Dr. Doug Mennin has developed an active program of research in clinical trials and basic research into the nature of chronic and recurring bouts of anxiety and mood disorders, particularly worry, stress, and depression. He has examined these problems from a perspective that highlights the importance of one's ability to efficiently process emotional situations when they arise as well as manage resultant moods in effective rather than maladaptive ways. He has conducted numerous studies of the basic psychological and physiological mechanisms of generalized anxiety and depression and has recently been examining the role of worry and rumination in maintaining and exacerbating gastric dysfunction and chronic inflammation. He also regularly conducts psychotherapy outcome and mechanism research. Specifically, he has developed Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT), which is an integrative mind-body psychotherapy that draws from contemporary approaches as well as affect science and neuroscience.  Dr. Mennin’s work on ERT has demonstrated considerable positive outcomes as well as identified a number of cognitive, physiological, and neural mechanisms that may help explain how the therapy is effective.  Along with colleagues at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and in Denmark, he has also recently adapted this approach to treat distressed caregivers of patients with cancer. 

Dr. David M Fresco is Professor of Psychiatry and Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). His program of research adopts an affective neuroscience perspective to conduct basic, translational, and treatment studies of anxiety and mood disorders, particularly distress disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder) incorporating methodologies including functional neuroimaging (fMRI & EEG), peripheral psychophysiology, and serum markers (e.g., inflammation, neurodegeneration). Another facet of Dr. Fresco’s research has focused on the development of treatments informed by affective and contemplative neuroscience findings that incorporate mindfulness meditation and other practices derived from Buddhist mental training exercises.  Increasingly, with collaborators at ISR, Dr. Fresco is working to develop clinical trials for treatment optimization and implementation utilizing adaptive intervention methodology (e.g., sequential multiple assignment randomized trials [SMART] & just-in-time adaptive interventions [JITAIs]). Much of his NIH-funded treatment research has focused on the infusion of mindfulness into Western psychosocial treatments. He has successfully completed several NIH grants and is PI or Co-I on seven currently funded NIH projects examining neurobehavioral mechanisms and efficacy of mindfulness-enriched treatments for chronic illnesses (e.g., hypertension, obesity, perinatal insomnia, incurable vision loss), the burden of cancer caregivers, and the role of emotion regulation strategies in everyday life to reduce distress.