Annmarie Cano (af7516)
University Information
Contact Information
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
- clas.wayne.edu/cano
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmarie-cano/
- https://twitter.com/annmarie_cano
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNfUTVLq0_U&t=1s
Research at the intersection of clinical health psychology and couples and family psychology:
My research in clinical health psychology focuses on emotion regulation and intimacy processes in couples facing physical and mental health problems with the long-term goal of developing interventions aimed at improving couples' individual and relationship health and well-being. I am particularly interested in emotional validation and empathic responses to self-disclosures as relationship processes that may contribute to better pain adjustment and mental health. To this end, I have conducted studies in pain clinic, community, and analogue samples using multiple methods (i.e., questionnaires, interviews, observation, experiments) to assess interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral, and affective dimensions of the pain experience. I am also collaborating with colleagues to study these processes in parents and their children with health problems (i.e., children with poor metabolic control, children with chronic pain). With a grant from NIH/NCCIH, I am building on my basic research findings by developing and testing a mindfulness and acceptance intervention aimed at emotion regulation processes in couples with chronic pain.
See: Cano, A. (2019). Relational flexibility. The Academic Minute (April 17, 2019). insidehighered.com/audio/2019/04/17/relational-flexibility#.XMCaNnCtdLI.link
Research on diversity, inclusion, and equity in higher education:
My work as a university administrator has piqued my interest in issues relating to equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education. I am now conducting a social science research program on individual and systemic variables that impact the success of diverse groups of undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, and faculty. In particular, I am interested in malleable psychosocial characteristics that promote (e.g., growth mindset) and hinder (e.g., fixed mindset, grit, stereotype threat) success as well as faculty gatekeeping behaviors that might promote (and sometimes, hinder) student success.
- 1998 Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Stony Brook University
- 1995 M.A. in Psychology, Stony Brook University
- 1993 B.A. in Psychology, Princeton University
National Science Foundation
Michigan Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP)
Role: Site Co-Principal Investigator
Project Duration: 1/17/2017-2/28/2019American Psychological Association
Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
The Wayne State University-American Psychological Association Summer Scholars Program
Role: Faculty Organizer
Project Duration: 5/1/2016-8/31/2016 Total Amount Awarded: $15,360NCCIH/NIH (R21)
Preliminary test of an integrative intervention to alleviate chronic pain and improve quality of life in couples
Role: Principal Investigator
Project Duration: 8/1/2014-7/30/2017 Total Amount Awarded: $404,951
* indicates student co-authors
*Pester, B.D., Caño, A., Kostecki, A., & Wurm, L.H. (in press). How do I help my partner in pain? Partners’ helping behaviors are linked to lower pain and greater perceived validation during an experimental pain task. Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
Mittinty, M.M., Kindt, S., Mittinty, M.N., Bernardes, S., Caño, A., Verhofstadt, L., & Goubert, L. (in press). Dyadic coping in the context of chronic pain: An actor-partner interdependence analysis. Pain Medicine.
Mathur, A., Cano, A., Dickson, M.W., Matherly, L.H., Maun, C., & Neale, A.V. (2019). Portfolio review in graduate admissions: Outcomes of a pilot program. Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly (SEMQ), 7 (1), 7-24.
Mathur, A., Wood, M.E., & Cano, A. (2018). Mastery of transferable skills by doctoral scholars: Visualization using doctoral microcredentialing. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 50, 38-45.
Cano, A., Wurm, L.H., *Nava, J., McIntee, F., & Mathur, A. (2018). Applicant and faculty characteristics in the doctoral admissions process: An experimental vignette study. Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly (SEMQ), 6 (1), 35-49.
Cano, A. & *Tankha, H. (2018). Spousal criticism and hostility in response to pain: What is the alternative? Pain, 159, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001045
*Martinez, S.C., Cano, A., Casey, R.J., Johnson, A., *May, D.K., & Wurm, L.H. (2018). Development of the Bonding with Dog Checklist (BoDC). Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, 6, 32-46.
