(o) 410 455-2374
(f) 410 455-1055
e-mail: waldstei@umbc.edu

Shari R. Waldstein received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh with specialty training in cardiovascular behavioral medicine. She completed her clinical internship (specializing in neuropsychology and behavioral medicine) at Brown University. Dr. Waldstein is presently Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Behavioral Medicine graduate program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC); Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine; and Affiliated Research Scientist for the Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC).

Dr. Waldstein is recipient of an Early Career Award from the American Psychosomatic Society, and an Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology (Early Career) Award from Division 38 of the American Psychological Association (APA). She is an Associate Editor for the journal Health Psychology. Dr. Waldstein is a member of the American Psychosomatic Society's (APS) Executive Council, and serves as Member-at-Large for Division 38 (Health Psychology) of the APA. She also recently completed a term on the Society of Behavioral Medicine's Board of Directors serving as Chair of the Education and Training Council. Dr. Waldstein is a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and is also a member of the APA's Divisions 38 and 40, the APS, the International Neuropsychological Society, the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and the Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Dr. Waldstein's grant-funded (NIH, DuPont) research program in cardiovascular behavioral medicine combines conceptual and methodological approaches from behavioral medicine, biomedicine, neuropsychology, and psychophysiology. Her first area of collaborative investigation examines the impact of hypertension, cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., lipids, insulin, cardiovascular reactivity), and cardiovascular disease (e.g., peripheral arterial disease (PAD), stroke) on cognitive function and quality of life among older adults. This research also examines central nervous system mechanisms linking hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors (and PAD) to cognitive dysfunction using magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography, and single-photon emission computed tomography. Her collaborators on these projects include Leslie Katzel, M.D., Ph.D., Eliot Siegel, M.D., Lawrence Holder, M.D., David Lefkowitz, M.D., Abraham Obuchowski, M.D., Andrew Gardner, Ph.D., Bruce Line, M.D. and many others.

Dr. Waldstein's second area of investigation involves the study of individual differences in the magnitude and patterning of acute cardiovascular responses to mental stress. Exaggerated stress-induced cardiovascular reactivity may play a role in hypertension and coronary heart disease pathogenesis. In her impedance cardiography lab at UMBC, the research team examines a variety of predictors of cardiovascular response patterning in healthy young adults such as gender, race, dispositional hostility, cognitive appraisal, serum insulin levels, and posture (seated versus standing). Two exciting collaborative studies have also examined concomitant cerebral and cardiovascular activation during mental stress.

Dr. Waldstein's collaborative work with Dr. Leslie Katzel at the Baltimore VAMC evaluates the relation of cardiovascular reactivity to clinical endpoints such as silent myocardial ischemia, the metabolic syndrome, and cerebrovascular disease in older adults. The research team has also examined the impact of aerobic exercise on cardiovascular health and psychosocial outcomes among individuals with silent myocardial ischemia.

Dr. Waldstein teaches the following graduate courses: Introduction to Behavioral Medicine; Topics in Behavioral Medicine; Clinical Interventions in Behavioral Medicine; Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine; and Medical Neuropsychology.

Recent Graduates:

Serina Neumann, Ph.D.
Joseph Snow, Ph.D.
Anne Solomon, Ph.D.

Current Graduate Students:

Denise Cooper, B.A.
Karen Gibbs, B.A.
Paul Giggey, M.A.
Layne Goble, M.A.
Karl Maier, M.A.
Jessica Pelletier, B.A.
Carol Tankard, M.A.

Select Publications:

Waldstein, S.R., Ryan, C.M., Manuck, S.B., Parkinson, D.K., & Bromet, E.J. (1991). Learning and memory function in men with untreated blood pressure elevation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 513-517.

Waldstein, S.R., Manuck, S.B., Ryan, C.M., & Muldoon, M.F. (1991). Neuropsychological correlates of hypertension: Review and methodologic considerations. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 451-468.

Waldstein, S.R., Polefrone, J.M., Bachen, E.A., Muldoon, M.F., Kaplan, J.R., & Manuck, S.B. (1993). Relationship of cardiovascular reactivity and anger expression to serum lipid concentrations in healthy young men. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 37, 249-256.

