Caroline Cecil Kaufman | Clinical Psychology | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Cognitive Scientist Awards

Dr. Caroline Cecil Kaufman | Clinical Psychology | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Caroline C. Kaufman is an Assistant Psychologist at McLean Hospital and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Memphis, with a specialization in the psychology of religion and spirituality. Her work lies at the intersection of spirituality, trauma, and mental health, particularly among underserved and marginalized populations. Dr. Kaufman has developed spiritually integrated psychotherapeutic interventions and conducted groundbreaking research on antisemitism, PTSD, and alcohol misuse. She has trained at leading institutions, including Yale School of Medicine, and currently leads multiple funded projects aimed at adapting clinical care to spiritual and religious diversity. Dr. Kaufman is widely recognized for her academic contributions and advocacy for inclusive behavioral health. Her professional mission centers on empowering vulnerable communities through evidence-based, spiritually inclusive mental health research and care. She is also a frequent speaker and active contributor to national and international psychology organizations.

Profile

🎓 Education

Dr. Kaufman’s clinical and academic experience spans leading institutions in psychology and psychiatry. She currently serves as Assistant Psychologist at McLean Hospital and Instructor at Harvard Medical School. From 2021 to 2023, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Spirituality and Mental Health Program at McLean. Her internship was at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she worked in child and adolescent intensive outpatient care and the Yale Gender Program. She has held clinical roles across diverse settings, including Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Daybreak Treatment Center, and Head Start programs. She also held supervisory roles, including at Yale and the University of Memphis. Dr. Kaufman has been actively engaged in research, professional service, and teaching throughout her career. Her expertise lies in integrating spirituality and trauma-focused therapies, and she serves as Principal Investigator on several funded research projects. She also advises diversity and inclusion initiatives across clinical psychology organizations.

🧪 Experience

Dr. Kaufman has received numerous accolades for her academic and clinical contributions. In 2024, she was awarded the Eleanor and Miles Shore Fellowship by McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is a 2022 Livingston Fellow at Harvard Medical School and was selected for the prestigious Yale Program for Medicine, Spirituality, & Religion Fellowship in 2020. That same year, she received the Jewish Community Hero Award. Other honors include the International Research Network’s Early Career Researcher Award (2022), the Graduate Student Talk Award from the Tennessee Psychological Association (2018), and the Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research Award from Williams College (2015). Dr. Kaufman has been consistently recognized for her innovative research in spirituality and mental health, her leadership in DEI initiatives, and her commitment to advancing culturally sensitive clinical care. She also received multiple travel and presentation awards from the APA and other scholarly organizations throughout her academic training.

🏅 Awards and Honors

Dr. Kaufman has received numerous accolades for her academic and clinical contributions. In 2024, she was awarded the Eleanor and Miles Shore Fellowship by McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is a 2022 Livingston Fellow at Harvard Medical School and was selected for the prestigious Yale Program for Medicine, Spirituality, & Religion Fellowship in 2020. That same year, she received the Jewish Community Hero Award. Other honors include the International Research Network’s Early Career Researcher Award (2022), the Graduate Student Talk Award from the Tennessee Psychological Association (2018), and the Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research Award from Williams College (2015). Dr. Kaufman has been consistently recognized for her innovative research in spirituality and mental health, her leadership in DEI initiatives, and her commitment to advancing culturally sensitive clinical care. She also received multiple travel and presentation awards from the APA and other scholarly organizations throughout her academic training.

🔬 Research Focus

Dr. Kaufman’s research focuses on the integration of spirituality, religiosity, and psychological science, particularly in the treatment of trauma, PTSD, and alcohol misuse. Her scholarship explores how spiritual identity and belief systems influence mental health outcomes, with a strong emphasis on marginalized and high-risk populations such as first responders and Jewish communities facing antisemitism. She leads several research projects, funded by organizations such as the John Templeton Foundation and Harvard Medical School, examining spiritually integrated psychotherapy, resilience among trauma survivors, and inclusion of religious diversity in behavioral health. She also investigates antisemitic prejudice and its psychological effects. Through both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, her work advances clinical science by developing culturally and spiritually sensitive interventions. Dr. Kaufman’s interdisciplinary research informs clinical practices and policy frameworks to promote inclusive, evidence-based care. She also collaborates across academic and community settings to ensure her research has practical, population-level impact.

