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Assistant Professor
Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School
I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
OMB No. 0925-0001 and 0925-0002 (Rev. 10/2021 Approved Through 09/30/2024)
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for the Senior/key personnel and other significant contributors.
Follow this format for each person. DO NOT EXCEED FIVE PAGES.
NAME: Greenberg, Jonathan
eRA COMMONS USER NAME (credential, e.g., agency login): JGREENBERG5
POSITION TITLE: Research Staff Psychologist / Assistant professor
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, include postdoctoral training and residency training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION DEGREE
(if applicable)
Completion Date
MM/YYYY
FIELD OF STUDY
Haifa University
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Massachusetts General Hospital (Psychiatry; psychiatric neuroscience) & Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts General Hospital (Psychiatry; Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research) & Harvard Medical School BA
MA
PHD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Postdoctoral Fellow 08/2006
08/2008
08/2013
06/2018
10/2020 Psychology, Sociology & Anthropology
Clinical Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Cognitive neuroscience of yoga and meditation
Mind-Body interventions for management of chronic pain and injury
A. Personal Statement
I am a clinical psychologist with expertise in using mixed methods to test the effects of mind-body interventions among individuals with chronic pain, concussion, and other medical and psychological illnesses. I am a research staff psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and am Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. To date, my research has yielded 48 publications (43 published, 5 under review/revision), most of which focus on mind-body interventions and psychosocial factors involved in chronic pain and recovery after injury. My work won numerous awards, including the AlterMed Research Foundation Award, the Harvard Medical School Kaplen Fellowship on Depression, the Harvard Medical School Livingston Fellowship Award and the Early Career Investigator award from the Integrated Health and Spirituality special interest group at the Society of Behavioral Medicine. I was also awarded a K23 mentored career development award from NCCIH to use mixed methods to establish the feasibility, acceptability and credibility of a novel, live video mind-body program aimed at preventing persistent concussion symptoms among young adults with a recent concussion and anxiety.
I have served as project director an NIH-funded grant developing and testing mind-body interventions for individuals with chronic pain and as study therapist in a trial developing a mind-body intervention for patients with knee osteoarthritis, depression and obesity. My research was covered by media outlets such as NBC News, LiveScience, and Scientific American. I currently serve as Editor and head of the “Behavioral Approaches to Pain” section in the Journal of Pain Research and hold editorial roles in other journals.
Ongoing and recently completed projects include:
1K23 AT010653-01A1
Greenberg (PI)
09/01/2020-08/31/2025
Live video mind-body treatment to prevent persistent symptoms following mTBI
R34AT009356-03
Vranceanu (PI), Role: Project Director.
07/01/2017 – 06/30/2021
Integrating mindfulness training with physical activity to improve physical functioning in patients with heterogeneous chronic pain
1R34AT010370-01A1
Vranceanu, Jacobs (PIs), Role: Study Therapist
09/01/2019-08/31/2022
Development of a mind body program to reduce cartilage breakdown and knee pain in obese osteoarthritis patients with depression
Kaplen Fellowship on Depression & Livingston Fellowship Award (Harvard Medical School)
Greenberg (PI)
07/01/2020-06/30/2022 (relinquished in 09/2020 due to receipt of K23)
Preventing transition from acute to persistent mTBI symptoms among college-aged individuals with depression; The Toolkit for Optimal Recovery after Concussions (TOR-C)
1. Greenberg J, Bakhshaie J, Lovette BC, Vranceanu AM. Association Between Coping Strategies and Pain-Related Outcomes Among Individuals with Chronic Orofacial Pain. J Pain Res. 2022; 15:431-442.
2. Greenberg J, Popok PJ, Lin A, Kulich RJ, James P, Macklin EA, Millstein RA, Edwards RR, and Vranceanu AM. Mind-body physical activity program for chronic pain with or without a Digital-Monitoring-Device: Proof-of-concept feasibility RCT. JMIR Form Res. 2020 Jun 08; 4(6):e18703. PMID: 32348281.
