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Fellowship Start Year

2014

Status

Alumni

Research Topic

Neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to the etiology of anxiety disorders

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Antonia “Toni” Kaczkurkin

She/Her
Perelman School of Medicine

Bio

Dr. Antonia “Toni” Kaczkurkin is an accomplished clinical psychologist and researcher, currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Vanderbilt University. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Minnesota, where her dissertation focused on the contribution of fear conditioning to pathological anxiety. Following her doctoral studies, Dr. Kaczkurkin completed an APA-accredited clinical internship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

As a Provost Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Kaczkurkin was mentored by Dr. Edna Foa and Dr. Theodore Satterthwaite. During her fellowship, she was funded by a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. Her research at Penn focused on understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying anxiety and depressive disorders, utilizing multimodal measures such as fMRI, EEG, and psychophysiology to investigate abnormal brain anatomy and functioning.

Dr. Kaczkurkin’s work aims to uncover the neurobiological heterogeneity within internalizing symptoms and apply this knowledge to improve treatment outcomes. Her research has been widely recognized, earning her several prestigious awards, including the SRP Early Career Award and the APS Janet Taylor Spence Award. Dr. Kaczkurkin continues to make significant contributions to the field of psychology, advancing our understanding of mental health disorders and their treatment.

Postdoc Appointment

Department
  • Psychiatry
Penn Faculty Mentor
  • Edna Foa, Ph.D.
  • Theodore Satterthwaite, MD

Education

Degrees
  • 2014, PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
  • 2011, MA, Clinical Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
  • 2008, BA, Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Disertation Title

The contribution of fear conditioning to pathological anxiety: an investigation of conditioned fear generalization in OCD Traits and PTSD

Research Advisors
  • Shmuel Lissek, PhD