Ali A. Weinstein, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Deputy Director, Center for Study of Chronic Illness and Disability
Unit: Dept. of Global and Community Health
Mail Stop: 5B7
Office Location: Robinson B415C
Phone: 703-993-9632
Email: aweinst2@gmu.edu
Download a copy of Dr. Weinstein's CV
Dr. Weinstein is currently the Deputy Director of the Center for Study of Chronic Illness and Disability at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She received her Ph.D. (2007) from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Also, she earned a B.S. (1999) in Psychology with a minor in Health Care & Society at Lafayette College and a M.A. in Kinesiology (2001) at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has extensive experience conducting human biobehavioral experiments in the laboratory and field, and survey research regarding prescription of health care behaviors by physicians.
Dr. Weinstein’s training and experiences have allowed familiarity with cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal research. She has participated in projects involving ambulatory monitoring of physical activity, and cross-sectional evaluations of differences between individuals with Major Depressive Disorder and individuals without any mood disturbances. The multidisciplinary nature of her specialty has allowed collaborations with psychologists, physicians of various specialties, nurses, biostatisticians, and epidemiologists to study exercise and mood, cardiovascular reactivity to stress, and co-morbidity of physical and mental health problems among various populations (including healthy men and women; civilians and military personnel; people with heart disease, fibromyalgia, or depression).
In addition, Dr. Weinstein participated as a pre-doctoral fellow on a
NRSA NHLBI Cardiovascular Training Grant, specifically in the behavioral
aspects of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Weinstein will be applying
the knowledge she acquired studying
cardiovascular disease to chronic illness and disability, in general, so
that her research will be able to help a wide variety of patient populations. Dr.
Weinstein will be developing a research program in the Center for the Study
of Chronic Illness and Disability to help describe the mechanisms by which
disease produces disability and explore treatments that can prevent or
reduce disabilities and restore function.
Book Chapters:
Kop, W.J., Berlin, A.A., & Stretch, M. (2004). Coronary Heart Disease: Risk Factors and Biobehavioral Mechanisms. In Christensen, A.J., Martin, R., & Smythe, J.M. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Health Psychology . Kluwer/Plenum: New York. 70-74.
Kop, W.J., Weinstein, A.A. (2007). C-reactive protein. In Fink, G. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Stress (2nd ed). Academic Press: Oxford. 653-658.
Recent Publications:
Kop, W.J., Lyden, A., Berlin, A.A., Ambrose, K., Olsen, C., Gracely, R.H., Williams, D.A., & Clauw, D.J. (2005). Ambulatory monitoring of physical activity and symptoms in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Arthritis and Rheumatism, 52(1), 296-303.
Berlin, A.A., Kop, W.J., & Deuster, P.A. (2006). Depressive mood symptoms and fatigue following exercise withdrawal: The potential role of decreased fitness. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68(2), 224-230.
Weinstein, A.A., Deuster, P.A., & Kop, W.J. (2007). Heart rate variability as a predictor of negative mood symptoms induced by exercise withdrawal. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 39(4), 735-741.
Educational Background:
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Ph.D.
2004-2007 Medical Psychology - Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, M.S.
2001-2004 Medical Psychology - University of Maryland, College Park, M.A. 1999-2001 Kinesiology
- Lafayette College, Easton, B.S. 1995-1999 Psychology