News & Events

Lab News

What is the Optimal Bin Size to Compute Physiological Linkage? Ask Ahria!

Ahria's work to determine the optimal bin size to compute physiological linkage in married dyads was highlighted in the 2024 SAS meeting poster sessions and later be selected to be included in Affective Science as a long abstract. Congrats, Ahria!

2024 SAS Symposium Featuring Recent Advances in Pyschological Linkage

Are you coming to the 2024 SAS (The Society for Affective Science) meeting in March? If so, come to the symposium chaired by Dr. Kuan-Hua Chen to learn more about how people's physiological responses become synchronized during social interactions! Other speakers include: Mr. Chen Erez (Bar-Ilan University), Ms. Olivia Jurkiewicz (UCSD), and Dr. Bob Levenson (UC Berkeley).

Paper published in Clinical Psychological Sciences 

Dr. Kuan-Hua Chen's paper, entitled "Interpersonal linkage in positive and negative emotional behaviors, emotional well-being, and physical functioning in dementia caregivers" has been published in APS journal Clinical Psychological Science! Click HERE to read! 


NIH Award to study synchrony between grandparents and grandchildren 

Dr. Kuan-Hua Chen and the lab have been awarded supplement support from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGHS) with $200K to study how grandparents' and grandchildren's emotions, physiology, and brains (EEG) are synchronized during dyadic interactions, and how this relates to child development, health, and risk of developing dementia and cognitive declines. 


NIA IMPACT Collaboratory Faculty Scholar

Dr. Kuan-Hua Chen has been awarded IMPACT Collaboratory Faculty Scholar.  Through this award, he will enhance relevant skills to conduct technology-centered and community-based pragmatic clinical trials that aim to optimize social connectedness and mitigate health declines in rural and urban aging Americans in their homes and other healthcare settings.

UNMC Diversity Research Award to study Rural Couples living with Dementia 

Dr. Kuan-Hua Chen and the lab have been awarded Diversity Research Award from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) with $100K for 2 years to study the relationships between social support and healthcare access, social connectedness, and health in persons with dementia and their spousal caregivers living in rural areas of the Nebraska and nearby states! 

Nebraska Banker Association Award to Study Brain-Body Interactions 

Dr. Kuan-Hua Chen and his collaborator Dr. Valia Gumenyuk have been awarded an Equipment Fund ($14,999) to enhance the UNMC MEG laboratory by purchasing a BIOPAC system to record autonomic nervous system responding during MEG scanning. This will allow the CHEN lab and other UNMC researchers to study brain-body interactions with excellent temporal and spatial precision! 

Past Events

2023 GSA Symposium Featuring Research Using Technology to Study Emotions in Older Individuals and Dyads

This November at the 2023 GSA (The Gerontological Society of America) meeting, we had a successful symposium chaired by Dr. Kuan-Hua Chen that featured recent research advances using technology to study real-world emotions and social behaviors in aging individuals and couples! Other speakers include: Dr. Casey Brown (Georgetown), Ms. Enna Chen (Stanford), Dr. Michael AuYeung (OHSU), and Dr. Bob Levenson (UC Berkeley).

2023 SAS symposium Featuring Recent Advances in Social and Emotional Aging

This April at the SAS (Society for Affective Science) meeting, we had a successful symposium (chaired by Dr. Kuan-Hua Chen and Dr. Bob Levenson) that features recent advances in social and emotional aging!  Other speakers include Dr. Casey Brown (Georgetown), Dr. Janelle Beadle (UNO), and Ms. Sangha Jeon (IC Irvine). 

2023 APS Symposium Featuring Recent Advances in Technology-based Health Science Research

This March at the APS (American Psychosomatic Society) meeting, we had a successful symposium (chaired by Dr. Kuan-Hua Chen and Dr. Joshua Novak) that features recent advances in technology-based health science research. Other speakers include Dr. David Newman (UCSF), Dr. Lüscher Janina (Swiss Paraplegic Research), and Dr. Stephanie Wilson (SMU).