Center for Spirituality and the Mind - Members

Andrew Newberg, MD
Principal Investigator
Andrew B. Newberg, MD, serves as Chairman of the Interdisciplinary Committee. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1993 and is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Nuclear Medicine. Dr. Newberg has been particularly involved in the study of mystical and religious experiences as well as the more general mind/body relationship in both the clinical and research aspects of his career. He has also co-authored three books entitled, Why We Believe What We Believe: Uncovering Our Biological Need for Meaning Spirituality and Truth, Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief and The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Belief that explore the relationship between neuroscience and spiritual experience. The last book received the 2000 award for Outstanding Books in Theology and the Natural Sciences presented by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. He currently teaches a course on Science and the Sacred in the Department of Religious Studies.
Nancy A. Wintering, MSW
Program Manager
Nancy A. Wintering, MSW, assistant to the Project Director is a clinical social worker who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice. Currently she works directly with Andrew Newberg, MD as a Clinical Research Monitoring Specialist. At the University of Pennsylvania she has worked in clinical research on genetics, addictions, psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders and diagnostic imaging. Key areas of inquiry: non-violent resistance to the Holocaust; understanding the role of spirituality and belief upon health; developing inclusive social networks with persons with disabilities; developing holistic approaches to health and education systems through an integration of east-west philosophies; evaluating the role of individual altruism and societal resistance and resilience in times of existential crisis. She serves on the Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of Special Education Advisory Panel for Least Restrictive Environments.
Center Fellows

Jay D. Amsterdam, MD
Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Depression Research Unit
Department of Psychiatry
UPenn School of Medicine

Lisa M. Lewis, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
University of Pennsylvania
School of Nursing
Div. of Family and Community Health

Ralph C. Ciampa, STM
Director, Department of Pastoral Care
and Education
University of Pennsylvania

Elizabeth R. Mackenzie, PhD
Senior Fellow
Writing Center
University of Pennsylvania
Associate Fellow
Institute on Aging, UPHS

Paul Crits-Christoph, PhD
Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry
Director, Center for Psychotherapy Research

Patrick E. McGovern, PhD
Adjunct Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Pennsylvania

Stephen Dunning, PhD
Professor of Modern Western Religious Thought
University of Pennsylvania

Robert M. Nelson, M.D., PhD
Associate Professor of Anesthesia and Pediatrics
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
UPenn School of Medicine

Martha J. Farah, PhD
Professor of Psychology
University of Pennsylvania
Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience

Ann Matter, PhD
Professor/Chair
Department of Religious Studies
University of Pennsylvania

John T. Farrar, MD, PhD
Board-certified in Neurology
Adjunct Asst. Professor of Epidemiology and Anesthesia

Albert Stunkard, MD
Professor of Psychiatry
Emeritus Director/Founder
Weight and Eating Disorders Program
UPenn School of Medicine

Ruben Gur, PhD
Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry
Director, Brain Behavior Laboratory

Raymond R. Townsend, MD
Professor of Medicine
Director, Penn Center for the Assessment & Treatment of Complex Hypertension

David Hufford, PhD
University Professor and Chair of Medical Humanities
Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies
University of Pennsylvania

Martin Seligman, PhD
Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology
University of Pennsylvania

Solomon Katz, PhD
Director, Krogman Center for Childhood Growth and Development
University of Pennsylvania

Paul Root Wolpe, PhD
Senior Fellow,
Center of Bioethics
Director, Psychiatry and Ethics Program
University of Pennsylvania
Associate Fellows

Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD
Board-certified in Anesthesiology
and Pain Management
Creighton University School of Medicine
Omaha, Nebraska

Mark R. Waldman, BA
University of California, Santa Cruz
Therapist in private practice,
Southern California

Contact:
Phone: (215) 614.0332
Email: mindreligion@uphs.upenn.edu