| Education:
M.A. and Ph.D.: Life-span Developmental
Psychology, Syracuse University
Postdoctoral fellow: Cardiovascular
Psychophysiology, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
Summary
Statement:
Kathleen C. Light, Ph.D. is Professor
and Director of the Stress and Health
Research Program. Dr. Light is known
for her leadership in interdisciplinary
research in the field of behavioral
stress and hypertensive heart disease.
Her research in this field has had
continuous NIH support for over 25
years, and has resulted in over 100
peer-reviewed journal articles. One
theme of Dr. Light’s research
is health risks for women and minorities,
and her efforts have helped to clarify
behavioral and physiological factors
influencing their risk for cardiovascular
disease and other disorders. Her work
has examined nutrition and physical
exercise as well as psychological
factors like depression, social support,
maladaptive coping styles and job
strain. Her investigations have also
focused on reproductive hormones and
hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
. One newer research focus is on the
potential role of oxytocin in mediating
stress reducing and blood pressure
lowering effects of supportive relationships
between spouses/partners and between
parents and children. Another recent
project addresses stress and sympathetic
nervous system activity in the chronic
pain of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue
syndrome and temporomandibular disorder
Representative
Publications:
1. Bragdon EE, Light KC, Costello
NL, Sigurdsson A, Bunting S, Bhalang
K, Maixner W: Group differences in
pain modulation: pain-free women compared
to pain-free men and to women with
TMD. Pain 96:227-237, 2002.
2. Broadwell SD and Light KC: Family
support and cardiovascular responses
in married couples during conflict
and other interactions. International
Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 6:40-63,1999.
3.
Light KC, Girdler SS, Sherwood A,
Bragdon EE, Brownley KA, West SG,
Hinderliter AL: High stress responsivity
predicts later blood pressure only
in combination with positive family
history and high life stress. Hypertension
33:1458-1464, 1999.
4. Light KC, Smith TE, Johns JM, Brownley
KA, Hofheimer JA, Amico JA: Oxytocin
responsivity in mothers of infants:
a preliminary study of relationships
with blood pressure during laboratory
stress and normal ambulatory activity.
Health Psychol 19:560-567, 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.
J Hypertens 19:269-278, 2001.
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