Jacek Kolacz, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Scientist
Member, Kinsey Institute Traumatic Stress Research Consortium
Member, Socioneural Physiology Laboratory
Dr. Jacek Kolacz studies how life experiences shape biological systems, psychological well-being, and physical health over time. His work examines biobehavioral factors that promote risk and resilience for trauma, their effects on psychological well-being and physical health, and their influence on relationships, social interactions, and sexual health throughout the lifespan.
Dr. Kolacz’s research utilizes physiological assessment, questionnaires, and medical records in pediatric and adult populations. He contributes to the development and application of non-invasive physiological measures including vocal acoustic features and novel survey methods. He works in a variety of contexts spanning lab studies, online data collection, assessments in clinical care settings, and clinical trials. His methodological efforts involve the development of novel online data collection tools for remote psychophysiological assessment.
428 Lindley Hall
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
Education
- Ph. D., Psychology and Neuroscience, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2016
- B. A., Psychology, DePaul University, 2009
Research interests
- Effects of trauma
- Risk and resilience
- Neural regulation of vocal acoustic features
- Sensory and body awareness
- Quantitative methods for longitudinal data
- Psychometrics
Selected publications
Kolacz, J., Hu, Y., Gesselman, A. N., Garcia, J. R., Lewis, G. F., & Porges, S. W. (under review). Sexual function in adults with a history of childhood trauma: Mediating effects of self-reported autonomic reactivity.
Kolacz, J., Kovacic, K. & Porges, S. W. (2019). Traumatic stress and the autonomic brain-gut connection in development: An integrative framework for psychosocial and gastrointestinal pathology. Developmental Psychobiology. Advance online publication.
Kolacz, J. & Porges, S. W. (2018). Chronic diffuse pain and functional gastrointestinal disorders after traumatic stress: Pathophysiology through a polyvagal perspective. Frontiers in Medicine, 5, 145.
Cabrera, A.*, Kolacz, J.*, Pailhez, G., Bulbena-Cabre, A., Bulbena, A., & Porges, S. W. (2018). Assessing body awareness and autonomic reactivity: Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Body Perception Questionnaire-Short Form (BPQ-SF). International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 27(3), e1596. DOI: 10.1002/mpr.1596. [*Equal contribution]
Kolacz, J., Lewis, G. F., & Porges, S. W. (2018). The integration of vocal communication and biobehavioral state regulation in mammals: A polyvagal hypothesis. In S. M. Brudzynski (Ed.)Handbook of Ultrasonic Vocalization. New York: Elsevier Press.
Kolacz, J., Holochwost, S. J., Gariépy, J.-L., & Mills-Koonce, W. R. (2016). Patterns of joint parasympathetic, sympathetic, and adrenocortical activity and their associations with temperament in early childhood. Developmental Psychobiology, 58(8), 990-1001.