3. Greenberg J, Lin A, Zale EL, Kulich RJ, James P, Millstein RA, Shapiro H, Schatman ME, Edwards RR, Vranceanu AM. Development and early feasibility testing of a mind-body physical activity program for patients with heterogeneous chronic pain; The GetActive Study. J Pain Res. 2019; 12: 3279–3297. PMID: 31849515
4. Greenberg J, Singh T, Iverson GL, Silverberg ND, Macklin EA, Parker RA, Giacino JT, Yeh GY, and Vranceanu AM. Live video mind-body treatment to prevent persistent symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury: protocol for a mixed-methods study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2021 Jan 14; 10(1):e25746. PMID 33443484.
B. Positions, Scientific Appointments and Honors
Positions and Scientific Appointments
2021 - Associate Faculty, Rehabilitation Science program, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, MGH Institute of Health Professions
2020 - Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
2020 - Research Staff Psychologist, Massachusetts General Hospital (Psychiatry; Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR; formerly the Integrated Brain Health Clinical and Research Program)
2018 - 2020 Clinical and Research Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital (Psychiatry; Integrated Brain Health Clinical and Research Program) & Harvard Medical School
2014 - 2018 Research Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital (Psychiatry; psychiatric neuroscience) & Harvard Medical School
2011 - 2014 Member of test construction team for the Entrance Test for Advanced Degrees in Psychology, National Institute for Testing & Evaluation, Israel
2011 - 2014 Clinical Psychology intern, Tamuz Institute of Psychotherapy, Israel
2007 - 2011 Occupational Interviewer, “Pilat”, a management consulting firm, Israel
2007 - 2008 Clinical practicum therapist, Be'er Sheva Mental Health Center (a psychiatric hospital), Be'er Sheva, Israel
2006 - 2014 Lecturer, head of TA staff, Teaching Assistant, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Achva College, the Ultra-Orthodox college, and Sapir College. Courses taught: Introduction to psychology, introductory statistics, statistical inference, quantitative research methods, statistics programs, “Mindfulness practice: origins and contemporary research”- an academic seminar
2006 - 2007 Clinical practicum therapist, Tal Center (Child and Youth mental health clinic), Be’er Sheva
2005 - 2006 Research Assistant, Loss, Bereavement, and Human Resilience lab; Haifa University, Haifa
1999 - 2002 Multi-Launch-Rocket-System (MLRS) operator in artillery forces and combat medic, Israel Defense Forces
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
2012 - Ad-hoc reviewer, journals including Psychological Medicine, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Behavioral Medicine, Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Scientific Reports, Educational Psychology Review, PLoS ONE, Mindfulness, Journal of Cognitive Psychology, International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, Cognition and Emotion, Consciousness and Cognition, Journal of Cognitive Enhancement Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, European Journal of Pain, Global Advances in Health and Medicine, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Healthcare, Biology, Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, BMJ Open, OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, and the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
2018 - Review Editor, Frontiers - Clinical and Health Psychology
2020 - Editor and Section Head (Behavioral Approaches to Pain) – Journal of Pain Research
2021 Article Editor – Sage Open
Honors
2006 Cum Laude graduate, Haifa University
2008 Cum Laude graduate, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
2008 - 2012 Social Sciences Scholarship recipient, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
2008 - 2012 Department of Psychology Scholarship recipient, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
2012 Humanities and Social Sciences awardee, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
2012 Chair’s prize awardee, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
2013
2015
2020 Chair’s prize awardee, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
AlterMed Research Foundation Award
Harvard Medical School Kaplen Fellowship on Depression
2020 Harvard Medical School Livingston Fellowship Award
2020 K23 NIH Mentored Career Development Award (NCCIH)
2021 Early Career Investigator Award, Society of Behavioral Medicine, Integrative Health and Spirituality Special Interest Group
C. Contributions to Science
1. Mind-body treatment for patients with heterogeneous chronic pain
Along with my team, I developed a novel mind-body program adapted and tailored specifically for patients with chronic pain. We demonstrated that the program is feasible, credible, yields high client satisfaction, and can potentially aid in sustainably increasing physical and emotional function. We further demonstrated that several psychosocial factors mediate these benefits.
