Anu Asnaani, PH.D.

Research Interests

Dr. Asnaani's research interests fall under several broad categories:

1. Understanding mechanisms that maintain and underlie meaningful change in fear-based disorders (anxiety disorders, OCD and PTSD) (Mechanisms of interest include: emotion regulation, anxiety sensitivity/distress tolerance, resilience, cultural values/systems, psychophysiology)

2. Improving outcomes that matter to diverse communities and working with individuals who represent a wider range of cultural groups both locally and globally (Outcomes of interest include: quality of life, functional impairment, employment, school attendance, interpersonal conflict, anger management)

3. Leveraging the use of technology and other modern advancements as a way to be innovative in our approaches to assessment and targeting of underlying mechanisms of evidence-based treatments (Technology innovations include use of: smart technology, mobile and wearable devices, ambulatory measurement tools, iterative and agile study approaches)
   
   

Opportunities for Students

As the Director of the TCT Lab, I’m excited to prioritize training opportunities for students across various levels of training (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and doctoral candidates) to provide a range of research and clinical experiences for those who are interested in joining my lab. I highly value the role of mentorship, support and collaboration with students to help them reach and exceed their potential by providing a space to explore their own unique career paths and pursuits.

Students can expect to be involved in all aspects of the projects the TCT lab is currently engaged in, including building high proficiency in basic experimental skills, learning robust study design, forming and applying critical thinking for different study approaches in the lab and community, garnering exposure to large-scale studies and regulatory processes that surround them, becoming familiar with how to apply for intramural and extramural funding for research ideas, and being well-versed in identifying, assessing and providing effective interventions for a range of anxiety-based disorders. In particular, given the multipronged projects of this lab, individuals interested in doing either primarily community-based research or those wanting to learn more lab-based skills and methodologies will have a space here. 

*Please note: I do plan on accepting doctoral applications for those applying in the 2025-2026 application cycle (i.e., I currently plan to take on new doctoral students looking to start in the Fall of 2026). Please note I am currently on sabbatical and therefore I won't be able to respond to your individual requests for meetings or information until shortlist applicant decisions go out in the end of December 2025/early January 2026. Please check out my lab website for more info on my lab and what we do.

**In addition, I will not be accepting any paid or volunteer research assistants for the 2025-2026 academic year while I am on sabbatical. All inquiries regarding undergraduate research assistantships for the following academic year (2026-2027) should be directed to our lab email (empowerlabu@gmail.com) with your CV and statement of interest into our lab so that we can place you on our waitlist. We will not be able to respond to your individual requests. 

Education

B.Sc., Brown University, 2007
Ph.D., Boston University, 2013

Selected Publications

* Indicates Corresponding/Senior Author on publication

** Indicates Co-First Authorship on publication

Asnaani, A., Brown, L., Ghafoori, B., Gutierrez Chavez, M., & Zoellner, L. (in press). Taking our efficacious treatments for PTSD beyond the bedside: Exploration of successes and challenges in training community and lay providers across the globe. Journal of Traumatic Stress.

Saraiya, T., Prakash, K., Asnaani, A., Minty, S., & Contractor, A. (in press). Traumatic stress in the South Asian Diaspora: State of the science & future directions. Journal of Traumatic Stress.

Kaur, K., Lohani, M., Williams, P. & Asnaani, A.* (in press). A Person-Specific Emotion Regulation Flexibility framework: Taking an integrative approach. Emotion Review.

Asnaani, A. & Norasakkunkit, V. (in press). Cultural shaping of social anxiety. Invited Chapter in P. DiBartolo & S.G. Hofmann (Eds.), Social Anxiety: Clinical, Developmental, and Social Perspectives (4th ed.). Elsevier.

Gutierrez Chavez, M., Baucom, K.J.W., Sanchez-Birkhead, A., Villalta, J.,  Carbajal-Salisbury, S., Zavala Gonzalez, N., Tatarevic, L., & Asnaani, A.* (2025). Questioning the status quo: Latino community members as researchers in the study of health equity. Psychotherapy, 62(3), 326-336.

Kaur, K., Asnaani, A., Levy, H.C., Miller, M.L., Tolin, D.F., & Mclean, C.P. (2024). Moving beyond symptom reduction: A meta-analysis on the effect of exposure therapy for PTSD on quality of life. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 80, 2134–2146.

Tanguy, W., Kaur, K., & Asnaani, A.* (2024). Using a transdiagnostic approach to examine the association among internalizing symptoms, emotion regulation and distress tolerance. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 15(2), 1-17. 

