U of M MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS RESEARCH GROUP 

Name:
Position:
Mailing address:
 
 

Contact:

John R. Walker, Ph.D.
Member
Anxiety Disorders Program
M5 - St. Boniface General Hospital
409 Tache Ave.
Winnipeg,MB, Canada, R2H 2A6
(Phone)  204-237-2055
(Fax)    204-237-6264
(Email)  jwalker@cc.umanitoba.ca

Dr. Walker, is a Professor in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology at the University of Manitoba and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Program at St. Boniface General Hospital.  He is also an adjunct professor in the Departments of Psychology and Community Health Sciences.  In the clinical area, Dr. Walker supervises senior clinical psychology students in their training in research and treatment in the anxiety disorders area and provides individual and group treatment services himself.  He is coauthor of Triumph Over Shyness, a self-help book for shyness and social anxiety and a book for practitioners titled Treating Health Anxiety and Fear of Death.  Dr. Walker has a special interest in self-help approaches to treatment of anxiety disorders and has completed treatment evaluation studies demonstrating the benefits of self-help materials with panic disorder and social phobia.  He was a founding board member of the Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba and has worked with them to develop self-help programs that provide assistance to individuals with anxiety disorders in a large region around Winnipeg.  Areas of research interest include epidemiology and risk factors for anxiety disorders and major depression, cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders in adults and children, coping with illness, and programs focused on health promotion and prevention.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Norton, P.J., Sexton, K.A., Walker, J.R., & Norton, R.  (2005).  Hierarchical model of vulnerabilities for anxiety: Replication and extension with a clinical sample.  Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. 34, 50-63. 

 

Furer, P., & Walker, J.R.  (2005).  Treatment of hypochondriasis with exposure.  Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 35, 251- 267.

 

Bernstein, C.N., Walker, J.R., & Graff, L. (2006).  On studying the connection between stress and IBD (Editorial).  American Journal of Gastroenterology, 101, 782-785.

 

Lix, L. M., Hinds, A., DeVerteuil, G., Robinson, R., Walker, J. R., & Roos, L. L. (2006).  Residential mobility and severe mental illness: A population-based analysis. Administration and Policy in Mental Health Services Research.  33, 160-171.

  

Burgmann T, Clara I, Graff L, Walker J, Lix L, Rawsthorne P, McPhail C, Rogala L, Miller N,  & Bernstein CN.  (2006).  The Manitoba IBD Cohort Study:  Prolonged symptoms before diagnosis – How much is irritable bowel syndrome?  Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 4, 614-620.

 

Swinson, R.P., Antony, M. M., Bleau, P., Chokka, P., Craven, M., Fallu, A., Kjernisted, K., Lanius, R., Manassis, K., McIntosh, D., Plamondon, J., Rabheru, K., Van Ameringen, M, & Walker, J. R.  (2006).  Clinical practice guidelines: Management of anxiety disorders.  Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 51(8), Supplement 2, 1S-92S.  

 

Graff, L.A., Walker, J.R., Lix, L., Clara, I., Rawsthorne, P., Rogala, L., Miller, N. Jakul. L., McPhail, C.,  Ediger, J., &  Bernstein, C.N. (2006).   The Manitoba IBD Cohort Study:  The relationship of disease type and activity to psychological functioning and quality of life.  Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 4, 1491–1501.

 

Ediger, J., Walker, J.R., Graff, L. Lix, L., Clara, I.,. Rawsthorne, P., Rogala, L., Miller, N., McPhail, C., Deering, K., & Bernstein, C. N.  (2007).  Predictors of Medication Adherence in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, American Journal of Gastroenterology, 102, 1–10.

 

Van Ameringen, M., Mancini, C., Oakman, J., Walker, J., Kjernisted, K., Chokka, P., Johnston, D., Bennett, M., & Patterson, B.  (2007).  Nefazodone in the treatment of generalized social phobia: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.  Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 68, 288-295.

 

Sareen, J., Campbell, D.W.,  Leslie, W.D., Malisza, K., Stein, M. B., Paulus, M. P., Kravetsky, L., Kjernisted, K.D., Walker, J.R., & Reiss, J.P. (2007).  Striatal Function in Generalized Social Phobia:  A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.  Biological Psychiatry, 61, 396-404.

 

DeVerteuil, G., Hinds, A., Lix, L. M., Walker, J. R., Robinson, R., & Roos, L. L.  (2007).  Mental health and the city: Intra-urban mobility among individuals with schizophrenia.  Health and Place, 13, 310-323.

 

Chartier, M. J., Walker, J.R., & Naimark. B.  (2007).  Childhood abuse, adult health and health care utilization:  Results from representative community sample.  American Journal of Epidemiology, 165, 1031-1038.

 

Lix, L. M., DeVerteuil, G., Walker, J. R., Robinson, J. R., Hinds, A., & Roos, L. L.  (2007).  Residential mobility of individuals with diagnosed schizophrenia:  A comparison of single and multiple movers.  Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology,  42, 221-228.

 

Walker, J.R., Ediger. J.P., Graff, L.A., Greenfeld, J., Clara, I., Lix, L. Rawsthorne, P., Miller, N., Rogala, L. McPhail, C.M., & Bernstein, C.N.  (2008)  The Manitoba IBD Cohort Study: A population-based study of the prevalence of lifetime and twelve-month anxiety and mood disorders.  American Journal of Gastroenterology, 103, 1989-1997.  

