Background

  My interest in psychology began as a result of a social psychology course during my first semester of college at Oakland University (OU) in Rochester, Michigan.  At that time, I became involved in developmental and social psychology research laboratories.  I assisted with projects investigating the physiology of emotion along with adult sibling relationships, with a particular interest in birth order.  While at OU, I also volunteered at a large state psychiatric hospital, which sparked my interest in clinical psychology.  I received a B.A. in Psychology from OU in 1996.  After my undergraduate studies, I completed the requirements for a M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Minnesota State University-Mankato (Mankato, Minnesota) in 1998.  My thesis provided me with the opportunity to study in vivo exposure treatment and modeling for the treatment of spider phobia.  My doctoral training was from Western Michigan University (WMU; Kalamazoo, Michigan).  My dissertation investigated a potential physiological mechanism to explain the effectiveness of a one-session treatment for specific animal phobias.  A doctoral internship in the Department of Psychiatry at UIC brought me to Chicago in 2001.  Upon completion of internship, I spent the academic year of 2002-03 working as a project coordinator for Dr. Dennis McChargue and completed my dissertation.  In June 2003, I graduated with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from WMU.  Although my thesis and dissertation focused on the treatment of specific animal phobias, my research interests also include topics in behavioral medicine (i.e., cancer, congestive heart failure, and HIV).  I am currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow working in Dr. Spring’s lab.  

Publications

Stewart, R. B., Kozak, A. L., Tingley, L. M., Goddard, J. M., Blake, E. M., & Cassel, W. A. (2001). Adult sibling relationships: Validation of a typology. Personal Relationships, 8, 299-324.

Pagoto, S. L., Kozak, A. T., & Spates, C. R. (in preparation).  Imaginal desensitization for specific traumatophobia:  A case study. 

Presentations

McChargue, D.E., Kozak, A., Cook, J.W., Spring, B., & Tangorra, K. Is trauma a boundary condition for the effect of a history of depression on cigarette craving?  Poster submitted to the meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Boston.

Koch, E. I., Kozak, A. L.,  & Spates, C. R. (2000, November). Comparison and generalization of cognitive- behavioral and behavioral one-session exposure treatments for small animal phobias. In C. Richard Spates (Chair), Recent developments in the use of one-session exposure treatment for specific phobias. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, New Orleans, Louisiana.

  Koch, E. I., Kozak, A. L.,  & Spates, C. R. (1999, November). Comparison and generalization of cognitive- behavioral and behavioral one-session exposure treatments for small animal phobias. Poster session presented at the meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Toronto.

  Pagoto, S. L., Wright, L. W.,  & Kozak, A. L. (1999, May). A case study of a traumatic specific phobia treated with imaginal desensitization. Poster session presented at the meeting of the Kalamazoo Community Medical and Health Sciences Research Conference, Kalamazoo, MI.

  Kozak, A. L., Houlihan, D., & Buchanan, J. A. (1998, May). Behavioral treatment of three cases of spider phobia. Poster session presented at the meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Orlando, FL.

  Fatis, M., Miltenberger, R., Palm, K., & Kozak, A. (1997, November). A brief history of MABAT and a look at its role in promoting behavioral training among faculty, students and practitioners. Roundtable discussion at the meeting of the Midwest Association of Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Fargo, ND.

Fatis, M., Palm, K., Clemensen, L., Kozak, A., & Le, M. (1997, November). Tracking patient outcomes and clinical status through behavioral self report telephone contacts. Paper presented at the meeting of the Midwest Association of Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Fargo, ND.

  Stewart, R. B., Goddard, J. M., Rumsley, R. R., Kozak, A. L., & Tingley, L. M. (1997, April). Siblings, best friends, and significant others:  A comparison of interpersonal relationships from adolescence to late adulthood. Poster session presented at the meeting of the Society of Research in Child Development (SRCD), Washington, DC.

  Blake, E., Tingley, L., Kozak, A., & Cassel, W. (1996, May). Sibling relationships from late adolescence to late adulthood. Symposium conducted at the Meeting of the Minds, Rochester, MI.

  Kozak, A., & Soloman, A. (1996, May). Effects of happy, angry, fearful, and embarrassing film stimuli on subjects differing in repressor-nonrepressor coping style.  Poster session presented at the Meeting of the Minds, Rochester, MI.

  Stewart, R. B., Kozak A. L., Tingley, L. M., Blake, E. M., & Cassel, W. A. (1996, March). Adult sibling relationships: A comparison across the late adolescent to late adult years. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Fourteenth Biennial Conference on Human Development, Birmingham, AL.

Pagoto, S., Schlottman, P., & Kozak, A. (1995, May). With a little help from my friends: A survey of close adult relationships. Poster session presented at the Meeting of the Minds, Flint, MI.