Lynae Darbes

Biography

  PhD, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 2000 MA, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 1996 AB, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 1988 Education is about expanding students’ world-view and inspiring them to want to learn more.  Dr. Darbes’ intellectual mission as a psychologist/educator is to provide students an entrée into human behavior and its impact on physical health and well-being. For nursing and medical students and other health professionals, the goal is to highlight the crucial role that mental health and health behaviors play in the prevention and treatment of illness and promoting positive health.  For psychology students, the goal has been to provide a foundation in psychological theories and the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. Dr. Darbes’ teaching ranges from classroom instruction with undergraduate and graduate psychology students, formal  instruction of medical students and nursing students, to mentoring of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty in both research and clinical settings. What is consistent in these experiences is striving to support students in achieving their goals in the classroom and in practical experiences. 

Research Interest

Dr. Darbes’ research is anchored in the fields of heath psychology and behavioral medicine.  Specifically, her research examines how primary partners can influence health behaviors, which impacts one’s morbidity and mortality. For example, relationship factors such as intimacy and desired fertility are often factors that can strongly influence sexual behavior. She has conducted longitudinal investigations of relationship dynamics on sexual risk behavior and HIV testing, utilizing qualitative and quantitative methodologies, among heterosexual and gay male couples both domestically and internationally. Her work utilizes theoretically grounded approaches, incorporating social psychology, as well as classic concepts of health behavior change. Dr. Darbes’ research perspective is that our partners are not merely supporting us in an emotional sense, rather they are exerting powerful influences that can significantly impact on our health and well-being. Her goals include understanding how to leverage the power of relationships to intervene to improve mental and physical health outcomes.