Having accumulated post-baccalaureate research experience in psychology and rheumatology, I came to University of Kentucky to combine my love of both fields by joining Dr. Segerstrom's psychoneuroimmunology lab. My main research interest is exploring the many ways that chronic pain interacts with psychological well-being. I am currently looking at how optimism interacts with activity levels and pain interference in aging women. I am also interested in studying interactions between the affective, behavioral, and biological correlates in chronic conditions of which pain is a primary feature.