Akihiko (Aki) Masuda
Professor of Psychology (Clinical Psychology)
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Aki's Lab
Program of Research
My Research program in Aki's lab (Hawai‘i Contextual Behavioral Science Lab) has three strategic foci, which all serve my primary aim of evaluating and refining the psychological flexibility model, a contextual behavioral science account of human conditions and behavior change. First, my research examines the applicability of psychological flexibility model to topographically diverse and relatively understudied problem areas, such as self-concealment, stigma, and disordered eating concerns. Second, I am extending the psychological flexibility model in theory and practice (e.g., acceptance and commitment therapy and process-based CBTs) to underrepresented populations and to the issues of cultural sensitivity/humility. Finally, for the past 10 years, I have focused on the synthesis of wisdom across different disciplines, more specifically, the assimilation/integration of empirical clinical psychology, eastern perspectives (Zen Buddhism), and multiculturalism in the context of behavioral health.
Current Projects
Native Hawaiian Behavioral Health and Wellbeing
In this ongoing project, we learn daily practice and resources that contribute to and promote optimal health and wellbeing among Native Hawaiians in Hawaiʻi, and explore the ways to incorporate them into the extant behavioral health services for Native Hawaiians.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Outcome and Process Investigations
This project includes a series of small treatment outcome studies for investigating the effects and processes of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on individuals with a range of behavioral health concerns.
Applicability of Psychological Flexibility Model to Socio-culturally Diverse and Understudied Populations
This project includes a series of cross-sectional investigations that examine the applicability of key concepts derived from the psychological flexibility model, such as mindful awareness and psychological inflexibility, to understudied issues or understudied populations of college students (e.g., sexual minorities, ethnic minorities).
Mental Health Help-Seeking Experiences and Attitudes towards Mental Health Issues
This project includes a series of cross-sectional investigations that examine various attitudes related to behavioral health, behavioral health help-seeking, and key individual difference variables in understudied populations of college students (e.g., sexual minorities, ethnic minorities).
Current Labbies
Duckhyun Jo, M.A.
Duckhyun is a fourth-year doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is broadly interested in understanding the complex, dynamical, and transdiagnostic function of psychological flexibility. To do so, he is interested in utilizing methodologies such as the item response theory and network analysis. He graduated from Korea University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Besides that, he spent more than five years in Sri Lanka, Laos, and Thailand working in the field of international development to fulfill the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Stephanie Lin, M.S.
Stephanie is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Studies Program at University of Hawaii at Manoa, studying under the supervision of Dr. Aki Masuda. She received her B.A. from San Jose State University, where she first learned about ACT from Dr. Jennifer Gregg. She then received her M.S. in Clinical Behavioral Psychology at Eastern Michigan University in 2020, under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas J. Waltz. Before coming to UH-Manoa, she worked as a TLLP providing care for underserved ethnic and gender minorities in the state of Michigan. Her research interests broadly include evaluating the application and implementation of Contextual Behavioral Science informed treatments (e.g., ACT and FAP) for individuals with chronic health conditions (e.g., eating disorders, cancer, and insomnia), while paying attention to different cultural variables that could mediate or moderate treatment outcomes. She also has interest in exploring community participatory methodologies to better capture and incorporate complexity and diversity into functional analysis-based treatment planning. Lastly, she is interested in developing skills in psychometric evaluation and development of assessment instruments used to measure ACT processes using confirmatory factor analysis and network analysis methods.
Former Labbies
Mary L. Hill, Ph.D.
Mary L. Hill, Ph.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders (CEED) and a licensed psychologist in North Carolina. She completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology under the supervision of Aki Masuda, Ph.D., at Georgia State University. Her clinical and research interests include treatment of individuals with eating disorders and PTSD using mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions. Mary also enjoys supervising trainees completing training with CEED’s inpatient eating disorders unit.
Samuel D. Spencer, Ph.D.
Born and raised in Minnesota, USA, I received a B.S. in psychology (2016) and an M.A. in clinical psychology (2018) from Minnesota State University, Mankato. I completed a Ph.D. in clinical psychology (2023) at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (UHM) under the supervision of Dr. Akihiko Masuda in the Hawaii Contextual Behavioral Science Lab. I completed my pre-doctoral internship at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences- OCD and Related Disorders Program at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas under the supervision of Dr. Eric Storch, where I also am currently completing a post-doctoral fellowship (anticipated completion: July 2024). My research interests broadly include acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), psychotherapy process and outcome research, psychometric investigation/longitudinal measurement of contextual behavioral science (CBS)-related constructs, historical and philosophical traditions of CBT and CBS, OCD, and misophonia. I am also a provisionally licensed psychologist in the state of Texas (full licensure anticipated: Fall 2024). In my clinical work, I utilize an empirically supported, process-based CBT framework and empathic therapeutic connection, along with a focus on cultural humility and competency, to assist individuals in overcoming suffering and pursuing values-based living. While I appreciate the broad utility of transdiagnostic, process based therapeutic approaches, much of my clinical expertise to date has focused on ACT for misophonia, exposure principles for anxiety disorders and OCD, and values-based behavioral activation for depression. Finally, I am clinical affiliate faculty in the Department of Psychology at UHM and continue to enjoy ongoing research collaborations with Aki and other HCBS labbies.
