Kevin D. Wu, Profile
Photo by James Hohner, May 2014
I have been on the psychology faculty at NIU as part of the clinical psychology training program since 2005. Prior to that, in reverse chronological order:
* I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in anxiety disorders with Cheryl Carmin at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center (2004-2005)
* I completed my predoctoral clinical internship (focusing on anxiety disorders and the OCD Clinic) at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center (2003-2004)
* I completed my MA and PhD programs in clinical psychology with Lee Anna Clark and David Watson at the University of Iowa (1997-2003)
* I worked as a mental health technician at St. John's - Macomb Hospital in Warren, MI (1995-1997)
* I spent just under a year in a post-baccalaureate training program in the Department of Sociology at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI (1995-1996)
* I completed a BS in psychology at the University of Michigan (1991-1995)
* I grew up in Warren, MI, living there until 1991, when I was 18 years old
I appreciate and value my roles as a researcher and educator, and frankly have spent the majority of my adult life engaged in their pursuit. My wife, Angela, is a psychologist who studies behavioral neuroscience, so the psychology conversation spills over to dinner time. On the pages of this website, the reader should take away a good sense of what I focus on and how I approach that work. My curriculum vitae is available as a PDF at the bottom of this page. Below, let me provide a bit of personal information.
When not working [edit as of 2015: raising our son], we spend time with our families (who are mainly in Chicago and Detroit but are scattered from California to New York, and increasingly, Florida), camping with our hardier friends (typically in Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, or Ontario, Canada; the above picture was taken during a hike in Zion National Park in Utah), gardening in our backyard, and trying to stick to an exercise regimen. We used to be TV fans, but now are limited mainly to episodes of "Paw Patrol" and "Thomas the Tank Engine." In terms of hobbies, I have two passions: Music and Sports. Regarding the former, I have played the guitar (poorly) since I was 16 years old, once dreaming of making it big as a rock star. I still like to get together with more musically-accomplished friends who indulge me by covering 1980s heavy metal tunes, but alas, the waist-length hair and dreams of joining Iron Maiden are gone. Regarding sports, most people who know me even casually know of my lifelong investment in Michigan football. I have lived and breathed M GO BLUE since I was 8 years old, as do my father, sister, and several UM alum friends. It’s not always the healthiest outlet when they lose -- which is altogether too often -- but some things are just in your blood, right? All hail Harbaugh. Sort of. Basketball merely is entertainment compared to football, but I get caught up in the Big Ten and NCAA basketball tournaments when my Wolverines are playing well. Being from Metro Detroit, I also get excited come NHL playoff time since my Red Wings were perennial contenders for the Stanley Cup from the mid-1990s until around 2010; during the past several years, however, summer has started early and they appear to be in total rebuild mode. But, there's a new stadium. The Detroit Lions and Tigers are usually interesting, if not maddeningly frustrating (worst NFL Draft picks ever? Maybe Oakland or Cleveland fans have an argument.). Neither team seems to be able to get over the hump. I've never been much of a Pistons fan, but ESPN's 30 for 30 on the "Bad Boys" gave even me a small shot of Detroit pride. Overall, I try to live a balanced life, one in which my drive to achieve professionally is tempered by the overriding importance of family, friends, physical and mental health, and plain old happiness. I think this perspective is the one I bring to work each day, and to my interactions with colleagues and students. I try to avoid getting too high or too low. I have been very fortunate to have worked with talented professionals and good people who helped extend the lessons I learned from my family about balance. Over a decade now, I have found NIU to be a great place to play this out.
* I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in anxiety disorders with Cheryl Carmin at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center (2004-2005)
* I completed my predoctoral clinical internship (focusing on anxiety disorders and the OCD Clinic) at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center (2003-2004)
* I completed my MA and PhD programs in clinical psychology with Lee Anna Clark and David Watson at the University of Iowa (1997-2003)
* I worked as a mental health technician at St. John's - Macomb Hospital in Warren, MI (1995-1997)
* I spent just under a year in a post-baccalaureate training program in the Department of Sociology at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI (1995-1996)
* I completed a BS in psychology at the University of Michigan (1991-1995)
* I grew up in Warren, MI, living there until 1991, when I was 18 years old
I appreciate and value my roles as a researcher and educator, and frankly have spent the majority of my adult life engaged in their pursuit. My wife, Angela, is a psychologist who studies behavioral neuroscience, so the psychology conversation spills over to dinner time. On the pages of this website, the reader should take away a good sense of what I focus on and how I approach that work. My curriculum vitae is available as a PDF at the bottom of this page. Below, let me provide a bit of personal information.
When not working [edit as of 2015: raising our son], we spend time with our families (who are mainly in Chicago and Detroit but are scattered from California to New York, and increasingly, Florida), camping with our hardier friends (typically in Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, or Ontario, Canada; the above picture was taken during a hike in Zion National Park in Utah), gardening in our backyard, and trying to stick to an exercise regimen. We used to be TV fans, but now are limited mainly to episodes of "Paw Patrol" and "Thomas the Tank Engine." In terms of hobbies, I have two passions: Music and Sports. Regarding the former, I have played the guitar (poorly) since I was 16 years old, once dreaming of making it big as a rock star. I still like to get together with more musically-accomplished friends who indulge me by covering 1980s heavy metal tunes, but alas, the waist-length hair and dreams of joining Iron Maiden are gone. Regarding sports, most people who know me even casually know of my lifelong investment in Michigan football. I have lived and breathed M GO BLUE since I was 8 years old, as do my father, sister, and several UM alum friends. It’s not always the healthiest outlet when they lose -- which is altogether too often -- but some things are just in your blood, right? All hail Harbaugh. Sort of. Basketball merely is entertainment compared to football, but I get caught up in the Big Ten and NCAA basketball tournaments when my Wolverines are playing well. Being from Metro Detroit, I also get excited come NHL playoff time since my Red Wings were perennial contenders for the Stanley Cup from the mid-1990s until around 2010; during the past several years, however, summer has started early and they appear to be in total rebuild mode. But, there's a new stadium. The Detroit Lions and Tigers are usually interesting, if not maddeningly frustrating (worst NFL Draft picks ever? Maybe Oakland or Cleveland fans have an argument.). Neither team seems to be able to get over the hump. I've never been much of a Pistons fan, but ESPN's 30 for 30 on the "Bad Boys" gave even me a small shot of Detroit pride. Overall, I try to live a balanced life, one in which my drive to achieve professionally is tempered by the overriding importance of family, friends, physical and mental health, and plain old happiness. I think this perspective is the one I bring to work each day, and to my interactions with colleagues and students. I try to avoid getting too high or too low. I have been very fortunate to have worked with talented professionals and good people who helped extend the lessons I learned from my family about balance. Over a decade now, I have found NIU to be a great place to play this out.
| wucv.pdf |