Asnaani, A. (2023). What role can (and should) clinical science play in promotingmental health care equity? American Psychologist, 78(9), 1041-1054.

Asnaani, A. (2023). A Cultural Humility and Social Justice Approach to Psychotherapy: Seven Applied Guidelines for Evidence-Based Practice. Oxford University Press: New York, NY.

Asnaani, A., Gutierrez Chavez, M., Samuel, R., Pham, A., & Charlery White, S.R. (2023). The impact of a brief training on implementation of evidence-based strategies for trauma by mental health providers and stakeholders in the Caribbean within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 13(1), 40-48.

Contractor, A. A., Raifuddin, H., Kaur, K., & Asnaani, A. (2023). Asian Indians in the United States and posttraumatic stress disorder interventions: A narrative review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(4), 2395–2411.

Asnaani, A., Gutierrez Chavez, M., & Kaur, K. (2022). Ensuring interdisciplinary partnerships and commitment to Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS) principles among diverse scholars who serve diverse communities. Journal of  Contextual Behavioral Science,  24, 96–101.

Asnaani, A., Sanchez-Birkhead, A., Kaur, K., Mukundente, V., Napia, E., Tavake-Pasi, F., Villalta, J., Lee, D., Stark, L., Brown, H., & Crowell, S. (2022). Utilizing community partnerships to devise a framework for cultural adaptations to evidence-based mental health practice in diverse communities. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 29(4), 831–845.  Kaur, K., Gutierrez Chavez, M., Tacana, T., Sanchez-Birkhead, A., Mukundente, V.,

Napia, E.E., Tavake-Pasi, F., Villalta, J., Lee, D., Sunada, G., Stark, L., Crowell, S., & Asnaani, A.* (2022). Applying best practices for health disparities work to create a treatment adaptation framework for culturally diverse communities: A mixed-methods approach. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 90(10), 734–746.

Gutierrez Chavez, M., Kaur, K., Baucom, K. J. W., Sanchez-Birkhead, A., Sunada, G., Mukundente, V., Tavake-Pasi, F., Napia, E., Villalta, J., & Asnaani, A.* (2022). Developing an equitable intervention approach for communities of color: Mental   health and co-occurring physical health concerns in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 12(9), 919–926.

Asnaani, A., Majeed, I.M., Kaur, K., & Gutierrez Chavez, M. (2022). Diversity and Cultural Perspectives in Psychology. Invited Chapter in Comprehensive Clinical Psychology (Editor: Gordon Asmundson), 2nd Ed: Elsevier.

Kaczkurkin, A.N., Brown, L., Simon, S., & Asnaani, A.* (2022). The relationship between cultural self-construal and social anxiety symptom severity in a clinical sample of treatment-seeking patients. Transcultural Psychiatry, 59(6), 878-888.  Tyler, J., Mu, W., McCann, J., Belli, G., & Asnaani, A.* (2021). The unique contribution of perfectionistic cognitions in predicting anxiety disorder symptoms in a treatment-seeking sample. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 50(2), 121-137.

Asnaani, A., Tyler, J., McCann, J., Brown, L., Zang, Y. (2020). Anxiety sensitivity and emotion regulation as mechanisms of successful CBT outcome for anxiety-related disorders in a naturalistic treatment setting. Journal of Affective Disorders, 267, 86–95.

Asnaani, A., Charlery White, S.R., & Phillip, T.-M. (2020). Mobilizing mental health training efforts to align with advocacy for disenfranchised groups in global contexts: Trauma-related training in the Caribbean as an example. The Behavior Therapist, 43(7), 254-260.

Asnaani, A., Narine, K., Suzuki, N., Zang, Y., Schwartz, B., Yeh, R., Mannarino, A., Cohen, J., & Foa, E.B. (2020). Integration of technology to enhance screening of pediatric PTSD: Results from a study in primary care community settings. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. 

Asnaani, A., Charlery White, S.R., Majeed, I., & Phillip, T.-M. (2020). Trauma education and stigma reduction in global settings: An evaluation of the impact of a one-day trauma psychoeducation workshop with community stakeholders in the Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 2255.

Asnaani, A., Benhamou, K., Kaczkurkin, A.N., Turk-Karan, E., & Foa, E.B. (2020). Beyond the constraints of an RCT: Naturalistic treatment outcomes for anxiety-related disorders. Behavior Therapy, 51, 434-446.

Asnaani, A., Kaczkurkin, A., Fitzgerald, H., Jerud, A., & Foa, E.B. (2020). The association between cognitive coping strategies and treatment outcomes in smokers with PTSD. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 12, 92-100.

