Brittain Mahaffey, PhD Joins the Staff as a Postdoctoral Fellow To Investigate Efficacy of Mind-Body Treatment

November 19, 2013 - Brittain Mahaffey, PhD has joined the staff of the department as a postdoctoral research fellow. She will work with Adam Gonzalez, PhD and the epidemiology research group on a randomized control trial to determine the efficacy of a mind-body treatment to simultaneously reduce symptoms of PTSD and respiratory illness in World Trade Center responders.

Dr. Mahaffey has a strong background in clinical research related to the treatment of anxiety and stress disorders. She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where she conducted research with Jonathan Abramowitz on treatments for anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. She spent the past year as a Predoctoral Fellow at Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center working in a variety of clinical settings for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and medical issues. She has extensive training in the delivery of different empirically supported treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged-Exposure, mindfulness-based treatments and smoking cessation.

In her new role at Stony Brook, Dr. Mahaffey will be responsible for treatment design and implementation. She will supervise study staff and provide treatment using the Relaxation Response Resiliency Program developed at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, which has been shown to simultaneously reduce psychological and physical health symptoms. “We are very excited to have Dr. Mahaffey join our team,” Dr. Gonzalez said. “Her extensive clinical and research experience with anxiety disorders coupled with her knowledge of clinical trials research and experience with treating PTSD make her a valuable addition to our team.”