Jonathan Shaffer, Ph.D.

Dr. Jonathan Shaffer head shot
Associate Professor
Clinical Health Psychology
JONATHAN.SHAFFER@UCDENVER.EDU
303-315-7053

Mailing Address:
Department of Psychology 
Campus Box 173, PO Box 173364 
Denver, CO 80217-3364

Physical Location:
North Classroom Building
1200 Larimer Street
Room 5005C (5th floor)

Office Hours:
By appointment (current students, check course syllabus for office hours)

Expertise Areas:
Biopsychosocial Factors in Cardiovascular Disease; Psychological and Behavioral Interventions for Cardiovascular Disease; Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis; Psychometric Testing

M.S., Biostatistics/Patient-Oriented Research, Columbia University, 2012
Postdoctoral Behavioral Cardiology Fellowship, Columbia University, 2009-2012
Ph.D., Child Clinical Psychology, St. John’s University, 2009
Predoctoral Clinical Psychology Internship, Nassau University Medical Center, 2008-2009
M.A., Child Clinical Psychology, St. John’s University, 2007
B.A. (honors), Psychology, New York University, 2004

Dr. Jonathan A. Shaffer is a core faculty member in the Clinical Health Psychology doctoral program within the Department of Psychology where he is involved in teaching, mentoring, and research. He is a licensed clinical psychologist with training in cardiovascular behavioral medicine and quantitative methodology. Dr. Shaffer has an active research lab and mentors both undergraduate and graduate students. His research focuses on: (1) the role of biopsychosocial factors in cardiovascular diseases and (2) the health predictors, correlates, and outcomes of meaning and purpose in life. He has expertise conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses as well as secondary data analyses.

Dr. Shaffer has analyzed data from studies that examine the associations of quality of life, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and physical activity with cardiovascular diseases. He works clinically with cardiac patients; conducts outcomes assessments and analysis of behavioral intervention trials; and considers psychosocial and medical factors that affect older adults with cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Shaffer has received funding as principal investigator from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, and he has served as co-investigator or consultant on several other grants.

Dr. Shaffer is Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Health and Life Meaning (CaLM) Lab. He encourages applicants to the Clinical Health Psychology Doctoral Program who are interested in working in the CaLM Lab to apply.

  1. Poghosyan L, Norful AA, Liu J, Shaffer JA. Cognitive and initial psychometric testing of the errors of care omission survey: A new patient safety tool for primary care. J Nurs Meas 2019; 27: 16-32
  2. Wasson LT, Shaffer JA, Edmondson D, Bring R, Brondolo E, Falzon L, Konrad B, Kronish IM. Posttraumatic stress disorder and nonadherence to medications prescribed for chronic medical conditions: A meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res 2018; 102: 102-109.
  3. Shaffer JA, Kronish IM, Falzon L, Cheung YK, Davidson KW. N-of-1 randomized intervention trials in health psychology: A systematic review and methodology critique. Ann Behav Med 2018; 52: 731-742.
  4. Shaffer JA, Maurer MS. Multiple chronic conditions and heart failure: Overlooking the obvious? J Am Coll Cardiol 2015; In Press.
  5. Shaffer JA, Thompson JLP, Cheng B, Ye S, Lip GYH, Mann DL, Sacco RL, Pullicino PM, Freudenberger RS, Graham S, Mohr JP, Labovitz AJ, Estol CJ, Lok DJ, Ponikowski P, Anker SD, Di Tullio MR, Homma S, for the WARECEF Investigators. Association of quality of life with anticoagulant control in patients with heart failure: The Warfarin and Aspirin in Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction (WARCEF) trial. Int J Cardiol, 2014; 177:715-717.
  6. Voils CI, King H, Maciejewski ML, Allen KD, Yancy WS, Shaffer JA. Approaches for informing optimal dose of behavioral interventions. Ann Behav Med 2014, Apr 11 [Epub ahead of print].
  7. Ye S, Shaffer JA, Rieckmann N, Schwartz JE, Kronish IM, Ladapo JA, Whang W, Burg MM, Davidson KW. Long-term outcomes of enhanced depression treatment in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Am J Med 2014, May 14 [Epub ahead of print]. NIHMSID: NIHMS598535
  8. Shaffer JA, Edmondson D, Wasson LT, Falzon L, Homma K, Ezeokoli N, Li P, Davidson KW. Vitamin D supplementation for depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychosom Med 2014; 76: 190-196. PMCID: PMC4008710
  9. Shaffer JA, Kronish IM, Burg M, Clemow L. Edmondson D. Association of acute coronary syndrome-induced posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms with self-reported sleep. Ann Behav Med 2013; 46: 349-357. PMCID: PMC3800234
  10. Shaffer JA, Epel E, Kang MS, Ye S, Schwartz JE, Davidson KW, Kirkland S, Honig LS, Shimbo D Depressive symptoms are not associated with leukocyte telomere length: Findings from the Nova Scotia Health Survey (NSHS95), a Population-Based Study. PLoS One 2012; 7(10): e48318. PMCID: PMC3485011
  11. Ladapo JA, Shaffer JA, Fang Y, Ye S, Davidson KW. Cost-effectiveness of enhanced depression care after acute coronary syndrome: Results from the COPES randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med 2012; 172: 1682-1684. PMCID: PMC3657548
  12. Shaffer JA, Whang W, Shimbo D, Burg M, Schwartz JE, Davidson KW. Do different depression phenotypes have different risks for recurrent coronary heart disease? Health Psych Rev 2012; 6, 165-179.PMCID: PMC3650680
  13. Shaffer JA, Edmondson D, Chaplin WF, Schwartz JE, Shimbo D, Burg MM, Rieckmann N, Davidson KW. Directionality of the relationship between depressive symptom dimensions and C-reactive protein in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Psychosom Med 2011; 73: 370-377. PMCID: PMC3110525

Health Psychology I
Clinical Practicum
Clinical Research Methods
Family Therapy
Abnormal Psychology