Undergraduate: B.S. Psychology, University of Georgia Graduate Program: M.S. Psychology (In Progress) Ph.D. Psychology (Expeected 2015) UGA Dept. of Psychology - Clinical Current research interests: My program of research involves investigating eating disorders and emotion regulation through the lens of neuropsychology and neuroimaging. Current behavioral models of affect regulation and disordered eating behavior posit that negative affect precedes binge eating and possibly purging behavior, which is reinforced by the subsequent reduction in negative affect. Currently, I am utilizing fMRI to investigate differences in prefrontal and mesolimbic system activation in response to food cues during stressful states in groups of eating disordered, obese, and healthy participants. I hypothesize that we will find neurological support for the affect regulation theory as it relates to binge eating behavior in bulimia nervosa. My future plans are to further test this model by investigating affect disturbance related to other eating disordered behaviors (e.g. purging) through the use of fMRI and ecological momentary assessment. I am also interested in investigating reward system functioning in individuals with comorbid eating pathology and substance abuse/dependence. View my CV Peer-Reviewed Publications: Stojek, M., Fischer, S., & Collins, B. (2010). Thinness and restricting expectancies mediate the influence of ethnic identity on bulimic symptoms.Personality and Individual Differences. 49(2), 102-106. Maples, J., Collins, B., Miller, J. D., Fischer, S., & Seibert, A. (2010).Differences Between Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism and Eating Disorders in Young Women. Eating Behaviors. 12(1), 83-85. Fischer, S., Settles, R., Collins, B., Gunn, R., Smith, G. T. (in press). The Role of Negative Urgency and Expectancies in Problem Drinking and Disordered Eating: Testing a Model of Co-Morbidity in Pathological and At-Risk Samples. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. In Press. Collins, B., Fischer, S., & Stojek, M. (Under Review). Thought Suppression Mediates the Relationship of Childhood Sexual Abuse to Bulimic Symptoms and Associated Self Harm and Alcohol Abuse. Abstracts / Conference Presentations: Collins, B., Brunell, A., Bentz, J., & Reeves, R. (2007). Self-Determination for Sexual Activity in Dating Relationships. Presentation at 2007 Annual Convention of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Georgia. Seibert, L. A., Fischer, S., Nazari, N., & Collins, B. (November, 2008).Personality and Emotion Regulation: Examining Relational Aggression and Behavioral Sequelae. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, Orlando, FL. Fischer, S., Seibert, A., Kuruvilla, R., & Collins, B. (November, 2008). The relationship of deliberate self harm and unwanted sexual experiences to alcohol abuse and bulimic symptoms. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, Orlando, FL. Stojek, M., Fischer, S. & Collins, B. (June, 2009). Impulsivity and Affect Regulation: Problem Drinking and Associated Behaviors in Young Adult Women. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, San Diego, CA. Fischer, S., Stojek, M., & Collins, B. (September, 2009). Trait Urgency Interacts with Incidences of Sexual Assault to Prospectively Predict Increases in Bulimic Symptoms. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Eating Disorders Research Society, Brooklyn, NY. Fischer, S., Stojek, M., & Collins, B. (November, 2009). Thinness and Restricting Expectancies Mediate the Relationship of Ethnic Identity and Bulimic Symptoms. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, NY, NY. Fischer, S., Stojek, M., & Collins, B. (November, 2009). Impulsivity and Drinking Motives in Young Adult Women. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, NY, NY. Symposium: Impulsivity and Compulsivity in Addictive Disorders; Discussant: Alan Marlatt Collins, B., Fischer, S., Stojek, M., & Peterson, C. M. (June, 2010). The interaction of thought suppression and sexual assault prospectively predicts increases in eating disorder symptoms across the first semester of college.Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy for Eating Disorders, Salzburg, Austria. Collins, B., Fischer, S., Stojek, M., & Peterson, C. M. (June, 2010). Thought suppression mediates the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and symptoms of bulimia nervosa. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Academy for Eating Disorders, Salzburg, Austria. Peterson, C. M., Fischer, S., Stojek, M., & Collins, B. (June, 2010). Thinness and Restricting Expectancies and Trait Urgency Prospectively Predict Increases in Restriction and Purging over the First Semester of College. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy for Eating Disorders, Salzburg, Austria. Stojek, M., Fischer, S., Collins, B., & Peterson, C. M. (June, 2010). Ethnic identity moderates the influence of trait anxiety on bulimic symptoms. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy for Eating Disorders, Salzburg, Austria. Stojek, M., Fischer, S., Collins, B., & Peterson, C. M. (June, 2010). A meta-analysis of personality trait differences in anorexia nervosa, anorexia nervosa binge purge subtype, and bulimia nervosa. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Academy for Eating Disorders, Salzburg, Austria. Fischer, S., Stojek, M., & Collins, B. (June, 2010). Trait urgency and sexual assault interact to prospectively predict increases in bulimic symptoms over one year. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Academy for Eating Disorders, Salzburg, Austria. Collins, B., & Fischer, S., (October, 2010). A Meta-Analysis of Response to Food Cues using fMRI. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Eating Disorder Research Society, Boston, Massachusetts.
