University of Virginia Health System

CSCAT Fellows

Current Postdoctoral Fellows Completed Postdoctoral Fellowships Dilaawar Mistry, MD, CMT Heather K. Vincent, PhD                 Kim Innes, PhD Peggy Wright, PhD Sherry Fox, PhD, RN Terry Selfe, DC Cheryl Bourguignon, PhD, RN Daniel I. Galper, PhD                              Karen D'Huyvetter, ND, MS, MA Debra Lyon, PhD, RN      Current Predoctoral Fellows Completed Predoctoral Fellowships David Brock, MS Virginia Hunkin, AP, LAc, MSOM Brian Irving, BS Randy Jones, MSN, RN Tammy Lowe, MSN, RN Eric McVey, MEd Victoria Menzies, EdM, MSN, PhDc Bernice Mowery, MSN, RN Karen Rose, MSN, RN Diana Taibi, MSN, RN Kathleen M. Boyden, PhD, RN Frances Garrett, MA, PhDc Yu-Shen Lin, PhD, RN   Current Postdoctoral Fellows

Dilaawar (Danny) Mistry, MD, MS, ATC, is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the K-30 program and an assistant professor in the departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Curry School of Education.  He completed his residency training at the University of Virginia Health System—two years in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (June 1995- June 1997) and five years in Internal Medicine (July 1997-June 2002), with three of these years as a research fellow in cardiovascular physiology.

He received his doctor of medicine degree in 1986 from the University of Madras in Madras, India, following which he completed residency training at Breach Candy Hospital in Bombay, India.  Dr. Mistry also holds a master’s degree in exercise science from the University of Massachusetts and is a certified athletic trainer and massage therapist.

From 1989 to 1994, Dr. Mistry served as an athletic trainer, exercise physiologist, and science teacher at the Taft School in Watertown, CT, while completing an ATC internship.  Since 2001 he has been a team physician, an athletic trainer, and a massage therapist for numerous University of Virginia varsity teams. In addition, he has traveled with various men's and women's U.S. national soccer teams representing the U.S. Soccer Federation as an athletic trainer and massage therapist.

Dr. Mistry is a member of the American College of Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine and National Athletic Trainers Association. His current research interests include the effects of various bioelectromagnetic therapeutic modalities on tissue healing.

 

Karen (Kim) E. Innes, MSPH, PhD.  Dr. Innes earned her doctoral degree in Psychology and Behavioral Biology at Cornell University in 1992.  Following the completion of a Master’s in Public Health at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) in 1997, she joined the epidemiology faculty of the UCHSC Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, where she maintains an active appointment. She joined the Nursing School clinical faculty at the University of Virginia in 2001, and recently completed a two-year post-doctoral NIMH fellowship with the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services, and the Rural Mental Health Research Center at the University of Virginia (2001-2003).

Within the past 5 years, Dr. Innes has completed several federally funded studies in cancer, reproductive, and perinatal epidemiology. Her recent research has included studies regarding the fetal and pregnancy-related origins of early onset breast cancer; post-partum outcomes of preeclampsia, the early origins of gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension, childhood abuse and indices of mental health in poor rural women, and the relation of caregiver perceptions of services to child mental health outcomes. 

Dr. Innes’ current clinical research interests lie in holistic, non-invasive interventions that address the dynamic links between mental and physical health, specifically with regard to chronic and pregnancy-related insulin resistance conditions in women. During her CAM fellowship, she plans to conduct a pilot study of the psychological and physiological effects of yoga in a population of non-pregnant, reproductive-aged women.  Her long-term goal is to develop a successful research program on mind-body interactions underlying specific pregnancy complications and related chronic insulin resistance conditions in women, and on the effects of yoga therapies on the physical, biological, and psychological indices of these disorders.

 

Heather K. Vincent, Ph.D. Dr. Vincent earned her B.S. (zoology/exercise science) and M.S. (exercise physiology) from the University of Massachusetts and her Ph.D. (health and human performance/exercise physiology) from the University of Florida. Prior to joining the CSCAT team, Dr. Vincent was an assistant professor at Stetson University, where she taught advanced exercise physiology, human anatomy and physiology, research methods, lab techniques and exercise prescription for special populations. Her research focused on the relationship between exercise responses, oxidative stress and obesity using both animal and human models.

Dr. Vincent is currently examining the effects of short-term antioxidant supplementation (vitamins E, C and b-carotene) on: 1) exercise-induced oxidative stress, 2) cardiovascular disease precursors (inflammatory cytokines, endothelial adhesion molecules and C-reactive protein) and 3) markers of diabetes (glycated hemoglobin, insulin sensitivity) in non-obese and obese younger adults. She plans to pursue a line of research investigating potential protective effects of dietary antioxidants and complementary treatments such as resistance exercise on oxidative stress and disease risk reduction and prevention in the obese population.

   

Peggy Wright, PhD, holds a doctorate in psychology and a master's in clinical nutrition, and is a Registered Dietician.  Her background includes 17 years as a clinical nutritionist in integrative medical settings.  She is a former Associate Professor at Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, where whe mentored students in the area of complementary and alternative therapies; and archetypal, thranspersonal, and somatic psychologies.  She also co-founded and co-directed The Center For Body, Mind, and Spirituality at Lesley University.  Her current research interests include the effects of qigong on the immune system and clinical outcomes in functional medicine, and interactive guided imagery in palliative care.

Completed Postdoctoral Fellowships

Karen D'Huyvetter, ND, MA, was previously the interim Director of Research at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Dr. D’Huyvetter completed a Master's degree in Health Evaluation Sciences, with a concentration in clinical investigation and patient oriented research. As a fellow, her research interests focused on oxidative stress and its role in health and illness.

