Max E. Levine

Dr. Levine received a B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College in 1996, where he majored in biology and psychology. In 1998, he earned an M.S. from The Pennsylvania State University in Biological Psychology. He earned his Ph.D. in Biological Psychology from Penn State in 2002. Dr. Levine's professional career began in 2002 with a post-doctoral fellowship at Penn State University. From 2003-2006, he served as Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Psychology at Wake Forest University. He came to Siena College as an Assistant Professor of Psychology in 2006; he earned tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011, and was promoted to Professor of Psychology in 2018. He served as the Associate Dean of Liberal Arts from 2015 to 2019, and became Chair of the Department of Psychology in 2020.

My Siena Experience

My Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is grounded in the notion that for students to truly grasp the meaning of concepts presented to them, they must be afforded the opportunity to challenge and think critically about them, both with respect to their own lives, and to the lives of others.

What I Love About Siena

Siena College offers professors the unique opportunity to pursue excellence in both teaching and research, and to actively involve students in each endeavor. Blurring the boudary between the classroom and the laboratory is accepted and encouraged, and allows for the most rewarding faculty-student interactions to be achieved.

My Favorite Courses to Teach

My Professional Experience

Current Research

· Psychophysiology of Nausea and Ingestion: physiological (gastric myoelectrical, autonomic, and hormonal) and psychosocial (stress, cognition, emotion, expectation, and perceptions of control and predictability) influences on nausea (of pregnancy, motion sickness, cancer chemotherapy, and functional gastrointestinal disorders); pharmacological and alternative (nutritional, behavioral, or cognitive) interventions for nausea; stress-induced changes in appetite and risk for obesity; psychosocial, cognitive, and other physiological influences on eating behavior

· Stress and Health: interrelationships between social and psychological processes (emotion, locus of control, expectation, attributional style, attention, etc.), physiological reactivity, health, and illness; coping strategies for various forms of passive, unavoidable stressors vs. active, controllable stressors


PUBLICATIONS

Levine ME. (2017). The psychophysiology of nausea. In KL Koch, & WL Hasler (Eds.), Nausea and Vomiting: Diagnosis and Treatment (pp. 191-209). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.

Levine ME, Muth ER, Gianaros, PJ, Koch KL, & Stern RM. (2017). Gastrointestinal system. In JT Cacioppo, LG Tassinary, & GG Berntson (Eds.), Handbook of Psychophysiology, 4th edition (pp. 258-283). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Levine ME, Koch SY, & Koch KL. (2015). Lipase supplementation before a high-fat meal reduces perceptions of fullness in healthy subjects. Gut and Liver, 9, 464-469.

Levine ME, Stern RM, & Koch KL. (2014). Enhanced perceptions of control and predictability reduce motion-induced nausea and gastric dysrhythmia. Experimental Brain Research, 232, 2675-2684.

Matchock RL, Levine ME, Gianaros PJ, & Stern RM. (2008). Susceptibility to nausea and motion sickness as a function of the menstrual cycle. Women’s Health Issues, 18, 328-335.

Levine ME, Gillis M, Koch SY, Voss AC, Stern RM, & Koch, KL. (2008). Protein and ginger for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced delayed nausea. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 14, 545-551.

Stern RM, Koch KL, Levine ME, & Muth ER. (2007). Gastrointestinal response. In JT Cacioppo, LG Tassinary, & GG Berntson (Eds.), Handbook of Psychophysiology, 3rd edition (pp. 211-230). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Bloomfeld RS, Bickston SJ, Levine ME, & Carroll S. (2006). Thiopurine methyltransferase activity is correlated with azathioprine metabolite levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in clinical gastroenterology practice. Journal of Applied Research in Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics, 6, 282-287.

Peck AC, Ali RS, Matchock RL, & Levine ME. (2006). Introductory psychology and student performance: Where’s the challenge? Teaching of Psychology, 33, 167-170.

Levine ME, Stern RM, & Koch KL. (2006). The effects of manipulating expectations through placebo and nocebo administration on gastric tachyarrhythmia and motion-induced nausea. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68, 478-486.

