Christopher B. Rosnick, PH.D., University of South Florida 2005
Curriculum Vitae (pdf)

University of South Florida 
Psychology and Gerontology

Christopher B. Rosnick, Ph.D., MPH
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Campus Box 1121, Alumni Hall 0132 Edwardsville, IL  62026
Office: 618-650-5351
Fax: 618-650-5087
e-mail: crosnic@siue.edu

Dissertation Title: Stress and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults

Major Advisor/Advisors:  Brent J. Small, Ph.D.

Why did you choose the USF Ph.D. in Aging Studies program?

I chose the Aging Studies Ph.D. program at USF because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program. Coming into the program, I was interested in studying both end-of-life issues (i.e., guardianship/ advance directive execution) and cognitive aging.

How did the program’s interdisciplinary approach assist you in meeting your educational goals?

The interdisciplinary approach of the Aging Studies Ph.D. program allowed me to take courses in several areas outside of the aging arena. I was able to take courses from the Psychology department and the College of Public Health, which enabled me to obtain an MPH in Biostatistics while in the Ph.D. program.

What was the focus of your research?

The focus of my research was on the effects of stress on cognitive performance in older adults. I examined stress in three different, but overlapping, ways. First, I assessed how experiencing stressful life events affected cognitive functioning in the Charlotte County Healthy Aging Study. Second, I examined the effects of bereavement on cognitive performance utilizing the Changing Lives of Older Couples dataset (CLOC). Lastly, I examined how possible physiological correlates of stress impacted cognitive performance in individuals from the CLOC dataset. More specifically, I examined the differential effects of allostatic load and its component parts on cognitive functioning. 

What do you most value about your experience in the USF Ph.D. in Aging Studies Program?

As I always told my students who were considering adding Gerontology as a major, the faculty and staff in the School of Aging Studies are amazing. The availability of the faculty to assist students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, is unbelievable.

PRESENT POSITION:

I am currently a post-doctoral researcher in the Psychology Department at Brandeis University working under the supervision of Margie Lachman, Ph.D. I will be utilizing multiple datasets (e.g., MIDUS, BOLOS, and ACME) to assess the effects of stress on cognitive performance across the lifespan.

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