The Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center is proud to announce that Dr. Julienne Bower, co-director of the JCCC Patients and Survivors program, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and Research Scientist of the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience has been appointed to the George F. Solomon Professorship of Psychobiology, beginning July 1, 2016. George F. Solomon was a pioneer in the field of medicine now known as psychoneuroimmunology,
As part of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience is committed to excellence in research and teaching. In collaboration with the Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA, Bower will lead the effort to develop innovative programs in evidence-based behavioral approaches to prevent disease, promote healing and enhance overall well-being in patients and survivors of cancer.
A recognized expert in clinical and health psychology, Bower’s discoveries have changed the way we understand the interactions between psychology and the immune system in cancer patients and survivors. Her laboratory is currently investigating associations between changes in immune status and behavioral symptoms experienced by patients throughout the cancer trajectory, including pioneering work on inflammation and cancer-related fatigue. Bower is also examining links between the central nervous system, the immune system and tumor biology. A central focus of her work is the translation of basic findings in psychoneuroimmunology into effective behavioral interventions for cancer patients and survivors, including trials of mind-body therapies.
Bower’s work has been recognized with multiple honors, including a Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society New Investigator Award, an American Psychological Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology, and a STOP Cancer Foundation Career Development Award. Her research has received support from the National Cancer Institute, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the California Breast Cancer Research Program. Bower is committed to providing education and training in psychoneuroimmunology and has received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Department of Psychology.
Bower received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at Brown University. After receiving her Ph.D. in psychology at the University of California Los Angeles, she completed a NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship through the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA. She joined the UCLA faculty in 2001 and became a full professor in 2015.
