The Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Semel Institute for Neuroscience and the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) announced that Julienne Bower, PhD, 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.
In collaboration with the Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA, Dr. 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 with and survivors of cancer.
Influential Research
A recognized expert in clinical and health psychology, Dr. 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.
Julienne Bower, PhD
Dr. Bower is also examining links among 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.
Dr. 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.
Dr. Bower received her doctorate in psychology at UCLA, and then completed a National Institutes of Health–funded postdoctoral fellowship through the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA. ■
