Mindful Moments Summer 2013 Newsletter Laboratory of Dr. Amishi Jha University of Miami

Welcome to our Summer 2013 visitors greeted, papers Newsletter! In the Jha Lab we published, and grants supported. investigate how the brain pays Our goal with this newsletter is to and how mental keep colleagues, friends, and training involving - supporters of the lab updated on based techniques may our scientific adventures. One of strengthen the brain’s attentional our recent successes was capacity. Summer is a time to completion of a 4-year project reflect, relax, and revive our involving mindfulness training in attention. As we, in the Jha Lab predeployment soldiers in Oahu, reflect on all of the events of the Hawaii, known as the STRONG past academic year, we are project. Read more about our filled with a sense of excitement current projects, presentations, Amishi with 3BCT Battalion Commanders from the STRONG Project at Schofield Barracks, Oahu, and gratitude for projects and activities below. Hawaii completed,

Building Contemplative Jha Lab mentioned during at the University of Miami US Congress’ Discussion By Amishi Jha on Healthcare In June 2013 we celebrated the move of our lab into our new home--the University of Miami’s new Neuroscience Building! This building was funded by a $14M NIH grant awarded to the Dept of to establish a state-of the art functional Congressman Tim Ryan (Ohio-D) neuroimaging Center. When I began my position as Associate Professor at the discussed the use of mindfulness-based University of Miami in the Fall 2010 I looked forward to this transition, and am so training for health care in Congress on gratified that the anticipation is over. I arrived from the University of Pennsylvania, June 26, 2013. He said, “They’re using where I was an Assistant Professor (2002-2010) at the Center for Cognitive mindfulness-based stress reduction Neuroscience. In tandem with developing our neuroimaging efforts here at UM, I because we now know, in 2013, given am passionate about expanding the research and practice of mindfulness on the all of the brain science, all of the UM Campus. The Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative (mindfulness.miami.edu) is the first step toward my goal of building a top-tier research that the neuroscientists have Institute for Mindfulness. The pairing of state-of-the art brain science with done all over the country and the contemplative training comprises the new field of contemplative neuroscience. world, Dr. Richard Davidson, at the This field investigates how mental training involving mindfulness and other University of Wisconsin, and Dr. Amishi completive practices may strengthen and optimize brain health and Jha at the University of Miami, all of the psychological well-being. We have received very generous support from Mrs. greatest institutions in the United States MariaKluge,Mr.AlanPotamkinandDr.BrigettRok,andMr.andMrs.Eduardoand and the scientists that run these labs, Anne Sardina to launch this initiative. With the funds that their gifts provide, we will that study the body, study the mind, be able to begin to engage in many innovative research projects. We thank them for their generosity! To learn more about supporting our fundraising efforts, as well they know that the future of health as naming opportunities please email [email protected]. care is self-care.”

Jha Lab Online Amishi presents at the World Economic Forum Amishi was invited to present at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2013. She gave a presentation on mindfulness and attention in the ‘Ideas Lab’ on healthy living. In addition, she participated in several panels including one on “what is special about humans” with NIH-director Francis Collins and Mattheiu Ricard. She also had productive meetings with Arianna Huffington on mindful leadership. Mindful Moments Summer 2013 Copyright Amishi P. Jha Page 2 A Mindful Miami! Mindfulness Training is taking root in Miami, with many events aimed at advancing and popularizing mindfulness training and research. In November 2012, at an event hosted by UM Trustee Stuart Miller, Amishi proposed a collaboration between the Jha lab and the Sylvester Cancer Center to investigate mindfulness training and pediatric cancer care. Amishi with UM Trustee Stuart Miller (L), Goldie Hawn and UM Dean Leonides Bachas Goldie Hawn spoke about the successes of the (Center), and UM School of Medicine Dean Pasqual Goldschmidt and Miami‐Dade School Superintended Alberto Carvahlo (R). Hawn Foundation to promote mindfulness in children. In May 2013, Congressman Tim Ryan visited Miami for the launch of the nonprofit organization Mindful Kids Miami (MKM). The Jha lab will be collaborating with this MKM to test the impact of mindfulness training on teachers ability to pay attention and regulate emotions, which are tied to reducing stress, reducing burnout, and improving job performance and satisfaction. Congressman Ryan and Amishi visited with University of Miami President and former Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Donna Shalala. Congressman Ryan’s book A Mindful Nation, features the Jha lab’sworkandsurveysthemanysectorsofUSSocietywhichutilize mindfulness for healthcare and education. Show on the Road!

