Draft:Bethany A. Teachman

Bethany A. Teachman
Nationality	Canadian
Alma mater	University of British Columbia University of Melbourne Yale University
Scientific career
Fields	Neuroscience, Psychology
Website	https://teachman.org/

Introduction

Dr. Bethany Teachman is a Clinical Psychologist whose research focuses on how biased thinking contributes to anxiety disorders. She is a Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at the University of Virginia, a prestigious public university in the state of Virginia. At the University of Virginia, she runs the Program for Anxiety, Cognition, and Treatment (PACT) lab which studies cognitive bias modification and uses digital technologies, such as apps and web-based cognitive bias modification programs, in attempts to shift anxious thinking. Throughout her professional career, Bethany has received multiple prestigious awards, such as the Inaugural Psychology Department Excellence in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Award in 2020, for her extraordinary research contributions.

Early Life

Dr. Bethany Teachman was born and raised in Toronto, a large city in Ontario, Canada. Growing up, she was one of eight siblings which incited her profound love and appreciation for family.

As a child, Bethany really loved to dance and spent much of her free time outside of school at her dance company. As a teenager in high school, she had an early interest in "helping" professions which inspired her to volunteer with youth with different developmental and behavioral disorders. While she enjoyed volunteering with these youth, she did not know much about psychological research or any related career paths at this time.

Education

Dr. Bethany Teachman, a psychologist known for her contributions to the study of anxiety and eating disorders, began her academic journey at the University of British Columbia (UBC) on the West coast of Canada. Dr. Teachman pursued a major in psychology at UBC, where she developed an interest in research.

During her third year, Dr. Teachman participated in an exchange program at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It was during this exchange that she developed a friendship with a graduate student pursuing a PhD, which sparked Teachman's interest in advanced research and doctoral studies.

Returning to UBC for her final year of undergraduate studies, Dr. Teachman worked as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Jack Rachman, known for his research in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Dr. Teachman's honors thesis focused on moral psychology and moral development, although her interest in clinical psychology, particularly anxiety and eating disorders, became more pronounced during this time.

Postgraduate Pursuits

After graduating from UBC, Bethany worked as a project coordinator in the same lab where she had previously served as a research assistant during her undergraduate years. This experience solidified her desire to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology.

Bethany was subsequently accepted into the doctoral program in clinical psychology at Yale University, where she worked under the mentorship of Sheila Woody. During her time at Yale, Bethany met her future spouse, Brian Nosek, who was also pursuing a doctoral degree at the institution in the field of social psychology.

Career Timeline

• 2002 - 2008: Assistant Professor in Department of Psychology at University of Virginia
• 2005: Visiting Scholar in Department of Psychology at Stanford University
• 2008 - 2014: Associate Professor in Department of Psychology at University of Virginia
• 2010 - Present: Director of Clinical Training in Department of Psychology at University of Virginia
• 2011 - 2012: Fellow at Stanford Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
• 2014 - Present: Professor in the Department of Psychology at University of Virginia

Research

Dr. Bethany Teachman leads the Program for Anxiety, Cognition, and Treatment (PACT) lab at the University of Virginia, where she explores emotional dysregulation, notably in anxiety disorders. Her research examines decision-making processes and biased thinking patterns, with a particular emphasis on individuals with anxiety disorders, including panic disorder.

Initially, Bethany focused on unraveling the decision-making processes of individuals with clinical issues, such as holding irrational beliefs despite contradictory evidence. Frustrated by the shortcomings of the U.S. mental healthcare system, she shifted her focus towards creating more accessible mental health interventions, particularly in digital formats.

In recent years, Bethany's research has investigated the causal relationship between cognitive bias and anxiety disorders. Through Project Implicit Health, her team analyzed tasks revealing automatic associations linked to clinical problems. Early findings suggest treatment can alter these implicit associations, predicting outcomes, especially in panic disorder. These insights highlight the role of interpretation bias and implicit automatic associations in clinical understanding and interventions. Cognitive Flexibility training has shown promise in reducing anxiety and emotional dysregulation, even without therapist involvement.

Additionally, Bethany is actively involved in bioethics research, particularly focusing on the ethical considerations surrounding the use of passive sensing technology in mental health interventions. Her efforts aim to understand user perspectives on wearables and passive sensing, addressing privacy concerns while maximizing research utility. Through interviews and collaboration with bioethics experts, Bethany navigates the ethical complexities of data collection, prioritizing user privacy while maximizing research utility.

