EDUCATION

• 1998 B.S., Psychology, University of Illinois
• 2000 M.S., Clinical Psychology, Ohio University
• 2003 Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Ohio University

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS

My primary research area is cardiovascular behavioral medicine; as such, my research focuses on relationships between psychosocial factors and cardiovascular diseases. My main interest in this area is the influence of negative emotions (depression, anxiety, and hostility/anger) on the development and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD), which is more commonly known as heart disease. A growing body of evidence suggests that persons who regularly experience negative emotions are at increased risk for both future CAD and subsequent cardiac events after disease development. Three specific aims of my research program are (1) to determine which aspects of overlapping negative emotions are most strongly associated with CAD-related processes and outcomes, (2) to examine whether negative emotions act together to influence CAD risk, and (3) to identify the physiological and/or behavioral mechanisms that account for the deleterious effect of negative emotions on cardiovascular health.

Two secondary research areas of mine are cardiovascular psychophysiology and psychosocial/health behavior assessment. Within the area of cardiovascular psychophysiology, I am especially interested in cardiovascular reactivity to and recovery from stress, including the psychological correlates of these responses and the role of these responses in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Within the area of psychosocial/health behavior assessment, I have a particular interest in ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods, which provide real-time measures of psychosocial and behavioral factors by having persons repeatedly complete questionnaires on a palmtop computer. Unlike traditional assessment approaches, EMA methods do not require individuals to retrospect or to integrate their experiences over time. As a result, EMA measures may more accurately reflect daily experiences and therefore may be more strongly related to health outcomes.

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of my research, I frequently collaborate with other health researchers, including physicians. At IUPUI, I am currently collaborating with faculty from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research (IUCAR), the Indiana Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine (ICVBM), and the Regenstrief Institute. In addition, I have collaborative relationships with leading researchers in cardiovascular behavioral medicine at other academic institutions.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Stewart, J.C., Janicki-Deverts, D., Muldoon, M.F., & Kamarck, T.W. (in press). Depressive symptoms moderate the influence of hostility on serum interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein. Psychosomatic Medicine.
• Stewart, J.C. , Janicki, D.L., Muldoon, M.F., Sutton-Tyrrell, K., & Kamarck, T.W. (2007). Negative emotions and 3-year progression of subclinical atherosclerosis. Archives of General Psychiatry , 64 , 225-233.

  Click play to listen to an interview with Dr. Stewart on WFYI Public Radio's Sound Medicine: 
  

• Stewart, J.C., Janicki, J.L., & Kamarck, T.W. (2006). Cardiovascular reactivity to and recovery from psychological challenge as predictors of 3-year change in blood pressure. Health Psychology , 25 , 111-118.
• Stewart, J.C., France , C.R., & Suhr, J.A. (2006). The effect of cardiac cycle phase on reaction time among individuals at varying risk for hypertension. Journal of Psychophysiology , 20 , 1-8.

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