Antonia Kaczkurkin
Assistant Professor of Psychology
S Family Dean Fellow
Antonia Kaczkurkin is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Vanderbilt University. She received her Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota. She completed her APA-accredited clinical internship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Kaczkurkin was funded by a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. Dr. Kaczkurkin is currently funded by a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the NIMH.
Dr. Kaczkurkin’s research focuses on understanding the neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to the etiology of internalizing disorders. She integrates multimodal measures such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), cerebral blood flow, brain anatomy, psychophysiology (e.g., electroencephalography (EEG), startle blink, skin conductance), and behavior to develop a comprehensive understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying anxiety and depressive disorders. Her research aims to:
1) Investigate abnormal brain anatomy and functioning in anxiety and depressive disorders.
2) Understand the neurobiological heterogeneity that exists within internalizing symptoms.
3) Apply our knowledge about these neurobiological differences to improve treatment outcomes.
Representative Publications
Top cited:
Lissek, S., Kaczkurkin, A. N., Rabin, S., Geraci, M., Pine, D. S., & Grillon, C. (2014). Generalized anxiety disorder is associated with overgeneralization of classically conditioned fear. Biological psychiatry, 75(11), 909-915.
Kaczkurkin, A. N., & Foa, E. B. (2022). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: an update on the empirical evidence. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.3/akaczkurkin
Xia, C. H., Ma, Z., Ciric, R., Gu, S., Betzel, R. F., Kaczkurkin, A. N., ... & Satterthwaite, T. D. (2018). Linked dimensions of psychopathology and connectivity in functional brain networks. Nature communications, 9(1), 3003.
Kaczkurkin, A. N., Burton, P. C., Chazin, S. M., Manbeck, A. B., Espensen-Sturges, T., Cooper, S. E., ... & Lissek, S. (2017). Neural substrates of overgeneralized conditioned fear in PTSD. American Journal of Psychiatry, 174(2), 125-134.
Full list through Google Scholar
Honors
2023 SRP Early Career Award, Society for Research in Psychopathology
2023 APF/MFP SEE-Diversity to Success Workshop Scholarship, American Psychological Foundation
2023 Provost’s Faculty Grant for Culminating Projects in Immersion, Vanderbilt University
2023 David H. and Beverly A. Barlow Grant, American Psychological Foundation
2023 BBRF Young Investigator Grant, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
2022 APS Janet Taylor Spence Award, Association for Psychological Science (APS)
2021 Junior Faculty Teaching Fellowship, Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt University
2020 Sloan Research Fellow, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
2020 APS Rising Star, Association for Psychological Science (APS)
2020 Alies Muskin Career Development Leadership Program (CDLP) Awardee, Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
2019 Society of Biological Psychiatry Domestic Travel Fellowship Award, SoBP
2018-2022 NIMH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (PI; grant number R00MH117274)
2018-2019 Career Development Institute Awardee, Career Development Institute for Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh