Dr. Jeffrey W. Braunstein earned his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Albany in 1994. Not missing a beat in his pursuit of a career as a psychologist, Jeffrey began his graduate studies in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) in Fresno that same year. He made a strong impression on the faculty as an avid learner, a great writer, and an incredible student in both his academic work and his clinical work at the campus Psychological Service Center. He was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Clinical Psychology in 2000. His dissertation, "An Investigation of Irrational Beliefs and Death Anxiety as a Function of HIV Status," was published in the Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy in March 2004.

In addition to the strong relationships he developed with his fellow doctoral students and faculty at CSPP, Jeffrey maintained a close relationship with his family in New York, creating a virtual extended family across the country with ease. To this day, the bonds between Jeffrey’s family and his friends from CSPP remain strong.
After graduation, Jeffrey built a successful career as a psychologist, including positions as Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine, as Associate Director of Research and Staff Psychologist and Anxiety Disorders Specialist at the Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, and later as Owner of ResearchConsultation.com. A brilliant businessman, he provided statistical consultation, web marketing, program evaluation, grant writing and education services to organizations and health science professionals. He gave lectures across the U.S. on anxiety disorders and received the 2005 Teacher of the Year Award from both the Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center and the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

Jeffrey’s untimely tragic death in February 2008 left an indelible and dramatic impact on his family, friends, colleagues, clients and students. In memory of Jeffrey and his dedication to psychology, his parents, Howard and Sharyn Braunstein, have established the Jeffrey W. Braunstein Memorial Scholarship Fund. This scholarship fund is intended to provide financial support for exceptional students in the CSPP Clinical Psychology PhD program in Fresno, and the selection committee will be lead by Dr. Valerie Forward, Jeffrey’s dissertation chair and faculty member in Fresno. In this way, Jeffrey’s commitment to research and education will continue, as the scholarship program supports CSPP students for years to come.

Please take a moment now to contribute to the scholarship in honor of Dr. Jeffrey W. Braunstein.