Dr. Vella received her Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences from Virginia Tech in 2005, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh in 2007. Dr. Vella's research focuses on the link between stress and health. Her research interests include the link between psychosocial factors and cardiovascular risk, and the physiological mechanisms that may explain these associations, as well as the implications for stress management interventions in improving quality of life and reducing physiological responses to stressors among at risk populations.