Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Maria Kalantzis earned her B.S. in psychology and music from North Central College in 2020 and her M.A. in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State University (BGSU), where she developed a research program examining sociocultural and stress-related determinants of health behaviors. During her doctoral training at BGSU, she integrated clinical, research, and teaching experiences across behavioral medicine and health psychology. She has served as an Instructor of Record and mentor across institutions and has consulted on meta-analyses, helping train healthcare professionals to interpret and apply evidence-based research. Maria is currently completing her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship (Behavioral Medicine Track) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University under the mentorship of Dr. KayLoni Olson. Her work focuses on the intersections of food insecurity, cardiometabolic health, and stress-related processes, with an emphasis on developing multidimensional, time-sensitive assessments and interventions that reflect individuals’ lived experiences and broader structural influences on health. Her work has been recognized through competitive awards and fellowships, including being named a Karen Crawford Endowed P.E.O. Scholar, placing her among the top recipients nationally. She has also received honors for her contributions to research, teaching, and mentorship, including the Spotlight on a Mentor Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Returning to her hometown of Chicago, Maria will join Loyola University Chicago as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, where she will teach graduate courses, mentor doctoral students, and lead the Precision in Stress and Health Lab.