Professor
Contact Information:
Email: waldstei@umbc.edu
Office: Math/Psychology 329
Phone: 410.455.2374
Fax: 410.455.1055
Lab: Sondheim 509A/B
Phone: 410.455.2848
Website: Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Lab
Education:
Ph.D. – University of Pittsburgh, 1993
Fall 2023 Office Hours:
Area of Study:
Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine; Medical Neuropsychology
Research Interests:
Study of: (a) the relations of cardiovascular risk factors and diseases to neurocognitive function, and examination of underlying brain mechanisms using neuroimaging. (b) biopsychosocial factors in cardiovascular risk and disease; (c) race- and socioeconomic-status-related health disparities in brain, neurocognitive, and cardiovascular outcomes; and (d) individual differences in the magnitude and patterning of acute cardiovascular responses to mental stress.
Courses Taught:
Core I: Biological, Cognitive, and Developmental Bases in Psychology (PSYC 602)
Clinical Neuropsychology (PSYC 646)
Foundations of Behavioral Medicine (PSYC 649)
Advanced Seminar in Human Services Psychology: Medical Neuropsychology (PSYC 645)
Advanced Seminar in Human Services Psychology: Clinical Interventions in Behavioral Medicine (PSYC 695)
Graduate Research and Training Opportunities:
Graduate students in Dr. Waldstein’s lab have varied interests and are encouraged to develop an independent and innovative program of research. Whereas some students choose to focus on cardiovascular behavioral medicine, others specialize in clinical and medical neuropsychology, and others combine both (see links to lab and students for further description).
Undergraduate Research and Training Opportunities:
YES: Undergraduate opportunities available
Undergraduate students assist in our research by engagement in ongoing tasks such as data coding and entry, and literature searches and review. Depending on the requirements of specific projects and students’ background and skills, there may be opportunities to work with research participants and to develop an independent project with existing data.
Graduate Program Affiliation(s):
Human Services Psychology(HSP): Behavioral Medicine & Clinical Psychology
Gerontology
Leadership roles in the Department/College/University:
Director, Behavioral Medicine track of HSP program
Selected Publications:
Beydoun, M.A. Hooten, N., Beydoun, H.A., Weiss, J., Maldonado, A.I., Katzel, L.I., Davatzikos,
C., Gullapalli, R.P., Seliger, S.L., Erus, G., Evans, M.K., Zonderman, A.B., & Waldstein, S.R.
(2023). Plasma neurofilament light and brain volumetric outcomes among middle-aged urban
adults. Neurobiology of Aging 129:28-40.
Waldstein, S.R., Kop, W.J., Suarez, E.C., Lovallo, W.R., & Katzel, L.I. (Eds). (2022). Handbook of Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine. New York: Springer
Gardner, A.W., Montgomery, P.S., Wang, M., Shen, B., Casanegra, A.I., Silva-Palocios, F.,
Ungvari, Z., Yabluchansky, A., Csiszar, A. & Waldstein, S.R. (2021). Cognitive decrement in
older adults with symptomatic peripheral artery disease. Geroscience, 43: 2455-2465.
Leibel D., Shaked D., Beatty Moody, D.L., Liu, H., Weng, N.P., Evans, M.K., Zonderman, A.B., & Waldstein, S.R. (2019). Telomere length and cognitive function: differential patterns across sociodemographic groups. Neuropsychology 34, 186-198
Shaked D., Leibel, D.K., Katzel, L.I., Davatzikos, C., Gullapalli, R.P., Seliger, S.L., Erus, G., Evans, M.K., Zonderman, A.B., & Waldstein, S.R., (2019). Disparities in diffuse cortical white matter integrity between socioeconomic groups. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Jun 12 13:198. doi: 10.3389/ fnhum. 2019.00198
Beatty Moody, D.L., Taylor, A.D., Leibel, D.K., Al’Najjar, E., Katzel, L.I., Davatzikos, C., Gullapalli R., Seliger, S.L., Kouo, T., Erus, G., Evans, M.K., Zonderman, A.B., & Waldstein, S.R. (2019). Lifetime discrimination, racism and subclinical cerebrovascular disease among African Americans. Health Psychology, 38, 63-74.
Waldstein, S.R., Dore, G.A., Davatzikos, C., Katzel, L.I., Gullapalli, R., Seliger, S.L., Kouo, T., Rosenberger, W.R., Erus, G., Evans, M.K., & Zonderman, A.B. (2017). Differential association of socioeconomic status to brain volumes and white matter lesions in African Americans and Whites: the HANDLS SCAN study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 79, 327-335.
Waldstein, S.R., Beatty Moody, D.L., McNeely, J.M., Allen, A.J., Sprung, M.R., Shah, M.T., Al’Najjar, E., Evans, M.K., & Zonderman, A.B. (2016). Relations of Race and poverty status to Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study. BMC Public Health, 16:258, DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-2945-9
Waldstein, S.R. & Elias, M.F. (Eds.) (2015) Neuropsychology of Cardiovascular Disease (2nd Ed.) New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Cooper, D.C., Thayer, J.F., & Waldstein, S.R. (2014). Coping with racism: the impact of prayer on cardiovascular reactivity and post-stress recovery in African American women. Annals of Behavioral Medicine 47, 218-230