Daniel I. Galper, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in health psychology, behavioral medicine, and applied psychophysiology. Dan has broad research interests in mind-body interactions in health and disease. He has particular interests in the neurophysiology of hypnosis and relaxation, as well as the role of the autonomic nervous system in CAM therapies.

Cheryl Bourguignon, PhD, RN, is a faculty member of the School of Nursing and is currently researching symptom patterns and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis.

Debra Lyon, PhD, RN, is a faculty member of the School of Nursing and is currently researching complementary modalities for reducing depression in women with breast cancer.

Predoctoral Fellows

David W. Brock, MS, holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology. During his education he has been fascinated by the enormous impact that exercise and nutrition have in preventing or ameliorating the most devastating disease conditions today: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and immunological disorders--to name a few. Exercise and proper nutrition are of central importance in the battle of society's modifiable pathologies. David's training and research efforts (past and future) have largely been composed of the three macronutrients and how they are altered during exercise and disease states.

Virginia (Ginger) Hunkin, AP, LAc, MSOM, is a predoctoral fellow at CSCAT. Her background in Oriental Medicine includes training in both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Medicine, having recently completed post graduate certification in Japanese Toyohari. In addition to a private practice, she was the Assistant Dean of Academics at one of the top three Oriental Medical colleges in the United States, the Texas College of Traditional Medicine in Austin, Texas. Her research interests include: Oriental Medical research methodologies, using high frequency with TCM/ TJM and the nature of Qi.

Brian Irving, BS, is doctoral student in exercise physiology in the Curry School of Education. His current research interests are the impact of dietary calcium supplementation and exercise intensity on visceral adipose tissue stores, insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, and other markers of the metabolic syndrome.  Brian Irving’s expertise lies in the field of exercise physiology, specifically in regards to exercise testing and evaluation. His research and academic training presently are focused on exercise endocrinology and the prevention of metabolic diseases that result from a typical Western lifestyle.

Victoria Menzies, EdM, MSN, PhD (c), will graduate May 2004 from the University of Virginia School of Nursing doctoral program.  Her dissertation is titled “Effects of Guided Imagery on Outcomes of Pain, Functional Status, and Self-Efficacy in Persons Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.”  She has worked with Dr. Ann Gill Taylor and CSCAT as a research and teaching assistant since 1998.  Victoria has been active in the Beta Kappa Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International and currently serves as president of the chapter.  Additionally, she has served as a research assistant for the American Pain Society in the development of new Fibromyalgia Pain Guidelines and the updating of current Cancer Pain Guidelines.

Post-doctorally, Victoria plans to continue her contributions to nursing scholarship through teaching, research and service as faculty member in a school of nursing affiliated with a major teaching hospital.  Her research will continue to focus on exploring the effects of mind/body modalities, including guided imagery and music, for pain and other symptom management in the chronically ill.

Randy A. Jones, MSN, RN, is currently a full-time doctoral student in the School of Nursing and pre-doctoral trainee in the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies. He holds a master’s degree in psychiatric mental health nursing. He is active in the African American community and has research interests in healthcare disparities among minority populations. His current research relates to CAM use among African American males who have prostate cancer.

Bernice D. Mowery, MSN, RN, CPNP, is a predoctoral student. She received an NRSA grant to study the effects of physiotones on postoperative pain in adolescents after spinal fusion. She has been an enthusiastic advocate for pain management in children and has taught many nurses and residents about effective acute pain management. Bernice spent October 2002-2003 in Zurich, Switzerland, learning more about the use of physiotacoustics/physiotones and taking electives at the University of Zurich. She is also participating in reviews of published research for the development of the Fibromyalgia Pain Guidelines.

 

Diana M. Taibi, MSN, RN,  a predoctoral fellow, has worked for several years as a graduate student with Cheryl Bourguignon investigating symptom patterns in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). She is interested in the potential use of CAM modalities for reducing pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances in persons with RA. Diana is currently planning research to investigate the effects of valerian root on improving the sleep of persons with RA.

Completed Predoctoral Fellowships

Frances Garrett, MA, PhDc, is a doctoral student in the University of Virginia's Tibetan studies program, part of the Department of Religious Studies. Her dissertation investigates the origins of the human body in Tibetan literature of the eleventh through fifteenth centuries. Using literary representations of the body during embryonic development to emphasize the ready exchange of scholarly discourse across Tibetan literary genres, her research demonstrates the complex intertwining of religious and philosophical scholasticism with medical theoretical structures. For several years, Frances has also been instrumental in both planning and implementing large-scale interdisciplinary projects focused on developing new pedagogical strategies that use technology. A project currently in development through CSCAT is aimed at creating a multimedia research and teaching tool for Tibetan medicine that places medical systems in the context of religious, historical, environmental and other settings. This project has involved four consecutive summers of fieldwork in Tibet working with an international, interdisciplinary team of historians, medical scholars, and health care professionals in the U.S. and in Tibet. (See http://iris.lib.virginia.edu/tibet/collections/medicine/index.html).

Kathleen Boyden, PhD, RN, completed her CSCAT fellowship in May 2003, successfully defending her dissertation "Impact of Personality Characteristics on Pain and Functional Status in Fibromyalgia."  The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which personality characteristics, including affect, absorption, and social desirability, mediate pain relief and functional improvement as a result of static magnetic therapy to treat fibromyalgia.

Yu-Shen Lin, PhD, RN, completed her fellowship with the CSCAT in 1998.  Her dissertation was entitled "Effects of Therapeutic Touch in Reducing Pain and Anxiety in an Elderly Population." Yu-Shin is currently a clinical research analyst for DynCorp Healthcare Information and Tehnology Services in Rockville, Maryland.