Position
Academic Background
Sample Courses
Teaching Philosophy
Research & Interests
Notable Academic Appointments & Awards
Publication Highlights
Selected Scholarly Presentations

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Position            

• Associate Professor of Psychology

Academic Background      

• Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences - Doctor of Philosophy degree in Medical Psychology, 1991
• Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, 1981

Sample Courses Taught at Providence College   

• Introductory Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Research Methods
• Experimental Health Psychology (advanced course with lab)
• Drugs and Behavior
• Fundamentals of Research (Graduate Studies Program course)

Teaching Philosophy       

My goal in teaching is to inspire students to make the most of their educational opportunities and to embrace life-long learning.  As a health psychologist, I was taught to view health holistically. Health promotion must include efforts to optimize physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being.  I believe these holistic principles apply to the realm of undergraduate education as well.  I work not only to facilitate critical thinking and effective communication, but also to help students recognize how the content of a course is personally meaningful and relevant to them.  In classes like Health Psychology, this is relatively easy.  In the various Research Methods courses I teach it can be more challenging.  And yet, there is nothing more satisfying than sparking student interest in the process of research and discovery.  Very often this culminates in faculty-student research collaborations, and over the past five years I've had more than twenty students present research findings at scientific meetings such as the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association.  By using a variety of teaching strategies and constructing dynamic, interactive classes I believe I can help students develop not only an enthusiasm for learning but also a thirst for knowledge that will help them in their life-long quest for truth. 

Research & Interests               

My primary training is in the area of stress and health, and I continue to examine the varied ways that stress impacts physical and psychological well-being.  Many of my recent faculty-student collaborations have examined some dimension of the stress-health relationship. 

I have also recently become involved in research on the psychology of immunization.  Immunizations are one of the most important primary prevention efforts in global health promotion.  Yet fear and controversy regarding the safety of immunizations threatens to undermine the effectiveness of vaccine based prevention. A number of vaccines currently in development (e.g. HPV) will target adolescents and young adults.  I am interested in examining the role that psychological factors play in decisions whether or not to immunize. 

Finally, as a college professor I am very interested in issues of pedagogy.  As a member of the Committee for the Enhancement of Learning I worked to help establish the College's Center for Teaching Excellence.  I continue to examine strategies to make the teaching-learning process as meaningful and successful as possible.

Notable Academic Appointments and Awards

• Committee on Assessment Issues and Resources, 2004-2006.
• Boston University School of Public Health - Visiting lecturer: Epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases, 2004-2005.
• Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN) Grant; NIH funded grant to promote excellence in Biomedical Research in RI.  Mentors: Wayne Velicer and James Prochaska, Cancer Prevention Research Center, University of Rhode Island, 2001-2004.
• Best Teaching Poster: New England Psychological Association; In Class Replications as a Teaching Tool: An Example From Health Psychology. Presented at the annual meeting of the New England Psychological Association, Salem, MA, 2003.
• Providence College Committee on Academic Rank and Tenure (elected by faculty senate), Sept. 1999 - May 2002.
• Committee for the Enhancement of Learning (Providence College presidential appointment) 1993-1997.

Publication Highlights

• Krajewski, J.J., Hyde, M.S. & O'Keeffe, M.K. (2002).  "Teen attitudes toward individuals with mental retardation from 1987 to 1998: Impact of respondent gender and school variables."  Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 37, 27-39.
• O'Keeffe, M.K. & Baum, A. (1996) Perceptions of ecosystem health, stress, and human well-being. In R.T. DiGiulio & E. Monosson (Eds.) Interconnections between human and ecosystem health. London: Chapman & Hall.
• Breslin, F.C., Baum, A., O'Keeffe, M.K. & Burrell, L. (1995). The effects of stress and coping on daily alcohol use in women.  Addictive Behaviors, 20, 141-147.
• Baum, A., Breslin, F.C., O'Keeffe, M.K., Ratliff-Crain, J. & Burrell, L. (1994). The Daily Record Form: A brief measure of daily perceived stress and psychosomatic complaints. Anxiety, Stress and Coping: An International Journal, 7, 375-384.
• Fleming, I., O'Keeffe, M.K. & Baum, A. (1991). Chronic stress and toxic waste: The role of uncertainly and helplessness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 21, 1889-1907.
• Baum, A., O'Keeffe, M.K. & Davidson, L.M. (1990). Acute stressors and chronic response: The case of traumatic stress. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20, 1643-1654.
• O'Keeffe, M.K., Nesselhof-Kendall, S., & Baum, A. (1990). Behavior and the prevention of AIDS: Bases of research and intervention. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 16, 166-180.
• O'Keeffe, M.K. & Baum, A. (1990). Conceptual and methodological issues in the study of chronic stress. Stress Medicine, 6, 105-115.

Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities

• Andrade, L., Cardozo, J. & O'Keeffe, M. (March, 2006). Video Games, Stress, and Coping: Playing as Coping. Presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Baltimore, MD.
•  Collins, A., Page, K., & O'Keeffe, M. (March, 2006). To Nap or Not to Nap: It May Depend on Your Stress Level. Presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Baltimore, MD.
• Ford, F., Palmieri, T., Black, A., & O'Keeffe, M. (March, 2006) Effects of Food Commercials on Restrained and Non-restrained Eaters. Presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Baltimore, MD.         
• O'Keeffe, M., Kim, R., Folgo, A., Sherman, K., Musto, K. Gannon, L. & Paiva,  A. (August, 2005). Knowledge, Presentation, and Cost Affect Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Acceptance. Presented at the 2005  convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
• Rose, M., Barczak, K., Mirandi, M., & O'Keeffe, M. (October, 2004). Effects of Information and Body Dissatisfaction on Attitudes Towards Atkins-Type  Diets.  Presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the New England  Psychological Association, Providence, RI.
• O'Keeffe, M. (November, 2003) In Class Replications as a Teaching Tool: An Example From Health Psychology. Presented at the annual meeting of the New England Psychological Association, Salem, MA  (winner: Best teaching poster).
• O'Keeffe, M., Kim, R., Sherman, K., Gannon, L., & Musto, K. (July, 2003) Possible Predictors of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Acceptance Among Female College Students.  Presented at the RI BRIN Retreat and Bioinformatics Workshop, North Kingston, RI.
• O'Keeffe, M. & Eastwood, A. (August, 2000) Who got the shot? Meningitis inoculation predictors in college students. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C.

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