Education

• Clinical/Behavioral Medicine Internship, 1996, University of Chicago Medical School
• Post-doctoral Respecialization, 1995, Illinois Institute of Technology (Clinical Psychology/Behavioral Medicine)
• Ph.D. 1992, University of Georgia (Experimental/Cognitive Psychology)
• M.S. 1989, University of Georgia (Gerontology)

• Specialty Areas: Adult Behavioral Medicine/Health Psycholog, Geriatric Psychology Women's issues, Sex and Marital Therapy.

Courses Taught

• Psy 365 - Introduction to Gerontology
• Psy 465 - Aging

Selected Publications and Presentations

Lagana`, L., & Rubin, M. (2002). Methodological challenges and potential solutions for the incorporation of sound community-based research into Service-Learning. In A. Furco and S.H. Billig (Eds.), Advances in Service-Learning research. Volume I: Service-Learning: The essence of the pedagogy. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Lagana`, L., McGarvey, E.L., Classen, C., & Koopman, C. (2001). Psychosexual dysfunction among gynecological cancer survivors.Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 8(2), 73-84.

Peters, L., Simon, E., Folen, R. A., Umphress, V, & Lagana', L. (2000). The COPE program: Treatment efficacy and medical utilization outcome of a chronic pain management program at a major military hospital. Military Medicine, 165(12), 954-960.

Hart, S., Gore-Felton, C., Maldonado, J., Lagana', L., Blake-Mortimer, J., Israelski, D., Koopman, C., & Spiegel, D. (2000). The relationship between pain and coping styles among HIV-positive men and women. Psychology and Health, 15, 869-879.

Lagana', L. ( l 999). Psychosocial correlates of contraceptive practices during late adolescence. Adolescence, 34(135), 463-482.

Research and Interests

My current research interests are in the area of adult behavioral medicine/health psychology, women's issues, geriatric psychology, as well as sex and marital therapy. Students are welcome to contact me if interested in any of the following projects (or related research endeavors):

This Fall, I am teaching classes in gerontology, human sexual behavior, and conflict resolution within intimate relationships. In the course of the semester, students will be able to sign up for new research projects in the aforementioned areas. I encourage students to get involved in research endeavors as early as possible, in order to identify their scientific and creative talents and to focus on fostering their development. Students who are not enrolled in my classes are also welcome to contact me for consideration of inclusion in those projects. Some of the latter may lead to co-authorship of articles in peer-reviewed publications.

Many breast cancer and gynecological cancer survivors experience severe biopsychosocial challenges, including chronic pain, premature menopause, problems within their intimate relationships, sexual dysfunction and body image difficulties. In collaboration with Stanford University School of Medicine, I am investigating the psychosocial needs of these patients to identify risk and protective factors related to the above problems. I am also interested in how cultural diversity affects these variables. Currently, I am conducting research on how being diagnosed with breast cancer affects women's psychological functioning, body image and sexual functioning, as well as their intimate partners' psychosexual functioning.

Another area of research that I am involved in investigates age-related differences in psychosocial adaptation to breast cancer and gynecological cancer. Older women (age 65+) are usually less affected by cancer psychologically, regardless of the severity of the disease. I am interested in investigating factors affecting women's resilience as they are faced with a serious medical condition. Once we identify protective factors that allow adult and older adult patients to deal successfully with potentially devastating stressors such as cancer, we can then focus on the development and implementation of high-quality, comprehensive treatment programs. These interventions will target especially those at risk for developing psychopathology following the diagnosis of a serious medical condition.

Additional projects include studies on the psychosocial needs of high functioning elderly women of all ethnic backgrounds, and on enhancing the quality of life of older adults by training them in Internet use for informational and social purposes. Again, I welcome undergraduate and graduate students who truly feel that they would enjoy scientific writing, as well as concisely reviewing empirical literature, developing and testing innovative hypotheses, collecting and analyzing data, or proposing research and clinical recommendations based on our research findings. I would like to encourage these motivated students to join my research team and come up with their own potential research projects in areas related to the ones outlined above. In particular, I may offer a 3-unit research class in the next Fall, to engage selected students in innovative research projects; please call me if interested, as this is a "restricted access" class.