In October 2012, Amishi participated in a roundtable discussion with many leaders in the field of mindfulness research during the 25th anniversary meeting of the Mind and Life Institute held in New York City. The discussion Lab research assistants Cristina Garcia and Nina Rostrup was attended by honored presented research on attention in high stress cohorts at guest and MLI board the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New member HH Dalai Lama. Orleans, LA. In addition, the lab conducted data collection How to best offer secular on soldiers for the STRONG project at Schofield Barracks in forms of mindfulness and Hawaii and in Fort Drum, NY. In addition to the work with compassion training and soldiers, the Jha lab has recently begun the STRONG how to best support Spouses project to offer mindfulness training to military scientists interested in spouses. Amishi described the project plans at the Army contemplative Family Resilience conference at Fort Drum in February, neuroscience were 2013. important themes of the discussion. (Top to bottom: Amishi with Cliff Saron and Jon Kabat-Zinn, HH Dalai Lama, in discussion with Richie Davidson and Thupten Jinpa, Amishi with Maria Kluge and Matthieu Ricard).

Mindful Moments Fall 2012/Winter 2013 Copyright Amishi P. Jha Page 3 Active Research Projects We are currently conducting several mindfulness training projects which are supported by $3.5 Million in funding from the Department of Defense, private foundations, and individual gifts. The broad aim of these projects is to determine if the mind can be trained to be more resilient, more attentive, and happier using mindfulness and compassion practices. The projects have involved soldiers, military spouses, ROTC cadets, and undergraduates. The data from these studies are suggesting that mindfulness training does indeed strengthen the brain’s ability to pay attention, regulate mood, and stay on task. The next phase of this research will involve investigating the structural and functional brain changes that come with mindfulness training in high stress populations.

Hot off the Press! Mindfulness Resources We have several new papers and chapters which Amishi’s article on Mindfulness describe our work in education and contemplative neuroscience. Visit amishi.com to obtain copies. Training is the cover story of the March 2013 issue of Scientific Davidson,R.,Dunne,J.,Eccles,J.S.,Engle,A., Greenberg, M., Jennings, P., Jha, A., Jinpa, T., American Mind. It provides an Lantieri, L., Meyer, D., Roeser, R. W., & Vago, accessible overview of the evidence D. (2012). Contemplative Practices and base for mindfulness training and Mental Training: Prospects for American guidance on how to get started with a Education. Child Development Perspectives. daily mindfulness practice. 6(2): 146-153. Books (with CDs for guided practice) Roeser, R. W., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Jha, A., • Mindfulness for Beginners, Jack Kornfield • Real Happiness, Sharon Salzberg Cullen, M., Wallace, L., Wilensky, R., Oberle, App for Your Smartphone E.,Thomson,K.,Taylor,C.,&Harrison,J. • “Headspace” (getsomeheadspace.com) (2013). Mindfulness Training and Reductions in Teacher Stress and Burnout: Results From Two Amishi’s Corner Randomized, Waitlist-Control Field Trials. Thank you for taking the time to read our Journal of Educational Psychology. Newsletter. We are very grateful for the support we have received to conduct this Morrison, A. B., & Jha, A. P. (forthcoming, 2014). research. Yet, there is so much more we are eager to do! Mindfulness, attention, and working memory. In Ostafin, B. D. (Ed.), Handbook of My lab aims to conduct research on topics Mindfulness and Self-Regulation. New York: that are at the intersection of being scientifically interesting and of importance Springer. for promoting social good. All of the large grants we have received from federally Jha,A.P.,Rogers,S.L.,&Morrison,A.B. funded sources have relied on (forthcoming, 2014). Mindfulness training in philanthropic donations and gifts to seed pilot research. As such, we ask you consider high stress professions: Strengthening supporting the next generation of our attention and resilience. In R. A. Baer (Ed.), research on topics of attention, Mindfulness-based treatment approaches: A mindfulness, and neuroscience. clinician’s guide (2nd ed.). San Diego: With deep gratitude, Elsevier.

Mindful Moments Summer 2013 Copyright Amishi P. Jha