 

Chartier, M.J., Walker. J.R., & Naimark, B.  (2008).  A population study of the relationship between childhood abuse and adult health: Health risk behaviors and mental health problems as mediators.  American Journal of Public Health, 98.  (Available electronically in First Look section of journal at www.ajph.org.)

 

Furer, P., & Walker, J.R.  (2008).  Death anxiety: A cognitive-behavioral approach.  Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 22, 167-182.

 

Walker, J.R., & Furer, P.  (2008).  Interoceptive exposure in the treatment of health anxiety and hypochondriasis.  Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 22, 367-380.

 

Rogala L, Miller N, Graff LA, Rawsthorne P, Clara I, Walker JR, Lix L, Ediger JP, McPhail C, & Bernstein CN. (2008). A population-based controlled study of social support, self-perceived stress, activity and work issues, and access to health care in IBD.  Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 14, 526-535.

 

Lix, L,M, Graff, L.A., Walker, J.R., Clara, I., Rawsthorne, P., Rogala, L., Miller, N. Ediger, J., Pretorius, T. &  Bernstein, C.N.  (2008).  A longitudinal study of quality of life and psychological functioning for active, fluctuating, and inactive disease patterns in inflammatory bowel disease.  Inflammatory Bowel Diseases,14, 1575-1584

BOOKS

Furer, P., Walker, J. R., & Stein, M. B.  (2007). Treating Health Anxiety and Fear of Death.  New York: Springer.

 

Stein, M.B., & Walker, J.R. (2009)   Triumph over shyness: Conquering shyness and social anxiety.  (Second Edition).  Silver Spring, MD: Anxiety Disorders Association of America.  

CHAPTERS

Furer, P., Walker, J.R., & Freeston, M.  Integrated approach to cognitive-behavioral therapy for intense illness worries.  In G. Asmundson, S. Taylor, B. Cox (Eds.)  (2001).  Health anxiety: Clinical and research perspectives on hypochondriasis and related conditions.  London: John Wiley.

 

Walker, J.R., & Furer, P. Health Anxiety:  Hypochondriasis and somatization.  In A. Carr & M. McNulty (2006) Handbook of adult clinical psychology: An evidence based practice approach. London: Routledge.

 

Walker, J.R., & Furer, P. Treatment of hypochondriasis and psychogenic movement disorders:  Focus on cognitive behavioral therapy.  In M. Hallett, S. Fahn, J. Jankovic, A. Lang, C.R. Cloninger, & S. Yudofsky (2006)  Psychogenic movement disorders:  Neurology and neuropsychiatry.  Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

 

Graff, L.A., & Walker, J.R..  Psychological factors in inflammatory bowel disease.  In C. Bernstein. (Ed.)   (2006).  The inflammatory bowel disease yearbook 2006.  London: Remedica Publishing Ltd.

 

Vincent, N., Walker, J. R., & Katz, A.,  Self-administered treatments in primary care.  In P. L. Watkins, & G. A. Clum  (Eds.) (2008) Handbook of self-help therapies.  New York: Taylor & Francis Group, pp. 387-417.

 

Walker, J.R., Vincent, N., & Furer, P. (2008). Self-help treatments for anxiety disorders.  M. M. Antony & Stein, M.B. (Eds.)  Handbook of anxiety and the anxiety disorders.  New York: Oxford University Press, pp 488-496.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Bernstein, C.N. (PI), Blanchard, J.F. (PI), Jacobs, P., Houston, D., Leslie, W.D., Graff, L., Walker, J.R., & Hassard, T.H. “Understanding the biological, clinical, and psychosocial determinants of health outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease: A research program.” Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) , 05/02 – 04/07, $1,250,000.

 

Lix, L (PI), DeVerteuil, G., Robinson, J.R.,  Roos, L., & Walker, J.R.,. “Mobility and mental health service utilization in Manitoba: A longitudinal study.” Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) , 01/03 – 01/05, $214,306.

 

Cox, B.J., Ladouceur, R., Stein, M.B., Walker, J.R ,Yu, N.B.  Two population-based mental health studies using the Canadian community health survey (Cycle 1.2): social phobia and problem gambling.  Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) , 01/04 – 12/04, $40,000.

 

Walker, J.R., Cox, B.J., Feldgaier, S., Warren, M., Hiebert-Murphy, D., Freeman,W., &    Mills, R.  Coaching for Confidence: Preliminary evaluation of a community-based prevention program for the parents of anxious Kindergarten-age children.  Canadian           Institute for Health Research (CIHR – Regional Partnership Program), 04/04 – 03/05,             $22,000.

 

Bernstein, C.N. (PI), Blanchard, J.F., Graff, L., Walker, J.R., Lix, L., Leslie, W.J., Longobardi, T., & Vagianos, K. “Understanding the biological, clinical, and psychosocial determinants of health outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease,  Canadian Institute of Health Research (2007-2008)  $100,000.

 

Walker, J.R., Phipps, D., Rose-Krasnor, L., Swinson, R., Angus, L., Cunningham, C., Eastwood, J., Marcus, M., Ryan-Nichols, K., Sareen, J., Westra, H., & Furer, P.  Pathways to Mental Health Treatment: Mobilizing Knowledge to Inform Consumer Decision-Making, Advocacy, and Access.  Team Grant, Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) , 04/08 – 03/13, $1,500,000.

 

Bernstein, C.N. (PI), Blanchard, J.F., Graff, L., Walker, J.R., Lix, L., Leslie, W.J., Longobardi, T., & Vagianos, K. Understanding the biological, clinical, and psychosocial determinants of health outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease:  A research program.  Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR), 04/08 – 03/13, $1,500,000.