“K Club”

CHOIR hosts a “K club” supported by K24AT011760 (PI: Vranceanu) funded by the NIH/NCCIH. Currently, the “K club” includes 16 junior investigator mentees from various disciplines from MGH and nationally, who are either K awardees or in the process of preparing or submitting K awards. The group meets weekly Fridays between 12-1pm via zoom. The group is co-led by Drs. Ana-Maria Vranceanu and Jonathan Greenberg.

The mission of the K club is to provide junior investigator mentees the resources needed to develop and execute successful NIH K awards and transition to R level grants. Participants have the opportunity to give and receive feedback on K specific materials (e.g., aims, budget), and engage in conversations around navigating conversations with Program Officers, developing and working with a mentoring team, developing research questions grounded in theoretical models, navigating research challenges such as recruitment and retention, and expending one’s research portfolio to build a successful career in a soft money environment. Mentees also provide and receive invaluable peer support and “lessons learned” as they transition from applying to executing a K award.

Leadership

Dr. Ana-Maria Vranceanu, PhD

Title: David T. Rovee, PhD and Joanne V. Rovee Endowed Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School; Founding Director, Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR), Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
CHOIR Role: Founding Director
Research Interests: Developing, optimizing, testing, and implementing technology enhanced mind-body and lifestyle interventions for patients, caregivers, and dyads across the continuum from health to illness and across the lifespan; building interdisciplinary collaborations; research methods across the NIH stage model
Clinical Interests: mind-body and lifestyle interventions
Publications: | Harvard Catalyst | PubMed | Google Scholar | ResearchGate |
Twitter: @drAMVranceanu
Dr. Jonathan Greenberg, PhD, "KClub" Co-leader

Position: Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School; Research Staff Psychologist, MGH
Area of Research: Developing mind-body interventions for various clinical populations, with an emphasis on chronic pain and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
K Title: Live video mind-body treatment to prevent chronic mTBI
K Status: Enrollment complete, Year 5
Other Grants: R01AT012069 (NCCIH; Multiple Principal Investigator); 1R61NS129048-01 (NIA; Co-Investigator); Cystic Fibrosis Foundation grant (Co-Investigator)

K Club Members

Dr. Jafar Bakhshaie, MD, PhD

Position: Assistant Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital | Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Health disparities in medical illness, pain, and comorbid substance use
K Title: Web-based mind-body treatment to enhance resilience among patients with painful nontraumatic upper extremity conditions and comorbid risky substance use
K Status: Active, Year 2
Dr. Sarah Bannon, PhD

Position: Assistant Professor; Staff Psychologist; Departments of Rehabilitation (primary), Neurology (secondary), and Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine (secondary); Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Area of Research: Dyadic interventions for neurological conditions (TBI, stroke, dementia); Qualitative research methods
K Title: Resilient Together for Dementia: Developing a live video resiliency intervention for persons with dementia and their care-partners early after diagnosis
K Status: Awarded July 2022
Dr. Katie Canenguez, PhD

Position: Associate Director, Hispanic Psychiatry Clinic, Pediatric Behavioral Health Psychologist at MGH Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry Service and MassGeneral Hospital for Children. Clinical Researcher, Harvard / MGH Center on Genomics, Vulnerable Populations, and Health Disparities, Mongan Institute Health Policy Center
Area of Research: disparities and equity, Hispanic/Latino family mental health and wellbeing
K Status: Collecting pilot data
Other Grants: Clinician Teacher Development Award (CTDA), Inaugural Henry Health Equity Scholar Fellow
Dr. Christy Cauley, MD PhD

Position: Assistant Professor Harvard Medical School and MGH Colorectal Surgeon
Area of Research: Improving quality of life outcomes after surgical care for aging and seriously ill adults and their care partners through interventions that support high quality communication and psychosocial well-being.
K Title: Improving Biopsychosocial Outcomes of Older Adults Facing Fecal Ostomy Surgery
K Status: first submission October 2021 (scored, not funded), submitted Feb 2023. K76 submitted October 2023 (scored, awaiting response)
Other Grants: Kornfeld Scholars Award recipient 2022 from the National Palliative Care Research Collaborative, KL2/CMERIT Award recipient 2022
Dr. Stephanie DiFiglia, PhD

