual Traditions, Business, and Social Justice are her major areas of focus. Collectively, they speak to her core passion in life: sustained awareness and action to transform individuals and organizations human consciousness valuing their highest nature. She believes we can take actions to choose equality and search for the truth, in our daily lives and in our work here on earth. Current and past projects contributing to this life theme include: Online Course for Global Women in Leadership and Transformation, Documentary on Organizational Systems and Slave Labor in Third World Countries [in progress], Short film on African Art, Transformative Learning, Cross Cultural Comparative Literature- research and book on Global Leadership and Spirit in Toni Morrison, and Wingari Maathai. She has presented at conferences and panels on topics of Leadership and Learning Organizations, Trinidad; Cross Cultural Research, Africa; Black Women in Academy, MIT; Spirituality and Organization Transformation/East-West Traditions, GIC; Public TV on Suicide and Stress in Blacks; and, Border Films, cultural and systems conflicts, UCB. Dr. Gibbs-Wade is Past Chairperson of the Board of Directors for NTL, Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, and Bay Area Association of Black Psychologists"

Jerrol Kimmel, RN, MA. Mentor for the Mind-Body Medicine MS students. Jerrol began her career in community mental health and the healing arts in 1975 with a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley. In 1983 she completed a nursing program to integrate Western Medicine with holistic practices. She received her Master's degree in Integrative Health Studies in San Francisco, CA. She is a faculty member of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine's professional training programs and is part of their Global Trauma Relief Team, and has maintained a private practice since 1980 integrating massage therapy, mind-body techniques and other holistic modalities in assisting her clients in attaining physical, emotional and spiritual health. She currently practices in collaboration with Dr. Ricki Pollycove, a board certified OB/GYN offering an integrative approach for women's health and healthy aging at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

Leila Kozak, PhD, is the Director of International Collaborations and Research at Collinge and Associates. Leila received a Research Scholar Award from the American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine in 2010. She is currently the Chair for the American Chapter of ?Palliativos Sin Fronteras? (Palliative Care Without Borders), a Research Associate at the University Of Washington School Of Public Health and Community Medicine and a Post-Doctoral Fellow evaluating complementary & integrative medicine at the VA Health System in Seattle, WA, where she is carrying out a feasibility study of the ?Touch, Caring & Cancer Program? (www.partnersinhealing.net). Leila?s research experience and interests include the study of intentionality in healing, patient-centered and relationship-centered care and the integration of evidence-based complementary medicine into palliative, end of life and geriatric care.

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Lisa Mastain, PhD, directs the mentoring program for Mind-Body Medicine students, oversees online learning practices for the College, and is an instructor for the Health and Wellness Coaching course and the Imagery for Health course. Lisa earned a PhD in Psychology with a concentration in Consciousness and Spirituality from Saybrook in 2007. She has been a personal, professional and academic life coach since 1998, and is on the faculty in the Masters of Psychology program at the University of Phoenix. Dr. Mastain also serves as an adjunct faculty member and thesis chair at Adler Graduate School, where she teaches Research and Social Interest courses. Dr. Mastain has published research on the lived experience of altruism and helping behavior, and has substantial experience designing and facilitating online courses.

Nicol Moreland-Torres, PhD, earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate coursework in biology, statistics, theory in science, women in science studies, learning and memory and research methods and statistics. During her time in academia Dr. Moreland also guest lectured at a number of different universities. Prior to her current position for the Bernalillo County Youth Services Center in New Mexico (BCYSC) as the Research and Statistics Coordinator, in addition to her lecture work, she ran her own psychobiology lab securing National Institute of Health grant monies. In addition to her academic achievements, Dr. Moreland was a NASA mentor who was recognized for mentoring more minority women in math and science than any other mentor in her field.""

Dr. Sal Núñez currently practices as an educator, researcher, consultant and clinician in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interests lie in cultural clinical practice, indigenous medicine, neuropsychology, chemical dependence, pediatric health, and ceremonial drumming as a treatment modality.

