—Meet the PETAL Team—

Director

Ellen W. Leen-Feldner

Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of Arkansas

UA PETAL Laboratory.

My expertise is in the developmental psychopathology of anxiety. There are two main arms of my research program. The first seeks to better understand why some adolescents (ages 8 to 16 years) develop clinically-relevant anxiety problems, with a particular emphasis on transmission within families. Data from the lab show that adolescent offspring of parents with particular characteristics, including cigarette smoking, anxiety, and trauma-related psychopathology, are at increased risk of developing anxiety-related problems for a variety of reasons. One particularly interesting process we recently examined in the lab is “child-driven” effects, or how at-risk youth actually elicit anxiety-promoting parenting behavior.

The second arm of my research program is focused on the interplay between anxiety and cannabis. Recently funded studies evaluate one of the non-intoxicating molecules of the cannabis sativa plant called cannabidiol (CBD). A series of recent extramurally funded studies examine whether CBD reduces anxious arousal as elicited by laboratory-based provocation, smoking withdrawal, and COVID-19-related distress.

To support this work, I have been successful at obtaining industry, state, and federal funding, including research (NIDA RO3) and training (sponsor for F31 and NSF fellowships) grants.

Collaborators

Matthew T. Feldner, Ph.D.

Sarah Bilsky, Ph.D

Heidemarie Blumenthal, Ph.D.

Graduate Students

Riley Gournay, M.A.

5th year graduate student in Experimental Psychology

Riley is interested in anxiety-related psychopathology in the context of CBD administration research. Her current work focuses on the potential for CBD to ameliorate anxiety states. She is currently conducting several CBD administration projects, including among heavy drinkers and individuals experiencing elevated levels of stress. She plans to extend this work to explore potential sex differences with regard to CBD responding.

Morgan Ferretti

3rd year graduate student in Experimental Psychology

Morgan is interested in how cannabinoids, both intoxicating & non-intoxicating, affect various mental and physical health outcomes (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD; depression; substance use). She is also interested in the interactions between cannabinoids and other substances, such as caffeine and alcohol. Morgan is currently working on reviews of the current cannabinoid literature and her dissertation project, which looks at the effects of cannabigerol (CBG) on symptoms of ADHD among individuals with an ADHD diagnosis.

Harrison Dickens

3rd year graduate student in Clinical Psychology

Harrison is interested in the development of both psychological and physiological stress systems across the lifespan. In particular, he is interested in how stressful experiences lead to calibration of stress systems and how this process may be influenced by race, ethnicity, and aspects of an individual’s community. Ultimately, he is interested in how these stress system adaptations influence health, including insomnia, chronic pain, and internalizing disorders.

Veronica Floyd

3rd year graduate student in Clinical Psychology

Veronica is interested in the implementation and dissemination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and how this therapeutic intervention can be adapted so it is more easily accessible for diverse populations. She is also interested in understanding sleep health in groups that are often at risk or more vulnerable to sleep health disparities.

Current Research Assistants

Ivy Basinger

Mia Bingaman

Rachael Carter

Jennifer Corder

Madison Daniels

Brooklyn Farmer

Danielle Fernandez

Alysa Fite

Emma Flager

Leslie Gonzalez

Mason Jones

Kathryn, Lubert-Whitmire

Chloe Martinez

Isabelle Moss

Jordyn Moore

Ezri Rathbun

Luke Seidenberg

Andrew Swiecicki