I am a clinical psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. I received my PhD from Florida State University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Rochester with a focus on late life suicide. My research and clinical interests are in the promotion of social connectedness to prevent late-life suicide. I have published extensively on the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, which I helped develop, refine, and test. I have published over 50 peer reviewed publications, most of which are focused on the role of social connectedness in mental health and suicide risk. My research is funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Mental Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. My current and recent projects examine behavioral interventions to reduce suicide risk in older adults via the mechanism of increasing social connectedness. These interventions include psychotherapy, peer companionship, volunteering, and computer-based social skills training. I serve as the Associate Director for an NIMH T32 postdoctoral fellowship in suicide prevention research. I also maintain an active clinical practice providing evidence-based psychotherapy to older adults.