Biography
Dr. Sephton’s research has refined and tested scientific theories in three areas: mechanisms of mindfulness’ effects on clinical health outcomes, circadian disruption as a tumor promotor, and human-animal interaction as an ameliorative psychological factor.
She received her BS from the University of California at Davis in 1985. She served in the Cape Town South Africa LDS Mission from 1985-87. She received her MS in Human Physiology & Anatomy from Brigham Young University in 1989, and a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from BYU in 1995. She went on to Stanford University as an NIH-funded postdoctoral research fellow from 1995 to 1999, a mentee of Dr. David Spiegel in the Department of Psychiatry where she focused on psycho-oncology and psychoneuroimmunology among cancer patients. From 1999 to 2005, she held a joint position funded by the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center and their School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. There she became committed to translational mindfulness research: She led a research group along with a Clinical Psychologist collaborator, Dr. Paul Salmon, that confirmed the efficacy of mindfulness meditation for clinical symptom reduction in randomized controlled trials among 91 fibromyalgia patients and 18 Parkinson’s disease patient/caregiver dyads. In 2005, she transitioned to a position as Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Louisville. She joined the faculty at BYU in the Department of Psychology in July 2021.
Research Interests
Contributions to science: Biobehavioral Oncology, Mindfulness and Meditation, Circadian Regulation.Salivary biometrics (28 years), 25 in biobehavioral oncology, 23 in mindfulness: 16 years externally funded research. Director of biomarker (wet lab) for 25 years.
Google Scholar: Works cited 10615 times (3196 since 2019). H-index = 42, I10 index = 63
Web of Science: Works cited 4845 times, H-index = 34
Research Gate: Works cited 8,183 times, H-index = 43
Fifteen prior extramural grants as PI, Co-I, or consultant. Translational cancer research, active collaboration with local medical community
Teaching Interests
Teaching interests include behavioral neuroscience, multicultural psychology, mindfulness, and stress psychobiology. Over the past 20 years she has mentored 20 undergraduate Psychology and Neuroscience majors through the 1½ year research-based honors capstone experience at the University of Louisville. She additionally mentored 85 student-semesters of individualized lab research for undergraduate Psychology course credit. She has served as primary research mentor for 20 graduate clinical psychology doctoral students. Of 70+ peer-reviewed pubs, students co-authored 50. A majority of doctoral grads from her lab have found exceptional internships and post-docs. She brings 30 years of expertise in studies of diurnal salivary cortisol rhythms and actigraphic measures of circadian rhythms.Education
- NIH-Funded Postdoctoral Fellowship, Psycho-oncology, psychneuroendocrinology, psychoneuroimmunology , Stanford University School of Medicine (1999)
- PhD, Behavioral Neuroscience , Stress, Psychoneuroimmunology, Brigham Young University (1995)
- M.S., Human Physiology and Anatomy , Brigham Young University, Provo, UT (1989)
- BS, Animal Science , Pre-Vet, University of California (1985)
Professional Citizenship
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, PlosONE (2021 - 2021)