Education:

B.S., Psychology:  University of Florida

M.S., Counseling Psychology:  Nova Southeastern University

Ph.D., Experimental & Biological Psychology:  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Summary Statement:

Dr. Susan Girdler received her Ph.D. in Experimental and Biological Psychology in 1991 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She completed her postdoctoral training at UCLA and returned as faculty to the University of North Carolina in 1993 where she is currently a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, and also serves as Associate Director for the UNC Psychiatry Stress and Health Research Program.  Dr. Girdler was the 1996 recipient of the Young Investigator Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the 2001 recipient of the American Psychosomatic Society’s Early Career Award.   Dr. Girdler served as a regular member of the National Institutes of Health -MESH Study Section from 2002 – 2006.  She is currently Associate Editor for Psychophysiology and a member of the UNC Biomedical Institutional Review Board (IRB).  Her long standing research interest is in women’s health, particularly neuroendocrine dysregulation in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and her studies include translational research on the stress reactivity of the neuroactive steroid, allopregnanolone.  Much of her recent work in PMDD has highlighted the heterogeneous nature of this disorder since PMDD women with abuse histories or depression histories show distinctly different neuroendocrine and symptom profiles relative to never abused or never depressed PMDD groups.  Dr. Girdler is also committed to minority health research, and her published studies on ethnic differences in endogenous pain regulation have implications for understanding ethnic disparities in clinical pain.  Her planned work in this area involves the integration of ethnically-relevant psychosocial measures with stress-responsive pain regulatory factors in order to develop a more culturally and ethnically relevant biobehavioral model for understanding clinical pain in African Americans.  

Representative Publications:

• Girdler SS, Straneva PA, Light KC, Pedersen CA, Morrow AL.  Allopregnanolone levels and reactivity to mental stress in premenstrual dysphoric disorder.  Biological Psychiatry, 49:788-797, 2001.
• Straneva PA, Maixner W, Light KC, Pedersen CA, Costello NL, Girdler SS.  Menstrual cycle, beta-endorphins and pain sensitivity in premenstrual dysphoric disorder.  Health Psychology, 21:358-367, 2002.
• Straneva PA, Light KC, Allen MT, Golding M, Girdler SS.  Bupropion and paroxetine differentially influence cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to stress in depressed patients.  Journal of Affective Disorders, 79:51-61, 2004.
• Girdler, SS, Thompson KA, Light KC, Leserman J, Pedersen CA, Prange AJ.  Historical sexual abuse and current thyroid axis profiles in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.  Psychosomatic Medicine, 66:403-410, 2004.
• Klatzkin RR, Morrow AL, Light KC, Pedersen CA, Girdler SS.  Histories of depression, allopregnanolone responses to stress, and premenstrual symptoms in women.  Biological Psychology, 71:2-11, 2006.
• Girdler SS, Maixner W, Naftel HA, Stewart PW, Moretz R, Light KC.  Cigarette smoking, stress-induced analgesia and pain perception in men and women.  PAIN, 114:372-385, 2005.
• Mechlin MB, Maixner W, Light KC, Fisher JM, Girdler SS.  African Americans show alterations in endogenous pain regulatory mechanisms and reduced pain tolerance to experimental pain procedures.  Psychosomatic Medicine, 67:948-956, 2005.