The UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology welcomed Christina Mueller, Ph.D., to the faculty as an assistant professor in February 2024.
Mueller earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Hull and a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southampton, both in the United Kingdom.
In 2015, she relocated to Birmingham to pursue a Ph.D. in Medical/Clinical Psychology. Following a predoctoral internship in the Behavioral Medicine/Rehabilitation track at the University of Washington in Seattle, she returned to UAB in 2021 to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Neurology.
Before pursuing a Ph.D., she gained valuable experience in home health care, assisting individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities in daily activities such as personal care, attending appointments, and managing household tasks. This work solidified her passion for a career dedicated to serving patients. Her background and interests in mental health and psychological research made the UAB Medical/Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program an ideal choice, providing opportunities to work with medical populations while conducting research on conditions at the intersection of mental and physical health.
Mueller shares her passion for advancing psychological research and clinical care and expresses excitement for her new role in the department.
What inspired you to pursue a career in this field?
Mueller: My deep curiosity about how humans think and make decisions drove my interest in clinical psychology. I am also passionate about applying this understanding to help individuals lead more fulfilling and healthy lives, which further motivated my decision to pursue a career in the field.
What is your main area of expertise, and what inspired your interest?
Mueller: I use advanced brain imaging techniques, including metabolic and diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), to gather detailed information about the brain’s microstructure and metabolite concentrations. This data can be used to develop and test novel psychological interventions. Brain imaging is particularly valuable because it can explore mental processes that lie beyond an individual’s conscious awareness.
What aspects of your new role here are you most excited about?
Mueller: I have submitted several funding applications to support a project that utilizes functional MRI to investigate cognitive and behavioral abnormalities in functional seizures (FS). FS, a subset of Functional Neurological Disorders (FND), is characterized by seizure-like episodes that are not caused by epileptic activity in the brain. These conditions remain under-researched and under-treated, making this work particularly impactful for both researchers and patients. UAB’s Interdisciplinary Functional Neurological Disorder Treatment Program, one of the few specialized FND treatment programs in the country, offers an excellent environment to conduct this research.
What are your goals for making an impact through both your teaching and patient care in this role?
Mueller: I aim to build a team of graduate students, postdocs, and others pursuing careers in psychology, psychiatry, and neuroimaging. Trainees will have the opportunity to gain experience in developing psychological interventions and conducting research projects utilizing neuroimaging techniques.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Mueller: I am open to research collaborations and clinical consultations.