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Gretchen Brenes

Gretchen Brenes, PhD   Associate Professor   Biographical Sketch Dr. Brenes is currently an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Dr. Brenes completed her graduate training in clinical psychology with a specialty in aging at Washington University in St. Louis, followed by a NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. After completing her postdoctoral training, Dr. Brenes remained at WFUSM and received the Brooks Scholar in Academic Medicine. Dr. Brenes’ research interests include the treatment of late-life anxiety, impact of anxiety on physical health and disability, age differences in the presentation of anxiety, and comorbid psychiatric and physical diseases. Her work is funded by the NIMH. Department Name:   Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Office Phone:   (336) 716-1103 Fax:   (336) 716-6830 Email:   gbrenes@wfubmc.edu       Education     Postgraduate:   Washington University in St. Louis, M.A.     Washington University in St. Louis, Ph.D.       Internship:   James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital Tampa, FL       Postdoctoral Fellowship:   Wake Forest University School of Medicine       Research Interests     Treatment of late-life anxiety Impact of anxiety on disability and physical health Age differences in the presentation of anxiety Comorbid psychiatric and physical diseases Health promotion in older adults Women's Health       Relevant Publications     Brenes GA, Penninx BW, Judd PH, Rockwell E, Sewell DD, Wetherell JL. Anxiety, depression and disability across the lifespan. Aging Ment Health. 2008 Jan;12(1):158-63. Brenes GA. Free in PMC Anxiety, depression, and quality of life in primary care patients. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2007;9(6):437-43. Brenes GA, Knudson M, McCall WV, Williamson JD, Miller ME, Stanley MA. Age and racial differences in the presentation and treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in primary care. J Anxiety Disord. 2008 Oct;22(7):1128-36. Epub 2007 Dec 3. Elliott HW, Arnold EM, Brenes GA, Silvia L, Rosenquist PB. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder accommodations for psychiatry residents. Acad Psychiatry. 2007 Jul-Aug;31(4):290-6. Brenes GA, Kritchevsky SB, Mehta KM, Yaffe K, Simonsick EM, Ayonayon HN, Rosano C, Rubin SM, Satterfield S, Penninx BW. Scared to death: results from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2007 Mar;15(3):262-5. Brenes GA. Age differences in the presentation of anxiety. Aging Ment Health. 2006 May;10(3):298-302. Rapp SR, Feldman SR, Graham G, Fleischer AB, Brenes G, Dailey M. The Acne Quality of Life Index (Acne-QOLI): development and validation of a brief instrument. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2006;7(3):185-92. Rosenquist PB, Brenes GB, Arnold EM, Kimball J, McCall V. Health-related quality of life and the practice of electroconvulsive therapy. J ECT. 2006 Mar;22(1):18-24. Review. Brenes, G. A., Guralnik, J.M., Williamson, J., Fried, L.P., & Penninx, B.W.J.H. (2005). Correlates of anxiety symptoms in physically disabled older women. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 13. Brenes, G. A., Guralnik, J.M., Williamson, J., Fried, L.P., Simpson, C., Simonsick, E.M., & Penninx, B.W.J.H. (2005). The influence of anxiety in the progression of disability. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53, 34-39. Rapp, D.A., Brenes, G.A., Feldman, SR, Fleischer, AB, Jr, Graham, G.F., Dailey, M., & Rapp, S.R. (2004). Trait anger, acne, and quality of life: Implications for clinical care. British Journal of Dermatology, 151, 183-189. Mihalko, S., Brenes, G. A., Farmer, D., Katula, J., Balkrishnan, R., & Bowen, D. (2004). Challenges and innovations in enhancing adherence. Controlled Clinical Trials, 25, 447-457. Brenes, G. A. (2003). Anxiety and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Prevalence, impact, and treatment. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65 963-970. Brenes, G. A. (2003). Cognitive training may improve targeted cognitive functions in older adults. Evidence Based Mental Health, 6, 54. Brenes, G. A., Rapp, S. R., Rejeski, W.J., & Miller, M. (2002). Do optimism and pessimism predict physical functioning? Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 25, 219-231. Rapp, S. R., Brenes, G. A., & Marsh, T. (2002). Memory enhancement training for older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Aging and Mental Health, 6, 5-11. Brenes, G. A., Case, L. D., & Paskett, E.D. (2001). Actual vs. perceived risk of developing breast cancer. Clinical Journal of Women’s Health, 1, 132-138. Paskett, E. D., D’Agostino, R., Tatum, C., Velez, R., & Brenes, G. A. (2000). Colorectal cancer screening practices among low-income women. Clinical Journal of Women’s Health, 1, 3-9. Wilcox, S., Brenes, G. A., Levine, D., Sevick, M., Shumaker, S., & Craven, T. (2000). Factors related to sleep disturbance in older adults experiencing knee pain or knee pain with documented knee osteoarthritis. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 48, 1241-1251. Brenes, G. A., & Milo, K. M. (2000). A pregnant woman’s fear of her fetus: A case report. Psychosomatics, 41, 531-534. Brenes, G. A., & Paskett, E. D. (2000). Differences in colorectal cancer knowledge and beliefs by stage of adoption. Preventive Medicine, 31, 410-416. Brenes, G. A. & Skinner, C. S. (1999). Using the health belief model to predict stage of mammography compliance in middle-aged and older women. Journal of Women’s Health, 8, 1313-1321. Brenes, G. A., Strube, M. J, & Storandt, M. (1998). An application of the theory of planned behavior to exercise among older adults. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 28, 2274-2290. Research Funding Principal Investigator: Treatment of Late-Life Anxiety in Primary Care Settings Agency: NIMH Dates: 2004-2008 Principal Investigator: Nonpharmacological treatment of comorbid anxiety and hypertension in older adults Agency: General Clinical Research Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine Dates: 2005-2006 Co-Investigator: Memory training to enhance performance in older adults with mild cognitive impairment Principal Investigator: Janine M. Jennings, Ph.D. Agency: Wake Forest University School of Medicine Dates: 2003-2005 Co-Investigator: Research on Optimal Recovery Practices in Breast Cancer (RESTORE) Principal Investigator: Roger Anderson, Ph.D. Agency: Department of Defense Dates: 2001-2006