Biography
Dr. Hoyt, a professor in the Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention, is an expert in biobehavioral cancer survivorship research and is a leader in behavioral medicine and clinical health psychology.
He is also the director of the UCI Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research and of the Biobehavioral Shared Resource at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Hoyt leads the Behavioral Medicine Research Lab at UC Irvine and his research is focused on biobehavioral processes related to psychological adjustment and coping in the context of chronic disease, health-related adversity, and cancer survivorship.
He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, the President-Elect of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine, a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and has been elected to the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.
Research Interests
Dr. Hoyt's research interests include coping, adjustment to chronic illness, psychoneuroimmunology, and stress. In his work, he identifies biobehavioral processes associated with quality of life in those facing chronic illness. He conducts basic and clinical research to examine coping processes and other psychological factors associated with mental health, neuroendocrine and immune function, and adjustment to illness, with an emphasis on cancer survivors and caregivers.
Current Projects/Studies
More details about current studies and projects can be found at: www.bmed.publichealth.uci.edu. Recent example projects include:
- Inflammatory Processes, Emotion Regulation, and Depression in Prostate Cancer Survivors
- A Biobehavioral Intervention to Reduce Adverse Outcomes in Young Adult Testicular Cancer Survivors
- Caregiving for Young Adults with Cancer in Latino Families: Understanding Healthcare Engagement and Family Wellbeing
- Reducing Disparities in the Adverse Impact of Cancer in Young Adult Latino Men
- Translating Goal-Focused Emotion Regulation Therapy to Young Adults Across Cancer Diagnoses
- Understanding Well-Being in Asian-American Prostate Cancer Survivors
Education
- Postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA (Health Psychology)
- Clinical residency at the University of Washington, School of Medicine (Behavioral medicine)
- PhD in Clinical Psychology from Arizona State University
- Master’s degree from the Tufts University School of Medicine-Emerson College (Health Communication)
Honors and Awards
- Elected into the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research
- 2023 Distinguished Career Contributions Award, International Society of Behavioral Medicine
- 2021 Chancellor’s Award for Research Mentoring, University of California, Irvine
- Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine
- 2014 International Research Collaboration Award from the University of Sydney
- 2013 New Investigator Award, American Psychosocial Oncology Society
Publications
- Hoyt, M. A., Wang, A. W., Llave, K., Darabos, K., Diaz-Yanez, K., Hoch, M. M., MacDonald, J. Stanton, A. L. (2024). Coping through emotional approach for mental and physical health: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology.
- Hoyt, M. A., Wang, A.W., Carrillo Ceja, R., Cheavens, J.S., Daneshvar, M.A., Feldman, D.R., Funt, S.A., & Nelson, C.J. (2023). Goal-focused Emotion-regulation Therapy (GET) in young adult testicular cancer survivors: A randomized pilot study. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 57 (9), 777-786.
- Hoyt, M. A., & Penedo, F. J. (2021). Biobehavioral psycho-oncology interventions. In W.S. Breitbart, P.N. Butow, P.B. Jacobsen, W.W.T. Lam, M. Lazenby, M. & Loscalzo, (Eds.), Psycho-Oncology (4th) (pp. 654-660). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
- Hoyt, M. A., Wang, A.W., Breen, E.C., & Nelson, C.J. (2021). A randomized controlled trial of Goal-focused Emotion-regulation Therapy for young adult survivors of testicular cancer: Effects of salivary and inflammatory stress markers. American Journal of Men’s Health, 15, 15579883211044557.
- Hoyt, M. A., Wang, A. W., Boggero, I. A., Eisenlohr-Moul, T. A., Stanton, A. L., & Segerstrom, S. C. (2020). Emotional approach coping in older adults as predictor of mental and physical health. Psychology & Aging, 35, 591-603.
- Seeley, H., Yanez, B. R., Stanton, A. L., & Hoyt, M. A. (2017). An emotional processing writing intervention and heart rate variability: The role of emotional approach. Cognition and Emotion, 31(5), 988-994.
- Hoyt, A., Bower, J. E., Irwin, M. R., Weierich, M. R., & Stanton, A. L. (2016). Sleep quality and depressive symptoms after prostate cancer: The mechanistic role of cortisol. Behavioral Neuroscience, 130, 351-356.
- Hoyt, A., Stanton, A. L., Bower, J. E., Thomas, K. S., Litwin, M. S., Breen, E.C., & Irwin, M.R. (2013). Inflammatory biomarkers and emotional approach coping in men with prostate cancer. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 32, 173-179.
