Rate My Professor James Loveless

James Loveless is an associate professor of psychology at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), where he has served since August 2019, initially as an assistant professor before earning tenure and promotion. He directs the Clinical Psychology Master's Program, advises graduate students in the health specialization area of clinical psychology, and serves as a scientist member on the Institutional Review Board. Loveless earned his Ph.D. in Health Psychology from East Carolina University in 2017 with an emphasis in clinical health from an APA-accredited program, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from East Carolina University in 2015, an M.Ed. in Counselor Education from Clemson University in 2011, and a B.S. in Psychology from Clemson University in 2009 with summa cum laude honors. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Behavioral Medicine at the University of Virginia in 2019 and holds a Tennessee Psychologist - Health Services Provider license (License #P0000003681). He also serves as Adjunct Graduate Medical Faculty at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, instructing psychiatry residents on clinical interviewing and evidence-based psychotherapies for adult psychopathology and health behavior change.

Loveless's research specializes in cardiovascular psychophysiology, exploring relationships between cardiovascular functioning and psychological and behavioral phenomena related to emotion processing, sleep, and treatment adherence. His investigations include blood pressure-associated emotional dampening and trait empathy, heart rate variability and emotion regulation, personality traits and CPAP adherence in sleep apnea, and behavioral medicine interventions. Key publications include "Linking blood pressure-associated emotional dampening to trait empathy" (Loveless et al., 2023, Perceptual & Motor Skills), "Implementing a workflow-integrated motivational interviewing training program for psychiatry trainees on an inpatient consultation-liaison rotation" (Loveless et al., 2023, Frontiers in Psychiatry), "An innovative model of behavior management to address behavioral emergencies in the acute medical inpatient setting: Pilot data" (Yost et al., 2022, Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings), "The successful treatment of insomnia for a patient with a complex neurological history" (Loveless et al., 2020, Clinical Case Studies), and "Exploring the relationship between emotional dampening and frontal asymmetry" (Loveless et al., 2018, International Journal of Psychophysiology). He has received the Phi Kappa Phi Influential Faculty Award in 2023 and the East Carolina University Psychology Department Doctoral Student Award for Excellence in Research. Loveless teaches courses including Health Psychology, Behavioral Medicine Theory and Application, Issues and Ethics in Mental Health Services, and Interviewing and Interventions. Students under his mentorship have won top honors at the Tennessee Psychological Association conference.