Ward Schaefer, Ph.D.
Ward Schaefer, PhD, is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in Primary Care/Health Psychology a Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, MN, where he also completed his predoctoral internship. Akihiko Masuda, PhD, supervised Ward's Master's thesis at Georgia State University, which compared the effects of brief mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal training on affect and attentional control. Ward completed his dissertation at GSU under the supervision of Erin Tone, PhD, and Wing Yi (Winnie) Chan, PhD, exploring the effects of a brief mindfulness intervention on interracial anxiety and avoidance behavior. His research interests have centered on the mechanisms of mindfulness-based interventions. Clinically, he enjoys working across a wide range of settings and populations, drawing primarily on ACT and DBT principles to inform his therapeutic approach.
Kayla Sargent, M.A.
Kayla Sargent received her M.A. in clinical neuropsychology from Georgia State University, where she developed a strong interest in contextual behavioral theories and approaches to treatment. She has contributed to several book chapters, manuscripts, and conference presentations under the supervision of Dr. Masuda and has a particular interest in research that investigates the influence of identity, stigma, and social context in behavioral health. She is currently on faculty at the Department of Psychological Science at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. Email: ksargen4@kennesaw.edu.
Hadrian Mendoza, M.D.
Dr. Hadrian Mendoza, a native of Atlanta, GA, is a resident physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with departmental distinction at Georgia State University and completed his medical education at Yale University, where he received a Hematology Opportunities for the Next Generation of Research Scholars (HONORS) research grant from the American Society of Hematology to investigate applications of B- and T-cell gene rearrangement analysis in the diagnosis of lymphoid neoplasms. Prior to residency at Yale, Dr. Mendoza completed an internship in Pediatrics at Emory University/Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. His clinical interests include diagnosis and management of myeloid malignancy across the lifespan and the transition of care from pediatric to adult specialty care in young people living with hematological disorders. Dr. Mendoza is an avid trumpet player with a particular interest in jazz, Latin, and commercial music. He has previous experience playing trumpet and flugelhorn professionally in the Southeast.
Makeda Moore, Ph.D.
Dr. Makeda Moore is currently self-employed as a Holistic Health and Life Coach. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biological Science at Georgia State University and went on to receive her doctorate in Clinical & Health Psychology from the University of Florida in 2021. Dr. Makeda is on a mission to heal and empower people of color through the power of meditation, spiritual connection, healthy lifestyle living, trauma processing, purpose finding, and African-centered psychotherapy. She recently relocated to the continent of Africa to expand her toolkit of ancestral healing practices for the mind, body and spirit. Her clinical and research interest revolve around the intersection of mental, physical, and spiritual health and the utilization of meditation and introspection in self discovery and emotional healing. You can learn more about her services and upcoming events by visiting DrMakeda.com.
Amar D. Mandavia, M.A., Ph.D.
Dr. Amar Mandavia is currently a Medical Informatics Postdoctoral Fellow at the Boston VA Healthcare system. He graduated summa cum laude from Georgia State University with a B.S. in Psychology and an M.A. in Clinical Psychology, with a concentration in research methodology, global mental health, and trauma, from Teachers College (TC), Columbia University. Dr. Mandavia completed his doctoral training in clinical psychology from TC and his predoctoral internship from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center at Harvard Medical School. His clinical expertise includes treatment of persistent and severe mental illness using evidence-based treatments, including third-wave behavioral and psychodynamic interventions. His primary program of research takes a critical approach to improving the measurement, classification, and identification of mechanisms implicated in adverse health outcomes across individual, interpersonal, and community levels. Dr. Mandavia's secondary line of research examines treatment components, mechanisms of change, and common factors in psychotherapeutic processes.
Lisa Nakamura, B.A., B.S.
Lisa earned her B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is currently a clinical psychology doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts Boston, working under the mentorship of Dr. Lizabeth Roemer. Lisa is interested in working towards reducing disparities in health among marginalized communities by exploring cultural adaptions of acceptance- and mindfulness-based therapies. She is particularly interested in examining how factors such as acceptance, mindfulness, self-compassion, and values-based living might promote well-being and resilience among individuals facing systemic oppression.
Tim Martin, M.A., M.T.S.
Timothy Martin is currently a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Science program at the University of Minnesota, Institute of Child Development. His research interests include developmental cognitive neuroscience and executive function. He is especially interested in educational practices and clinical interventions, such as self-reflection and mindfulness, which promote children’s cognitive functioning. His former research advisors include Dr. Akihiko Masuda of University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Dr. Ellen Langer at Harvard University, and Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier at Harvard Medical School. Prior to his studies at the University of Minnesota, Tim worked as a licensed professional counselor (LPCC) in New Mexico both in private practice and as the Director of Outpatient Services at Taos Behavioral Health.