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Publications

  • Mental Health Clinical Pastoral Education—A Specialized CPE Program

    Religions
    2025-07 | Journal article | Author
    DOI: 10.3390/rel16070886
    CONTRIBUTORS: Angelika A. Zollfrank; Caroline Cecil Kaufman; David H. Rosmarin

  • The scale matters: assessing body size with figure rating scales in a diverse sample of young adults

    Eating and Weight Disorders
    2022 | Journal article
    DOI: 10.1007/s40519-021-01166-9

  • Integrating Spirituality in Group Psychotherapy with First Responders: Addressing Trauma and Substance Misuse

    Religions
    2022-11 | Journal article | Author
    DOI: 10.3390/rel13121132
    CONTRIBUTORS: Caroline Cecil Kaufman; David Hillel Rosmarin; Hilary Connery

  • Parenting in matched pairs of women of color experiencing intimate partner violence and living with and without HIV

    Journal of Traumatic Stress
    2021 | Journal article
    DOI: 10.1002/jts.22737
    EID: 2-s2.0-85116930252
    Part of ISSN: 15736598 08949867
    CONTRIBUTORS: Thurston, I.B.; Howell, K.H.; Kaufman, C.C.; Mandell, J.E.; Decker, K.M.

Siamak Khodarahimi | Clinical Psychology | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Cognitive Scientist Awards

Prof Dr. Siamak Khodarahimi | Clinical Psychology | Best Researcher Award

Profile

Education

Dr. S. Khodarahimi holds multiple academic degrees in psychology, including a B.A. in Clinical Psychology from Shiraz University, Iran (1987), and an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Meshed Ferdowsi University, Iran (1994), where he achieved a GPA of 18.93. He earned his first PhD in Clinical Psychology from Atlantic International University, USA, in 2005, with a GPA of 3.76. Further advancing his expertise, he completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Psychology at Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2010, receiving an “Excellent” rating. In 2020, he obtained a second PhD in Psychology from Lorestan University, achieving a remarkable GPA of 19.61. His research has focused on various aspects of psychology, including psychotherapy, personality structures, workplace stress, and sleep and dream quality in individuals with anxiety disorders.

Work experience

Dr. S. Khodarahimi has held several academic and administrative positions throughout his career. From 2000 to 2022, he served as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Islamic Azad University, Eghlid Branch. Additionally, between 2000 and 2006, he held the role of Vice President for Research at the same institution and was a member of the Research Council for the First Zone of Islamic Azad University.

His earlier academic roles include serving as a contractual faculty staff member in the Psychology Department at Bavanat Payam Nour University, Fars, Iran (1999–2002), and as a faculty staff member of the Research Group for Behavioral Sciences at the Iranian Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research (ACECR), Shiraz (1998–1999). Prior to that, from 1994 to 1997, he was a contractual faculty member in the Psychology Department at Chamran Ahwaz University, Ahwaz, and contributed to the Research Group for Social Psychology at ACECR, Ahwaz.

Dr. Khodarahimi’s leadership experience includes serving as the Dean of the Research Center for Psychological Services in Shiraz, Fars, from 1990 to 1992, highlighting his longstanding commitment to psychological research and education.

Teaching Experience

Dr. S. Khodarahimi has an extensive teaching and training background, spanning multiple universities and covering a wide range of psychology courses.

From 1993 to 1997, at Chamran Ahwaz University, he taught courses such as Mental Health, Personality Theories, Principles of Clinical Psychology, Psychopathology (1), Theories of Psychotherapy, and Introduction to Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods.

Between 1999 and 2002, at Payam Nour University – Bavanat Center, his teaching portfolio included Psychology of Development (1 & 2), Psychology of Personality, Social Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Individual Research Projects in Psychology, Introduction to Neuropsychology, Abnormal Psychology, Psychology Texts in English (1 & 2), Research Method in Psychology, and Psychology of Work.

From 2000 to 2022, at Islamic Azad University – Eghlid Branch, he instructed courses such as Introduction to Psychology, Educational Psychology, Social Psychology for Nursing, Psychology of Learning, Developmental Psychology (1 & 2), Counseling Methods and Outlines, Child Counseling, Exceptional Psychology, and Introduction to Practical Research.

Dr. Khodarahimi’s diverse teaching experience reflects his expertise in various psychological disciplines, ranging from clinical and developmental psychology to research methodology and neuropsychology.

Research interests

1. Positive Psychology, Mental Health, Cross Cultural, Psychotherap and
Interdiciplinary Reaserch.
2. Investigation in psychosocial interventions and psychopathological issues
among adolescents, youth, adults and women.
3. Research in anxiety disordres, worry, emotions, and high risk behaviors with
focus on psychological interventions at individual and collective levels.

Publication