Centers of Excellence

Center for Research on Behavioral Health and Human Services Delivery

The Center for Research on Behavioral Health and Human Services Delivery provides opportunities for interdisciplinary interaction and collaboration for faculty concerned with the widely diverse-but often overlapping-issues under the rubrics of health and service delivery. Current research focuses on alcoholism, cancer, depression, social psychological changes among the elderly, sexual aggression, and women's reproductive health issues.

The Center is directed by Paul Roman, Ph.D. Dr. Roman assumed the Directorship of the Center for Behavioral Health & Human Services Delivery in 1986. He also holds the academic rank of Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology.

Center for Family Research

The Center for Family Research promotes the understanding of the family through research conducted by interdisciplinary teams of scientists. Current research at the Center focuses on divorce, parenting, spousal abuse, depression within the marital dyad, parental depression, as well as diabetes, HIV, and sexual communication in families.

For more information visit their web site.

The Center is directed by Gene Brody, Ph.D. Dr. Brody became Director of the Center for Family Research in 1995. He also holds the academic rank of Regents Professor.

Center for Advancing Conservation in Social Context

The ACSC is a new center supported by the IBR. The focus of the Center is t he issue of how to more effectively practice conservation in a context that is unmistakably and inextricably social. This issue has emerged as a dominant unresolved question in conservation and addressing this questions clearly draws on the expertise of behavioral scientists.  Advancing Conservation in a Social Context is devoted to developing interdisciplinary research to examine the complex ecological and social relationships that underpin successful environmental conservation efforts.

For more information visit their web site.

The Center is Directed by Pete Brosius, Ph.D. Dr. Brosius became Director of the ACSC in January, 2007. He holds the academic rank of Professor of Anthropology.

Work Groups

Methods Group

The Methods and Models Group is dedicated to promoting effective social science utilization of structural equation modeling techniques, using LISREL and other specialized software packages. The group seeks to provide a collegial environment in which social science researchers can explore and pursue advanced research topics involving the application of structural equation modeling and related techniques to substantive research issues in the social sciences.

Neuroscience Behavior, and Cognition

This is an interdisciplinary group that studies behavior and/or cognition from a neural systems perspective. The research programs may take a "top down" or a "bottom up" approach. In the former approach, the whole organism is studied to understand underlying mechanisms (i.e., such as basic neural systems or circuits mediating behavior, sensation or cognition), whereas in the latter approach, the focus is on uncovering the larger functional role of a specific gene, neuronal population, or circuit. Areas of interest include sensation and perception, affective disorders, compulsive behavior and cognition. Subjects employed in these experiments range from rodents to capuchin monkeys to humans. Research methods include brain imaging in animals or humans.

The Group is co-directed by Andrea Hohmann, Ph.D. Dr. Hohmann assumed the Directorship of the Neuroscience Behavior, And Cognition Group in 2006. She also holds the academic rank of Assistant Professor of Psychology.

Community, Ethnicity, and Identity In Context Group

This Group is concerned with the impact of macro-level variables of community and ethnicity on the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of identity. The group is also concerned with the impact of various individual level variables, such as acculturation, identification, and the group bases of identity.

The Group is co-directed by Velma Murry, Ph.D., and Jerome Morris, Ph.D. Dr. Murry became Director of the Community, Ethnicity, & Identity Group in Context in 2000. She also holds the academic rank of Professor of Child and Family Development. Dr. Morris joined as co-director in 2005. He also holds the academic rank of Associate Professor of Social Foundations of Education.

Migration Group

The working group on International Migration provides an interdisciplinary context for basic social science research on key issues related to immigration, especially in the American South. Although transnational population movements have socially transformed our region over the past decade, major gaps in scientific understanding of migration processes and impacts remain. Among the many potential topics for investigation are migration and poverty, ethnicity and identity, settlement ecology, labor relations, health, gender and policy.

The Center is directed by Robert Rhoades, Ph.D. Dr. Rhoades become Director of the Migration & Immigration Work Group in 2005. He also holds the academic rank of Professor of Anthropology.

The Gene-Environment Interaction Group

This group brings together behavioral and biological scientists interested in understanding the intersections of genetic and environmental contributions to health,health behavior, and interpersonal outcomes. The focus of the group is on strengthening the infrastructure for collaborative research and grant proposal writing.

The Center is directed by Steven Beach, Ph.D. Dr. Beach became Director of the Gene-Enviornment Interaction Work Group in 2004. Dr. Beach is the Director of the Institute for Behavioral Research and holds the academic rank of Professor of Psychology.

The Violence Group

The violence work group provides an opportunity for interdisciplinary interaction in response to research opportunities and research funding in the interrelated areas of intimate partner violence, workplace violence, school violence, bullying, sexual exploitation, sexual violence, and family violence. We plan to work collaboratively with other centers and work groups to examine contextual influences, interventions, and consequences of violence in human relationships. Our focus will be on better understanding the causes, consequences, and solutions for interpersonal violence in its many different manifestations.

The Group is co-directed by Karen Calhoun, Ph.D. and Dr. Jody Clay-Warner, Ph.D. Dr. Calhoun became Director of the Violence Work group in 2005. She also holds the academic rank of Professor of Psychology. Dr. Clay-Warner joined as co-director in 2008 and holds the academic rank of Associate Professor of Sociology.

New Work Groups Focused on Health

Diabetes

We anticipate a focus on Diabetes campus-wide in the next 1-2 years. This is an important opportunity for behavioral scientists to play an important role. Over the next several months we will be discussing the formation of a work group. Please let Sandy Gary know if you would be interested in being a part of such a group.