Position: Clinical Outcomes Researcher, MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care; Research Assistant Professor of Family and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Area of Research: Health services research; mental and physical health among underserved, chronically ill, and aging populations; palliative and hospice care; mind-body interventions; alleviating disease burden among caregivers
K Title: Cultural Adaptation of a Mindfulness Intervention for Hispanic and Latinx (H&L) Dementia Family Caregivers
K Status: Scored 29
Dr. Natalia Giraldo-Santiago, PhD, LCSW

Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: cultural and linguistic tailoring of mind-body interventions for Hispanic and Latinos
K Title: Developing a caregiver-assisted mind-body intervention for Spanish-speaking adults with mild cognitive impairment and early dementia: The GetActive-Together study
K Status: In preparation
Other Grants: RCMAR 2024-25 fellowship, NIH Loan Repayment Grant (2024-2026) under review
Dr. Jeni Green, PhD

Position: Assistant Professor, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University
Area of Research: mind-body interventions, digital health, health disparities, women’s health
K Title: Culturally tailoring a mindfulness meditation mobile app to reduce psychological distress in African American adults
K Status: Score 26
Dr. Victoria Grunberg, PhD

Position: Member of the Faculty, Harvard Medical School; Staff Psychologist, Massachusetts General Hospital
Area of Research: Family adjustment to stressful reproductive life events, psychosocial interventions for critical care settings
K Title: Resilient Families (R-FAM): A dyadic resiliency intervention for parents with babies in neonatal intensive care
K Status: Active, Year 2
Dr. Julia Hooker, PhD

Position: T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in Clinical Psychology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Mind-body interventions for chronic pain with a focus on chronic pain care in the Emergency Department
K Title: Toolkit for Optimal Pain Management in the Emergency Department: A mind-body intervention for pain catastrophizing and pain anxiety among individuals with chronic pain in the Emergency Department.
K Status: Under Review
Other Grants: NIA T32 Fellow (2023-Present)
Dr. Kate Jochimsen, PhD, ATC

Position: Researcher, Member of the Faculty, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Psychologically informed rehabilitation, human movement analysis and movement re-training, chronic hip pain
K Title: Development and feasibility of a mind-body intervention to improve physical activity for patients with chronic hip pain
K Status: Funded (active) 02/15/23 to 01/31/28 (award K23AT011922)
Dr. Katherine Koh, MD MSC

DR. KATHERINE KOH, MD MSC
Position: Staff Psychiatrist, Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program; Instructor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Homelessness, trauma, and mental illness
K Title: Preventing Homelessness in Transitioning Service Members with Mental Illness
K Status: In preparation
Dr. Lisa Larowe, PhD

Position: Instructor in Investigation, Division of Palliative Care & Geriatric Medicine and Mongan Institute Center for Aging and Serious Illness, Massachusetts General Hospital; Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Chronic pain, health behavior change, and healthy aging
K Title: Development of a Tailored Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Protocol for Older Adults with Chronic Pain
K Status: Scored 25 at first submission; resubmitting in July 2024
Other grants: US Deprescribing Network (NIA R24AG064025) Pilot Grant
Dr. Ryan Mace, PhD

Position: Staff Psychologist, Assistant Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Healthy aging, dementia prevention, behavior change, digital health, mind-body and lifestyle intervention development, statistics
K Title: My Healthy Brain: a mindfulness-based lifestyle intervention to modify early risk of dementia in older adults
K Status: Active, Year 2
Other Grants: David Borsook Pilot Grant (2022-2023), Osher Research Pilot Grant (2020-2021)
Dr. Kate McDermott, PhD

Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in Clinical Psychology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Mind-body and digital health interventions for chronic pain with a focus on exposure-based techniques
K Title: Development of a self-directed writing intervention for chronic pain and anxiety
K Status: Active, Year 1
Dr. Rose Olson, MD