a. Greenberg J, Popok PJ, Lin A, Kulich RJ, James P, Macklin EA, Millstein RA, Edwards RR, and Vranceanu AM. Mind-body physical activity program for chronic pain with or without a Digital-Monitoring-Device: Proof-of-concept feasibility RCT. JMIR Form Res. 2020 Jun 08; 4(6):e18703. PMID: 32348281.
b. Greenberg J, Singh T, Popok PJ, Kulich RJ, and Vranceanu AM. Sustainability of improvements in physical and emotional function following a mind-body physical activity program for chronic pain. J Altern Complement Med. 2021 Feb 8. PMID: 33544015.
c. Greenberg J, Lin A, Popok PJ, Kulich RJ, Edwards RR, and Vraceanu AM. Getting Active Mindfully: rationale and case illustration of a group mind-body physical activity program for chronic pain. J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2021 Jan 19. PMID: 33469845.
d. Greenberg J, Mace RA, Bannon SM, Kulich RJ, and Vranceanu AM. Mind-body activity program for chronic pain: Exploring mechanisms of improvement in patient-reported, performance based and ambulatory physical function. J Pain Res. 2021 Feb 5. PMID: 33574699
2. Utilizing qualitative and mixed methodology to develop psychosocial and mind-body interventions
Gaining insight into the preferences, challenges, needs and experiences of the populations targeted by psychosocial interventions is key for making such interventions feasible, acceptable and efficacious. As part of my K23 grant and involvement in other NIH-funded projects involving chronic pain, I lead focus groups and individual qualitative interviews to inform intervention adaptation, deliver the interventions, conduct post-intervention exit interviews, and use these data to iteratively refine the interventions, in line with the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development. These projects (as well as several other ongoing ones I am involved in, targeting populations such as those with chronic orofacial pain and medical providers treating individuals with orthopedic injury) utilize a combination of inductive and deductive approaches to qualitative research, informing interventions via exploratory as well as explanatory processes.
a. Greenberg J, Lin A, Zale EL, Kulich RJ, James P, Millstein RA, Shapiro H, Schatman ME, Edwards RR, Vranceanu AM. Development and early feasibility testing of a mind-body physical activity program for patients with heterogeneous chronic pain; The GetActive Study. J Pain Res. 2019; 12: 3279–3297.
b. Popok PJ, Greenberg J, Gates MV, and Vranceanu AM. A qualitative investigation of activity measurement and change following a mind-body activity program for chronic pain. Complement. Ther. Clin. Pract. 2021 May 2. PMID: 33971485
c. Greenberg J, Singh T, Iverson GL, Silverberg ND, Macklin EA, Parker RA, Giacino JT, Yeh GY, and Vranceanu AM. Live video mind-body treatment to prevent persistent symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury: protocol for a mixed-methods study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2021 Jan 14; 10(1):e25746. PMID 33443484.
d. Jacobs CA, Mace RA, Greenberg J, Popok PJ, Reichman M, Lattermann C, Burris JL, Macklin EA, Vranceanu AM. Development of a mind body program for obese knee osteoarthritis patients with comorbid depression. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2021 Jan 28. PMID: 33553798
3. Mind-body treatment and psychosocial factors among patients with concussion
There is growing shift from a biomedical to a bio-psycho-social framework in the treatment of individuals after injury, including concussions. My work highlighted the critical role played by coping skills and factors such as pain catastrophizing, avoidance, and social relationships in symptom presentation and persistence. As part of a K23 grant I was awarded, I am now conducting a study to develop a 4-session mind-body program delivered via live video and aimed at preventing persistent concussion symptoms among young adults with recent concussion and anxiety symptoms.
a. Greenberg J, Mace RA, Funes CJ, Silverberg ND, Iverson GL, Caplan DN, and Vranceanu AM. Pain Catastrophizing and Limiting Behavior Mediate the Association Between Anxiety and Postconcussion Symptoms. Psychosomatics. 2019 Sep 20;. PMID: 31653327.
b. Bannon SM, Greenberg J, Goldson J, O’Leary D, and Vranceanu AM. A social blow: rationale and review of the role of interpersonal relationships in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Psychosomatics. 2020 Apr 18; 61(5):518-526. PMID: 32408992
c. Iverson GL, Greenberg J, Cook EN. Anxiety Is Associated with Diverse Physical and Cognitive Symptoms in Youth Presenting to a Multidisciplinary Concussion Clinic. Front. Neurol. 2022 Feb 7.
