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.

Mojtaba Rahimian Bougar | Clinical Psychology | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Cognitive Scientist Awards

Mr. Mojtaba Rahimian Bougar | Clinical Psychology | Best Researcher Award

 

 

Profile

Education

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in General Psychology from Payame Noor University of Abadeh Center in 2014, where he conducted a research project titled Comparison of Early Maladaptive Schemas Among Three Groups of Men Dependent on Opium, Under Treatment, and Non-Dependent Over 15 Years of Age in Shiraz City. In 2023, he completed his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at the Islamic Azad University, Kish International Branch. His master’s research focused on The Structural Model of Suicidal Tendency Prediction Based on Psychological Needs, Mental Pain, and Object Relations with the Moderating Roles of Defense Mechanisms and Ego-Strength.

Work experience

He is currently working as a Clinical Psychologist with an MA in Clinical Psychology. Previously, from 2013 to 2016, he served as an Expert in Charge and Research Consultant at Larestan University of Medical Sciences, Larestan, Iran. From 2019 to 2024, he worked as a Psychologist at the Social Emergency Center under the Welfare General Bureau of Fars Province in Shiraz, Iran. During the same period, he was an active member of various working groups, including the Working Group on Preventing Drug Misuse and Addiction, the Association for the Protection of Child Labourers under the Governorship & Welfare General Bureau, and the Suicide Prevention initiative within the Mental Health Unit of the Health & Care Professional Network in Eqlid City, Iran.

From 2013 to 2016, he worked as an Expert and Consultant at the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Technology at Larestan School of Medical Sciences, Larestan, Iran. From 2019 to 2024, he served as a Psychologist at the Eghlid Social Emergency Center under the Welfare General Bureau of Fars Province in Shiraz, Iran. Since 2019, he has been an active member of the Suicide Management and Prevention Working Group, as well as the Social Damage Prevention Working Group in Eqlid City, Fars Province. In 2023, he took on the role of Social Service Specialist at the Welfare Organization in Fars Province, Eqlid City, where he continues to contribute to social welfare initiatives.

National and international presentations and conferences

Farmani, A., Faramarzi, H., Rahimian Bougar, M., Sadeghi, M., & Aminian, M. (2021). Psychosocial
trauma screening during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In the 3rd International
Conference on Psychology, Counseling and Education, 11 February 2021, Mashhad, Iran.
Rahimian Bougar, M., Farmani, A., Ahmadi, S., & Rahiminejad, S. (2021). Comparison of Early
Maladaptive Schemas in Opioid Abusers and Healthy Individuals. In the 3rd International Conference
on Psychology, Counseling and Education, 11 February 2021, Mashhad, Iran.
Farmani, A., Farahmand, H., Sadeghi, M., & Rahimian Bougar, M. (2021). Prediction of Marital
Conflict Management Styles on the Basis of the Big Five Factors of Personality with the Mediating Role
of Patience Components among Young Females. In the 9th International Conference of Modern
Research in Psychology,Counseling,and Educational Sciences, 22 July 2021, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Rahimian Bougar, M. (2016). The study of effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation to reduce
symptoms in patients with migraine headache. The 5th Symposium of World Federation of
Neurosurgical Societies & The 7th International Neurosurgery Congress & The 1st International
Neuroscience Confederation Congress, 17-22 Apr 2016, Tehran, Iran.
Rahimian Bougar, M. (2016). The study of the prevalence of sexual dysfunction and its relationship to
quality of life and mental health of cancer patients. The 5th Symposium of World Federation of
Neurosurgical Societies & The 7th International Neurosurgery Congress & The 1st International
Neuroscience Confederation Congress, 17-22 Apr 2016, Tehran, Iran.
Sekhavati, E., Rahimian Bougar, M., Bostani, S., & Saem, J. (2016). Investigating the Individual and
Effective Protection Factors of Appropriate and Inappropriate Cesarean Section in Pregnant Women
Referred to Larestan Imam Reza Hospital. International Congress on Social Studies on Health For
Students, 21-23 December 2016, Shiraz, Iran.
Sekhavati, E., Rahimian Bougar, M., Bostani, S., & Raeisi, Z. (2016). An Explanation on the Prevalence
of Learning Disorders in Terms of Socioeconomic Factors of Health among the Elementary School
Students in Larestan City during Year 2014. International Congress on Social Studies on Health For
Students, 21-23 December 2016, Shiraz, Iran.
Sekhavati, E., Rahimian Bougar, M., Raeisi, Z., Bostani, S., & Sarafraz, N. (2016). THE PREVALENCE
OF SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR AND PROGNOSIS OF HIV INFECTION IN ADOLESCENTS AND
YOUNG ADULTS IN LARESTAN CITY. At the 17th International & Iranian Congress of Microbiology,
23-25 August 2016, Tehran, Iran.
Sekhavati, E., Neydavodi, M., Rahimian Bougar, M., Abedi, K., Mohammadi, Z., Raeisi, Z. (2016).
PREVALENCE OF PEDICULOSIS IN STUDENTS OF LARESTAN CITY IN 2015. At the 17th
International & Iranian Congress of Microbiology, 23-25 August 2016, Tehran, Iran.
Sekhavati, E., Rahimian Bougar, M., Bostani, S., & Alaie Nejad, M. (2016). Investigating the effects of
common atmospheric and air pollutants on cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders: A
review study: with an emphasis on the pathology of atmospheric elements and air pollution in Iran. The
2nd International Conference on Environmental sciences, 25 & 26 May 2016, Tehran, Iran.

Publication