Over the course of a decade, Sal developed a therapeutic protocol that integrates ceremony, drumming, indigenous medicine and psychological principles. He continues investigating the curative properties and history of specific percussive patterns, songs and rhythms. Inspired to advance instruction and research in this specialized discipline, he founded the Healthy Drumming Institute® and several years ago began training clinicians and youth in traditional healing arts.

Charles "Chuck" Piazza, PhD, is a university professor-mentor, social philosopher, and ethicist, Chuck employs a holistic perspective to critically examine the behavior of contemporary sociotechnical organizational systems and the human dynamics and work environments related to them. Over the past 18 years he has taught professionals from the East and West, as well as from many of the major Silicon Valley corporations. Research interests include socially responsible leadership, sustainable information and communication systems, and organizational cultures that foster work-life balance."

Lynda Richtsmeier Cyr, PhD, LP, is a Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics for the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, and Faculty Member for The Center for Mind Body Medicine (CMBM). Lynda is a founder and leader of The Pediatric Integrative Medicine Program, Childrens Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota. Lynda also maintains a private practice where she incorporates mind-body medicine into her holistic psychotherapy practice with children, adolescents and adults. Lynda facilitates regular mind-body skills groups and consults to agencies and schools in the area of mind-body medicine, health and wellness. Lynda has taught locally and nationally in the area of pediatric self-regulation, biofeedback, hypnosis

Beverly Rubik, PhD, is director of the Institute for Frontier Science, Beverly served as one of the original NIH panelists who first acknowledged the value of complementary medicine and has been at the forefront of that research for decades. She has received academic, government, and foundation grants to pursue high quality research on effective mind-body treatments

Fredric Shaffer, PhD, is author of Biofeedback Tutor (an educational CD on biofeedback), and chair-elect of the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America, Fred teaches the Psychophysiology class and the Biofeedback training classes. He is also Professor of Psychology at Truman State University and has trained over 425 undergraduate researchers in Truman?s Applied Psychophysiology Lab. His research centers on heart rate variability, pain, and respiration, and he is co-author, with Donald Moss, of a new book to be published in Poland, The Primer of Biofeedback.

Julie K. Staples, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Cell and Molecular Biology at St. Louis University. She is the Research Director at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on the effectiveness of mind-body modalities with an emphasis on war-related posttraumatic stress. Specific research projects include a randomized controlled study with high school students in Kosovo; studies using mind-body skills with adults and children in Gaza; and a randomized controlled study being done in collaboration with the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System using mind-body skills with veterans and active duty military personnel. Dr. Staples is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University School of Medicine where she teaches a course in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine graduate program. She obtained her Kundalini yoga teacher certification in 1996 and taught several weekly yoga classes until 2004. She now presents workshops for healthcare professionals and teaches in Kundalini Yoga teacher training programs. She is also the Board President of the Guru Ram Das Center for Medicine and Humanology, a non-profit organization in New Mexico which provides health education and professional training on the use of yoga and meditation for people with chronic illness.

Eric Willmarth, Ph.D. is president of Michigan Behavioral Consultants, P.C., a group practice specializing in pain management and behavioral medicine. He is currently the president of the Michigan Society of Clinical Hypnosis and past-president of the Michigan Society of Behavioral Medicine and Biofeedback. He is an Approved Consultant of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and BCIA certified in biofeedback. He has been married to his wife Carol for over 30 years and has two sons, Dr. Kevin Willmarth, a psychologist in Ohio, and Alex, who also plans a career in psychology. A former music major, Eric plays multiple instruments, sings and in general, enjoys the music of life.

Patricia Wolskee, PhD, is an instructor for the Health Psychology course. Patricia has published extensive research on treating and assessing chronic pain. She has a long-standing interest in alternative medicine beginning with a Post Doctoral Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health dealing with the use of hypnosis for pediatric spinal cord fluid withdrawal in young cancer patients. She then moved on to work with the Dept of Anesthesia at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey where acupuncture for chronic pain was a standard treatment She then worked at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical Institute where she was involved with the use of meditation, relaxation and hypnosis for the treatment of chronic pain.In addition she is researching the establishment of the side effects from Hepatitis C standard treatment, then potentially utilizing alternative methods for the treatment of those potential side effects. Her last position was as faculty at Capella University originally introducing alternative medicine to their curriculum. ""