*Seivert, N.P., Cano, A., Casey, R.J., Johnson, A., & *May, D.K. (2018). Animal-assisted therapy for incarcerated youth: A randomized-controlled trial. Applied Developmental Science, 22, 139-153. DOI: https://10.1080/10888691.2016.1234935
Cano, A., *Corley, A.M., *Clark, S.M., & *Martinez, S.C. (2018). A couple-based psychological treatment for chronic pain and relationship distress. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 25, 119-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2017.02.003
*Kindt, S., Vansteenkiste, M., Cano, A., & Goubert, L. (2017). When is your partner willing to help you? The role of daily goal conflict and perceived gratitude. Motivation and Emotion, 41, 671-682. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-017-9635-5
*May, D.K., Ellis, D., Cano, A., Dekelbab, B. (2017). Improving diabetes related parent-adolescent communication with individualized feedback. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 42, 1114-1122. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsx070
Cano, A. & Goubert, L. (2017). What’s in a name? The case of emotional disclosure of pain-related distress. Journal of Pain, 18, 881-888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2017.01.008
*Clark, S.M., Cano, A., Goubert, L., Vlaeyen, J.W.S., Wurm, L.H., & *Corley, A.M. (2016). Pain anxiety and its association with pain congruence trajectories during the cold pressor task. Journal of Pain, 18, 396-404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2016.11.013
*Corley, A.M., Cano, A., Goubert, L., Vlaeyen, J.W.S., & Wurm, L.H. (2016). Global and situational relationship satisfaction moderate the effect of threat on pain in couples. Pain Medicine, 17, 1664-75. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnw022
*May, D.K., *Seivert, N.P., Cano, A., Casey, R.J., & Johnson, A. (2016). Animal-assisted therapy for youth: A systematic methodological critique. Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, 4, 1-18.
*Leong, L.E.M., Cano, A., Wurm, L.H., Lumley, M.A., & *Corley, A.M. (2015). A perspective taking manipulation leads to greater empathy and less pain during the cold pressor task. Journal of Pain, 16, 1176-1185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2015.08.006
*Kindt, S., Vansteenkiste, M., Loeys, T., Cano, A., Lauwerier, E., Verhofstadt, L, Goubert, L. (2015). When is helping your partner with chronic pain a burden? The relation between helping motivation and personal and relational functioning. Pain Medicine, 16, 1732-1744. https://doi.org/10.1111/pme.1276
*Miller-Matero, L.R. & Cano, A. (2015). Encouraging couples to change: A motivational assessment to promote well-being in people with chronic pain and their partners. Pain Medicine, 16, 348-355. https://doi.org/10.1111/pme.12600
*Williams, A.M. & Cano, A. (2014). Spousal mindfulness and social support in couples with chronic pain. Clinical Journal of Pain, 30, 528-535. https://doi.org/10.1097/ajp.0000000000000009
*Leonard, M.T., *Issner, J.B., Cano, A., & *Williams, A.M. (2013). Correlates of spousal empathic accuracy for pain-related thoughts and feelings. Clinical Journal of Pain, 29, 324-333. https://doi.org/10.1097/AJP.0b013e3182527bfd
*Miller, L.R., Cano, A., & Wurm, L.H. (2013). A motivational therapeutic assessment improves pain, mood, and relationship satisfaction in couples with chronic pain. Journal of Pain, 14, 525-537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2013.01.006
*Issner, J.B., Cano, A., *Leonard, M.T., & *Williams, A.M. (2012). How do I empathize with you? Let me count the ways: Relations between facets of pain-related empathy. Journal of Pain, 13, 167-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2011.10.009
Not currently teaching this semester.
- PSY 1010: Introduction to Psychology (Honors and non-Honors sections)
- PSY 2300: Psychology of Everyday Living
- PSY 7300: Adult Psychopathology
- PSY 7370: Psychotherapeutic Interventions I

Office of the Provost
In this role, she is responsible for professional and career development, leadership development, and mentoring initiatives to support faculty; new faculty and new chair orientations; faculty performance evaluation processes and outcomes; faculty awards and award nominations; and fostering recognition of faculty internally, nationally, and internationally for teaching, scholarship and community outreach.
Prior to becoming Associate Provost, Dr. Cano held several leadership roles at Wayne State including Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Chair of the Department of Psychology, as well as in her discipline. She is also an alumna of the American Psychological Association Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology (2008) and the Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Leadership Institute (Bryn Mawr 2017).
Dr. Cano began her career at Wayne State as a Lecturer before rejoining the faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2001. For the past 20 years, Dr. Cano’s research has focused on emotion regulation, empathy, and intimacy processes in couples facing health problems. She has over 70 publications and has served as PI on four grants from the National Institutes of Health. In recognition of her research contributions, she was elected in 2016 as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in Divisions 38 (Society for Health Psychology) and 43 (Society for Couple and Family Psychology).
As a Latina and a first-generation college student, Dr. Cano earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology from Stony Brook University and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Princeton University.

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