Position: Associate Physician in the Division of Global Health Equity, Associate Scientist in the Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Gender and racial health equity; Improving the health-system response to gender-based violence; Developing trauma-informed interventions for women with chronic pain
K Title: Developing a Trauma-Informed Mind-Body Intervention for Women with Chronic Pain Conditions
K Status: In preparation
Dr. Joanna Paladino, MD

Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital | Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Patient-clinician communication; serious illness, aging, and dementia research; implementation science
K Title: Designing, Refining, and Testing a Diagnostic Disclosure Communication Intervention in Dementia Care
K Status: In preparation
Dr. Tony V Pham, MD, MScGH

Position: Assistant Professor, MGH, HMS
Area of Research: mind-body interventions, chronic pain, dementia, health disparities
K Title: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for the chronic pain-depression co-morbidity among older Blacks in the community; The Quiet Focus study
K Status: Active, Year 2
Other Grants: The Ki Sub Joung Innovative Junior Faculty Pilot Award in Aging and Palliative Care, National Institute of Aging Resource Center for Minority Aging Research Scholar Award (P30AG083196), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Harvard Catalyst Pilot Award (UM1TR004408)
Dr. Evan Plys, PhD

Position: Psychologist, Member of the Faculty, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Dyadic psychological intervention with socioeconomically disadvantaged older adult patients and their care partners in skilled nursing facilities
K Title: Building Resilience In SKilled nursing facilities (BRISK): Development and Pilot Testing of a Dyadic Intervention for Psychological Distress in Post-Acute Skilled Nursing Care
K Status: Active, Year 1
Dr. Alexander Mattia Presciutti, PhD, MSCS

Position: Member of the Faculty, Harvard Medical School; Staff Psychologist, Massachusetts General Hospital
Area of Research: Building resilience in critically ill patients and their families
K Title: Recovering Together after Cardiac Arrest: A dyadic mind-body intervention for cardiac arrest survivors and their informal caregivers
K Status: Active, Year 1
Other Grants: Other Grants: RCMAR Scholar (2024-2025), Neurocritical Care Society INCLINE Grant (2024), NIH Loan Repayment Grant (2023-2025), NIA T32 Fellow (2023), NCATS TL1 Fellow (2019-2020)
Dr. Christina Rush, PhD

Position: Instructor, Harvard Medical School, Staff Psychologist; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
Area of Research: interventions to support resiliency and quality of life, the intersection of mind-body medicine, religion and spirituality, and health and well-being

K Title: Resilient Together-ALS (RT-ALS)

K Status: Under Review
Other Grants: National Palliative Care Research Center Kornfeld Scholar 2023-2025, The ALS Association Research Seed Grant
Dr. Altaf Saadi, MD, MSC

Position: Assistant Professor of Neurology
Area of Research: Immigrant health, forcibly displaced populations, neurology, cognitive impairment
K Title: A Culturally-Adapted, Trauma-Informed Cognitive Rehabilitation Intervention for Asylum-Seekers and Refugees with Traumatic Brain Injury (NINDS)
K Status: Ongoing
Other Grants: R21 (NIMHD), American Academy of Neurology, National Science Foundation, Russel Sage Foundation, MGH institutional grants
Dr. Michael P. Williams, PhD

Position: T32 Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Digital health, problematic social media use, population health, mindfulness and lifestyle intervention development, biostatistics
K Title: Developing a Just in Time Digital Mindfulness Intervention to Reduce Anxiety among Emerging Adults with Problematic Social Media Us
K Status: In Development
Other Grants: In Development
Dr. Brandon Yates, PhD, CSCS

Position: Researcher at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hosptial, Harvard Medical School
Area of Research: Exercise physiology, gut-muscle-brain crosstalk, critical care survivorship, and aging
K Title: Neurovascular contributions to post-ICU cognitive and mental health in Older adults
K Status: Funded