Roles
Licensed Psychologist/Assistant Professor
Director of Behavioral Health Services in Division of Laparoendoscopic and Bariatric Surgery in the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery
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Biography
Dr. Gazabon earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Florida in 1998. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Rhode Island and as part of her doctorate actively participated in research at the Cancer Prevention Research Center under the guidance of James Prochaska, Ph.D, leader in development of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change. She completed an APA accredited internship in Behavioral Medicine at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, specializing in the psychiatric treatment of patients with adjusting to spinal cord injury and cancer. She completed a two-year research fellowship at the Behavioral Medicine Research Center, University of Miami, Department of Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Micheal Antoni. During her fellowship, she worked along-side Drs. Neil Schneiderman and Micheal Antoni in development of clinical trials and application of the Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM) Group intervention with HIV and cancer patients. As part of her initial faculty appointment at University Department of Psychiatry in 2009, she worked with HIV positive individuals, including newly diagnosed HIV positive pregnant women assisting at developing culturally sensitive psychological interventions to assist women in managing health as well as stress and psychiatric co-morbidities. Currently, Dr. Gazabon practices as a Clinical Psychologist at UHealth Bariatric Specialists collaborating with world-renowned bariatric surgeon Dr. Nestor F. De La Cruz-Munoz, Chief Division of Laparoendoscopic and weight loss surgery, Associate Professor at UMMSM. As part of U-Health Bariatric multidisciplinary team since 2015, Dr. Gazabon has gained extensive experience in conducting assessments and interventions with patients struggling with obesity for the purpose of providing psychological clearance of patients considering weight loss surgery and requiring psychiatric follow-up. -
Education & Training
Education
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Research Interests
Dr. Gazabon's research interests and publications are in the areas of pre-natal depression among HIV+ pregnant women, applying the Stages of Change Model to adults adjusting to illness, behavioral management & stress responses with regard to heath management, and applying CBSM group interventions to adults.
As a health psychologist trained by leaders in the area of health behavior change, Dr. Gazabon has developed the clinical and research skills necessary to establish a solid career path in the field of Bariatric Psychology and weight management. Dr. Gazabon's research interests include continued work in the understanding of psychological factors associated with obesity and long-term weight management, specifically 1) identifying psychological predictors of weight loss and weight regain 2) developing culturally sensitive interventions for bariatric patients at the pre and post-operative phase of treatment 3) addressing the psychological risk factors associated with lack of long-term follow-up 4) continued collaboration with the bariatric surgery medical team by providing education on the psychological aspects of individuals struggling with obesity. -
Publications
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