He earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from St. Johns University and a masters degree in biopsychology from Stony Brook University. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed research publications  including articles and book chapters on schizophrenia, psychotherapy outcome, cognitive functioning, and Kohlbergian moral reasoning  and has served as a reviewer for the American Journal of Psychiatry and other scholarly journals. He has also had vocational and avocational contributions to The New York Times and The Washington Post. Dr. Cottone maintains a regular meditation practice and has spent much of his leisure time studying world religions and Eastern philosophy. He is also an avid baseball fan and was a four-year scholar-athlete at Dowling College, where he pitched on the schools baseball team.