4. Mind-body training for patients with affective disorders
Following concerns about the side effects of psychopharmacological treatments and lack of adherence to medication regimens, mind-body programs are increasingly implemented as effective and feasible complementary treatments for affective disorders. In a series of studies funded by the AlterMed Research Foundation (Greenberg, PI), we demonstrated that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for depressed individuals was highly effective in reducing depressive symptoms compared to a control group, and significantly improved cognitive inhibition and cognitive dysfunction. Improvements in depressive symptoms were significantly associated with the cognitive benefits, highlighting the link between improvement in cognitive and affective symptoms among these patients. Additionally, levels of self-compassion predicted improvements in depression and moderated the association between mind wandering and depressive symptoms, thus highlighting the protective role played by self-compassion and its prognostic value across treatment for affective disorders.
a. Greenberg J, Datta T, Shapero BG, Sevinc G, Mischoulon D, Lazar SW. Compassionate Hearts Protect Against Wandering Minds: Self-compassion Moderates the Effect of Mind-Wandering on Depression. Spiritual Clin Pract (Wash D C ). 2018 Sep;5(3):155-169. PubMed PMID: 30906796; NIHMSID: NIHMS985492; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6426326.
b. Shapero BG, Greenberg J, Mischoulon D, Pedrelli P, Meade K, Lazar SW. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Improves Cognitive Functioning and Flexibility Among Individuals with Elevated Depressive Symptoms. Mindfulness. 2018 January 29; 9(5):1457–1469.
c. Shapero BG, Greenberg J, Pedrelli P, Desbordes G, Lazar SW. The Massachusetts General Hospital Guide to Depression. Benjamin SG, David M, Cucin C, editors. New York, NY: Springer; 2018. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy; p.167-177.
d. Greenberg J, Shapero BG, Mischoulon D, Lazar SW. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depressed individuals improves suppression of irrelevant mental-sets. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2017 Apr;267(3):277-282. PubMed PMID: 27830339; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5357295.
5. Mind-body training for stress and its effects on cognition and brain structure
In a series of studies with stressed participants, we showed that only participants who were randomized to a group prescribed high (as opposed to medium and low) doses of home-practice in a mind-body program significantly reduced stress, demonstrating the importance of out-of-session practice. We further demonstrated that mindfulness training is a useful tool in improving various aspects of cognition, such as cognitive flexibility and inhibition among stressed participants and can reduce working memory interference. The latter benefits were associated with increases in the left hippocampal volume, a brain region associated with working memory interference and who’s structure is highly sensitive to stress. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of mind-body training in targeting stress and improving cognitive abilities as well as their relation to changes in a highly stress-sensitive brain structure.
a. Greenberg J, Braun TD, Schneider ML, Finkelstein-Fox L, Conboy LA, Schifano ED, Park C, Lazar SW. Is less more? A randomized comparison of home practice time in a mind-body program. Behav Res Ther. 2018 Oct 4;111:52-56. PubMed PMID: 30312895.
b. Greenberg J, Romero VL, Elkin-Frankston S, Bezdek MA, Schumacher EH, Lazar SW. Reduced interference in working memory following mindfulness training is associated with increases in hippocampal volume. Brain Imaging Behav. 2018 Mar 17;PubMed PMID: 29549665; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6141345.
c. Greenberg J, Reiner K, Meiran N. "Off with the old": mindfulness practice improves backward inhibition. Front Psychol. 2012;3:618. PubMed PMID: 23335909; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3542708.
d. Greenberg J, Reiner K, Meiran N. "Mind the trap": mindfulness practice reduces cognitive rigidity. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e36206. PubMed PMID: 22615758; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3352909.
Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1xs2wdOF4sgw7b/bibliography/public/