Waldstein, S.R., Ryan, C.M., Polefrone, J.M. & Manuck, S.B. (1994). Neuropsychological performance of young men who vary in familial risk for hypertension. Psychosomatic Medicine, 56, 449-456.

Waldstein, S.R. (1995). Hypertension and neuropsychological function: A lifespan perspective. Experimental Aging Research, 21, 321-352.

Muldoon, M.F., Waldstein, S.R., & Jennings, J.R. (1995). Neuropsychological consequences of antihypertensive medications. Experimental Aging Research, 21, 353-368.

Waldstein, S.R., Jennings, J.R., Ryan, C.M., Muldoon, M.F., Shapiro, A.P., Polefrone, J.M., Fazzari, T.V., & Manuck, S.B. (1996). Hypertension and neuropsychological performance in men: Interactive effects of age. Health Psychology, 15, 102-109.

Waldstein, S.R., Bachen, E.A., & Manuck, S.B. (1997). Active coping and cardiovascular reactivity: A multiplicity of influences. Psychosomatic Medicine, 59, 620-625.

Waldstein, S.R., Neumann, S.A., & Merrill, J.A. (1998). Postural effects on hemodynamic response to interpersonal interaction. Biological Psychology, 48, 57-67.

Waldstein, S.R., Neumann, S.A., Burns, H.O., & Maier, K.J. (1998). Role-played interpersonal interaction: Ecological validity and cardiovascular reactivity. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 20, 302-309.

Waldstein, S.R., Snow, J., & Muldoon, M.F. (1998). Applications of neuropsychological assessment to the study of cardiovascular disease. In D.S. Krantz & A. Baum (Eds.), Perspectives in behavioral medicine: Technology and methods in behavioral medicine (pp. 69-94). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Waldstein, S.R., Burns, H.O., Toth, M.J. & Poehlman, E.T. (1999). Cardiovascular reactivity and central adiposity in older African-Americans. Health Psychology, 18, 221-228.

Waldstein, S.R. (2000). Health effects on cognitive aging. In P.C. Stern & L.L. Carstensen (Eds.), The Aging Mind: Opportunities in Cognitive Research (pp. 189-217). Committee on Future Directions for Cognitive Research on Aging. Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Waldstein, S.R., Kop, W.J., Schmidt, L.A., Haufler, A.J., Krantz, D.S., & Fox, N.A. (2000). Frontal electrocortical and cardiovascular reactivity during happiness and anger. Biological Psychology, 55, 3-23.

Waldstein, S.R., & Elias, M.F. (Eds.) (2001). Neuropsychology of cardiovascular disease. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Waldstein, S.R., Snow, J., Muldoon, M.F. & Katzel, L.I. (2001). Neuropsychological consequences of cardiovascular disease. In R.E. Tarter, M. Butters, & S.R. Beers (Eds.), Medical neuropsychology (2nd ed.) (pp. 51-83). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Neumann, S.A., & Waldstein, S.R. (2001). Similar patterns of cardiovascular response during emotional activation as a function of affective valence and arousal and gender. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 50, 245-253.

Izquierdo-Porrera, A.M., & Waldstein, S.R. (2002). Cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive function in African-Americans. The Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 57, P377-P380.

Waldstein, S.R., Kauhanen, J., Neumann, S.A., & Katzel, L.I. (in press). Alexithymia and cardiovascular risk in older adults: Psychosocial, psychophysiological, and biomedical correlates. Psychology and Health.

Tankard, C.F., Waldstein, S.R., Siegel, E.L., Holder, L.E., Lefkowitz, D., Anstett, F., & Katzel, L.I. (in press). Cerebral blood flow and anxiety in older men: an analysis of anterior asymmetry and prefrontal regions. Brain and Cognition.

Hagemann, D., Waldstein, S.R., & Thayer, J.F. (in press). Central and autonomic nervous system integration in emotion. Brain and Cognition.

Muldoon, M.F., Waldstein, S.R., Ryan, C.M., Jennings, J.R., Polefrone, J.M., Shapiro, A.P., & Manuck, S.B. (in press). Effects of six antihypertensive medications on cognitive performance. Journal of Hypertension

Waldstein, S.R., & Burns, H.O. (in press). Interactive relation of insulin and gender to cardiovascular reactivity in healthy young adults. Annals of Behavioral Medicine.