Kaczkurkin, A.N., Fitzgerald, H., Tyler, J., & Asnaani, A.* (2018). The contribution of anxiety sensitivity to obsessive-compulsive and anxiety symptoms in a naturalistic treatment setting. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 42,  661-673.

Asnaani, A., Gallagher, T., & Foa, E.B. (2018). Evidence-based protocols: Merits, drawbacks, and potential solutions. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 25, 1-13.

Foa, E.B., Asnaani, A.**, Zang, Y., Capaldi, S., & Yeh, R. (2018). The Child PTSD Symptom Scale for DSM-5 (CPSS-5): Psychometric Properties of Interview, Self-Report, and Screening Versions. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 47, 38-46.

Asnaani, A., Kaczkurkin, A., Alpert, E., McLean, C.P., Simpson, H.B., & Foa, E.B. (2017). The effect of treatment on quality of life and functioning in OCD. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 73, 7-14.

Asnaani, A., & Hall-Clark, B. (2017). Recent developments in understanding ethnocultural and race differences in trauma exposure and PTSD. Current Opinion in Psychology, 14, 96-101. Asher, M., Asnaani, A., & Aderka, I. (2017). Gender differences in social anxiety disorder: A review. Clinical Psychology Review, 56, 1-12.

Asnaani, A., Kaczkurkin, A., Tannahill, H., & Fitzgerald, H. (2016). Moderators of change in social anxiety during CBT in a transdiagnostic, naturalistic treatment-seeking sample. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 7, 655-670.

Asnaani, A., McLean, C.P., & Foa, E.B. (2016). Updating Watson & Marks (1971): How has our understanding of the mechanisms of extinction learning evolved and where is our field going next? Behavior Therapy, 47, 654-668.

Kaczkurkin, A.N., Asnaani, A., Hall-Clark, B., Peterson, A.L., Yarvis, J.S., Foa, E.B., & the STRONG STAR Consortium (2016). Ethnic and racial differences in clinically relevant symptoms in active duty military personnel with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 43, 90-98.

Kaczkurkin, A.N., Asnaani, A., Zhong, J., & Foa, E.B. (2016). The moderating effect of state anger on treatment outcome in female adolescents with PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 29, 325-31.

Asnaani, A., Alpert, E., McLean, C.P., & Foa, E.B. (2015). Resilient but addicted: The impact of resilience on the relationship between smoking withdrawal and PTSD. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 65, 146-153.

Asnaani, A., Aderka, I.M., Marques, L., Simon, N., Robinaugh, D.J., & Hofmann, S.G. (2015). The structure of feared social situations among race-ethnic minorities and Whites with social anxiety disorder in the United States. Transcultural Psychiatry, 52, 791-807.

Asnaani, A., Reddy, M.K., & Shea, M.T. (2014). The impact of PTSD symptoms on physical and mental health functioning in returning veterans. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28, 310-317.

Asnaani, A., Rinck, M., Becker, E., & Hofmann, S.G. (2014). The effects of approach-avoidance modification on social anxiety disorder: A pilot study. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 38, 226-238.

Asnaani, A., Sawyer, A.T., Aderka, I.M., & Hofmann, S.G. (2013). Effect of suppression, reappraisal, and acceptance of emotional pictures on acoustic eye-blink startle magnitude. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 4, 182-193.

Asnaani, A., & Hofmann, S.G. (2012). Collaboration in culturally responsive therapy: Establishing a strong therapeutic alliance across cultural lines. Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session, 68, 187-197.

Chou, T., Asnaani, A., & Hofmann, S.G. (2012). Perception of racial discrimination and psychopathology across three U.S. ethnic minority groups. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 18, 74-81.

McLean, C., Asnaani, A., Litz, B., & Hofmann, S.G. (2011). DSM-IV anxiety disorders across gender: Results from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45, 1027-1035.

Asnaani, A., Richey, J.A., Dimaite, R., Hinton, D.E., & Hofmann, S.G. (2010). A cross-ethnic comparison of lifetime prevalence rates of anxiety disorders. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 198, 551-555.

Hofmann, S.G., Asnaani, A., & Hinton, D.E. (2010). Cultural aspects in social anxiety and social anxiety disorder. Depression and Anxiety, 27, 1117-1127.

Asnaani, A., Gutner, C.A., Hinton, D.E., & Hofmann, S.G. (2009). Panic Disorder, panic attacks, and panic attack symptoms across race-ethnic groups: Results of the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 15, 249-254.