Bethany's research focuses on the cognitive processes influencing the development, persistence, and alleviation of anxiety and mood disorders, with a particular emphasis on autonomic processing biases and mental health stigmas. She is the Principal Investigator for two projects: Project Implicit Mental Health, initiated in September 2011, which is a public website designed to evaluate autonomic mental health associations, and MindTrails, launched in the Spring of 2016, which is another public website dedicated to studying online cognitive bias modifications.

Her research endeavors aim to leverage technological advancements to enhance mental health interventions. By identifying essential data points for tailoring interventions and mitigating privacy risks, Bethany seeks to improve mental health care accessibility and effectiveness, particularly for individuals with anxiety disorders.

Family and Personal Life

Dr. Bethany Teachman is married to Brian Nosek, a social psychologist, with whom she shares a collaborative partnership in research. They have been together for 25 years, and Bethany credits her husband for his support and influence in shaping her work, particularly in embracing Open Sciences Best Practices.

Outside of academia, Bethany is a devoted mother to two teenage daughters and enjoys spending quality time with her family, including their two dogs. Her hobbies include reading, dancing, theater, and outdoor activities. She also shares a passion for travel, regularly embarking on exotic trips with her mother to explore new destinations such as China, Peru, India, Vietnam, and Morocco.

Awards and Honors

• 2023: American Psychological Association Division 12 Society of Clinical Psychology Invited Speaker for the American Psychological Foundation's (APF) Spielberger EMPathy Symposium
• 2023: Featured Woman of the Month by the Committee on Women in Medicine and Science at UVA
• 2020: Inaugural Psychology Department Excellence in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Award
• 2019: Public Voices Fellowship with Op-Ed Project
• 2019: American Psychological Association Presidential Citation
• 2019: University of Western Australia Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellow
• 2018: Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology Lawrence H. Cohen Outstanding Mentor Award

Bibliography

• Bernstein, D. A., Teachman, B. A., Olatunji, B. O., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2020). Introduction to clinical psychology: Bridging science and practice (Ninth edition). Cambridge University Press.
• Teachman, B. A., Schwartz, M., Gordic, B., & Coyle, B. (2003). Helping your child overcome an eating disorder: What you can do at home. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
• Woody, S., Detweiler-Bedell, J., Teachman, B. A., & O’Hearn, T. (2002). Treatment planning in psychotherapy: Taking the guesswork out of clinical care. New York: Guilford Press.

Selected Publications

• Daniel, K. E., Larrazabal, M. A., Boukhechba, M., Barnes, L. E. & Teachman, B. A. (2023). State and trait emotion regulation diversity in social anxiety. Clinical Psychological Science, 21677026231151956.
• Silverman, A. L., Fua, K., Werntz, A., & Teachman, B. A. (2023). More than one way to say I relationships. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 79(4), 909-936.
• Howell, J. L., Sweeny, K., Hua, J., Werntz, A., Hussain, M., Hinojosa, B. M., ... & Teachman, B. A. (2022). The role of uncertainty, worry, and control in well-being: Evidence from the COVID-19 outbreak and pandemic in US and China. Emotion.
• Silverman, A. L., & Teachman, B. A. (2022). The relationship between access to mental health resources and use of preferred effective mental health treatment. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 78(6), 1020-1045.
• Moulder Jr, R. G., Daniel, K. E., Teachman, B., & Boker, S. M. quantifying complexity and erratic behavior in short time series. Psychological Methods. (2021). Tangle: A metric for quantifying complexity and erratic behavior in short time series. Psychological Methods.
• Hollon, S. & Teachman B. A. (2019). Advantages of developing clinical practice guidelines using international standards. Psychotherapy, 56(3), 340-346.
• Teachman, B. A., Wojcik, S. P., Koleva, S. P., Frazier, R. S., Heiphetz, L., Chen, E., Turner, R. N., Haidt, J., Kesebir, S., Hawkins, C. B., Schaefer, H. S., Rubichi, S., Sartori, G., Dial, C. M., Sriram, N., Banaji, M. R., & Nosek, B. A. (2014). Reducing implicit racial preferences: I. A comparative investigation of 17 interventions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143, 1765-1785.
• Teachman, B. A., Gapinski, K., Brownell, K., Rawlins, M., & Jeyaram, S. (2003). Demonstrations of implicit anti-fat bias: The impact of providing causal information and evoking empathy. Health Psychology, 22, 68-78.
• Teachman, B. A., & Brownell, K. (2001). Implicit anti-fat bias among health professionals: Is anyone immune? International Journal of Obesity, 25, 1525-1531.
• Woody, S., & Teachman, B. A. (2000). Intersection of disgust and fear: Normative and pathological views. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7, 291-311.