Education:
B.A., Psychology: University of San Francisco
M.A., Biological Psychology: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ph.D., Biological Psychology: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine, University of Pittsburgh

Summary Statement:
In her work Dr. Grewen examines numerous and various aspects of the relationship of stress and other psychosocial variables to cardiovascular activity and health, with a focus on potential biologic mediators of this complex puzzle. She is most interested in exploring the mechanisms by which negative expectations, appraisals, and life events, including low levels of socioeconomic status, loneliness, pessimism, and depression, impact cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and behavioral responses, ultimately increasing cardiovascular risk. Of particular interest to her are how these relationships differ according to gender, race, and sex steroid hormone levels. Also relevant are traits or experiences that protect individuals from the physiologic consequences of negative life events, including social support, marriage, optimism, hope, and cognitive reframing to assign meaning. In addition to examining cardiovascular responses to laboratory stressors, she has looked at stress hormones in blood, urine and saliva, and has worked extensively with ambulatory monitors to assess cardiac and blood pressure responses to real life events in more salient and ecologically valid environments.

Representative Publications:
1. Grewen KM, Anderson BJ, Girdler SS, and Light KC (2003). Warm partner contact is related to lower cardiovascular reactivity. Submitted to Behavioral Medicine, January 2003.

2. Grewen KM, Girdler SS, Hinderliter A, and Light KC: Family history of hypertension moderates the influence of depressed mood on ambulatory blood pressure. Submitted to Health Psychology, November 19, 2002.

3. Costello NL, Bragdon EE, Light KC, Sigurdsson A, Bunting S, Grewen K, & Maixner, W: Temporomandibular disorder and optimism: relationships to ischemic pain sensitivity and interleukin-6. Pain, 100: 99-110, 2002.

4. Grewen, KM, Girdler, SS, West, SG, Bragdon, Costello, N, & Light, KC: Stable attributions for negative events interact with SES to influence blood pressure and vulnerability to hypertension. Journal of Women’s Health and Gender-based Medicine, 9(8): 905-15, 2000.

5. Light KC, Hinderliter AL, West SG, Grewen KM, Steege JF, Sherwood A, Girdler SS: Hormone replacement improves hemodynamic profile and left ventricular geometry in hypertensive and normotensive postmenopausal women. Journal of Hypertension 19:269-278, 2001.