Biography
Professor, Department of Psychology
Program Director and Director of Clinical Training,
Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program
Secondary Joint Appointment: Professor of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine
Member, American Psychological Association
Member, Society for Research in Psychopathology
Dr. Jeffrey Bedwell joined UCF in 2004 after completing his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Georgia, with a predoctoral clinical internship at the Medical University of South Carolina/Dept. of Veterans Affairs Consortium in Charleston, SC. Prior to graduate studies, Dr. Bedwell received a B.S. in Psychology from James Madison University and worked for several years as a full-time research assistant at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, MD (1996 – 1999). Dr. Bedwell’s research lab, the Mood, Personality, and CogniTion (MPACT) Lab, uses a transdiagnostic NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach to examine the underlying causes of reduced motivation (i.e., avolition/apathy), reduced pleasure (anhedonia), and reduced emotional expression (i.e., constricted/blunted affect). Dr. Bedwell has a particular interest in how these symptoms manifest in mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. Other current and upcoming research examines relationships of these constructs with psychopathy, social anxiety severity, and suicidal thoughts/attempts. Most of Dr. Bedwell’s research uses a cognitive neuroscience and experimental psychopathology approach (e.g., event-related potentials, pupillometry, inflammatory markers). The long-term goal of this research is to improve treatment and prevention efforts targeted toward these specific symptoms. For more information on Dr. Bedwell’s research, please see: Mood, Personality, and CogniTion (MPACT) Lab.