Williamson MJ, Levine ME, & Stern RM. (2005). The effect of meals of varying nutritional composition on subjective and physiological markers of nausea in response to optokinetic motion. Digestion, 72, 254-260.

Levine ME. (2005). Sickness and satiety: Physiological mechanisms underlying perceptions of nausea and stomach fullness. Current Gastroenterology Reports, 7, 280-288.

Levine ME, Muth ER, Williamson MJ, & Stern RM. (2004). Protein-predominant meals inhibit the development of gastric tachyarrhythmia, nausea, and the symptoms of motion sickness. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 19, 583-590.

Gianaros PJ, Quigley KS, Muth ER, Levine ME, Vasko RC, & Stern RM. (2003). Relationship between temporal changes in cardiac parasympathetic activity and motion sickness severity. Psychophysiology, 40, 39-44.

Levine ME & Stern RM. (2002). Spatial task performance, sex differences, and motion sickness susceptibility. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 95, 425-431.

Stern RM, Jokerst MD, Levine ME, & Koch KL. (2001). The stomach’s response to unappetizing food: Cephalic-vagal effects on gastric myoelectric activity. Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 13, 151-154.

Gianaros PJ, Muth ER, Mordkoff JT, Levine ME, & Stern RM. (2001). A questionnaire for the assessment of the multiple dimensions of motion sickness. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 72, 115-119.

Levine ME, Chillas JC, Stern RM, & Knox GW. (2000). Effects of serotonin (5-HT3) receptor antagonists on gastric tachyarrhythmia and the symptoms of motion sickness. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 71, 1111-1114.

Articles & Book Reviews

• Lipase Supplementation Before a High-Fat Meal Reduces Perceptions of Fullness in Healthy Subjects
  Gut and Liver, vol. 9
  2015
• Enhanced Perceptions of Control and Predictability Reduce Motion-Induced Nausea and Gastric Dysrhythmia
  Experimental Brain Research, vol. 232
  2014
• Protein and Ginger for the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Delayed Nausea
  Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, vol. 14
  2008
• Susceptibility to Nausea and Motion Sickness as a Function of the Menstrual Cycle
  Women's Health Issues, vol. 18
  2008
• Introductory Psychology and Student Performance: Where's the Challenge?
  Teaching of Psychology, vol. 33
  2006
• The Effects of Manipulating Expectations Through Placebo and Nocebo Administration on Gastric Tachyarrhythmia and Motion-Induced Nausea
  Psychosomatic Medicine, vol. 68
  2006
• Thiopurine Methyltransferase Activity is Correlated with Azathioprine Metabolite Levels in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Clinical Gastroenterology Practice
  Journal of Applied Research in Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics, vol. 6
  2006
• Sickness and Satiety: Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Perceptions of Nausea and Stomach Fullness
  Current Gastroenterology Reports, vol. 7
  2005
• The Effect of Meals of Varying Nutritional Composition on Subjective and Physiological Markers of Nausea in Response to Optokinetic Motion
  Digestion, vol. 72
  2005
• Protein-Predominant Meals Inhibit the Development of Gastric Tachyarrhythmia, Nausea, and the Symptoms of Motion Sickness
  Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, vol. 19
  2004
• Relationship Between Temporal Changes in Cardiac Parasympathetic Activity and Motion Sickness Severity
  Psychophysiology, vol. 40
  2003
• Spatial Task Performance, Sex Differences, and Motion Sickness Susceptibility
  Perceptual and Motor Skills, vol. 95
  2002
• A Questionnaire for the Assessment of the Multiple Dimensions of Motion Sickness
  Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, vol. 72
  2001
• The Stomach's Response to Unappetizing Food: Cephalic-Vagal Effects on Gastric Myoelectric Activity
  Neurogastroenterology & Motility, vol. 13
  2001
• Effects of Serotonin (5-HT3) Receptor Antagonists on Gastric Tachyarrhythmia and the Symptoms of Motion Sickness
  Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, vol. 71
  2000

Books & Book Chapters

• Handbook of Psychophysiology, 4th Edition
  Cambridge University Press
  2017
• Nausea and Vomiting: Diagnosis and Treatment
  Springer Publishing
  2017
• Handbook of Psychophysiology, 3rd edition
  Cambridge University Press
  2007