Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada 

Ph.D., Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Poland (partial studies: Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA) 

M.S., Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Poland (partial studies: Facultat de Psicologia, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain) 

Bio

Dr. Anna Rita Egbert is a psychologist who focuses on research in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. She received Ph.D. from the University of Warsaw while completing part of her studies at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA. She completed several fellowships, including postdoctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, AB, Canada; and Martinos Center, MGH / Harvard Medical School / MIT, Boston, MA, USA.

Dr. Egbert joined St. Josephs’ University New York as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology in 2022.

Scholarly & Professional Interests

Anna Rita Egbert, Ph.D.,  is a principal investigator at the The BRAID (Brain Resilience to Aging and Infectious Diseases) Lab at St. Joseph's University, New York. Her research in psycho-neuro-immunology focuses on determining factors that promote successful cognitive and brain aging as well as adverse factors that diminish resiliency to aging in marginalized groups, such as individuals that experience chronic stress related to stigma. Dr. Egbert’s research opens training opportunities for students, especially those interested in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (S.U.R.F.). Furthermore, Dr. Egbert provides service to the academic and scientific community by serving as a Co-Chair for the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) Social Media Committee (SMC).

Dr. Egbert’s pedagogical approach and mentoring activities are guided by the following tri-component philosophy:  

“Diversity and inclusion, which are the real grounds for creativity, must remain at the center of what we do”(Marco Bizzarri). Dr. Egbert aims at facilitating a diverse and inclusive educational environment so that her students can maximize their unique potential while embracing the differences of others. 

“Tell me and I forget; teach me and I remember; involve me and I learn”(Confucius; Benjamin Franklin). Dr. Egbert’s teaching activities emphasize “learning by doing”. Dr. Egbert prioritizes using active learning tools and encourages her students to take advantage of hands-on opportunities. 

“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”(Socrates). Dr. Egbert strives to inspire students to actively seek their own niche and guide them through a broad exploration of theory, clinical practice and their interests. Dr. Egbert believes that students should be able to make own choices in order to excel in their domains. 

Select Publications

EGBERT, A.R., Karpiak, S., Havlik, R., and Cankurtaran, S. (2022). Global epidemiology of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 111145:preprint online. 

EGBERT, A.R., Łojek, E., Biswal, B., Pluta, A., and Harmonia Group. (2021). The laminar pattern of resting state in human cerebral cortex. Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 76:8-16.

EGBERT, A.R., Cankurtaran, S., and Karpiak, S. (2020). Brain abnormalities in COVID-19 acute/subacute phase: A rapid systematic review. Brain, Behavior and Immunity. 89:543- 554.

Falck, R., Hsu, C.L., Best, J.R., Li, L.C., EGBERT, A.R., & Liu-Ambrose, T. (2020). Not Just for Joints: The Associations of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour with Brain Cortical Thickness. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 

EGBERT, A.R., Biswal, B., Karunakaran, K.D., Gohel, S., Pluta, A., Wolak, T., Szymańska, B., Horban, A., Firląg-Burkacka, E., Sobańska, M., Gawron, N., Bieńkowski, P., Sienkiewicz-Jarosz, H., Scińska-Bieńkowska, A., Bornstein, R., Rao, S.M., & Łojek, E. (2019). HIV Infection across Aging: Synergistic Effects on Intrinsic Functional Connectivity of the Brain. Progress in NeuroPsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 88:19-30. 

EGBERT, A.R., Biswal, B., Karunakaran, K.D., Gohel, S., Pluta, A., Wolak, T., Szymańska, B., Horban, A., Firląg-Burkacka, E., Sobańska, M., Gawron, N., Bieńkowski, P., Sienkiewicz-Jarosz, H., Scińska-Bieńkowska, A., Bornstein, R., Rao, S.M., & Łojek, E. (2018). Age and HIV Effects on Resting State of the Brain in Relationship to Neurocognitive Functioning. Behavioral Brain Research. 33:20-27.