About the Heart Rate Variability Institute
At HRVI, we are committed to advancing innovation, research, and collaboration in the field of heart rate variability and healthcare science. Our mission is to connect researchers, clinicians, and professionals through education, conferences, and impactful discoveries that shape the future of health and wellness.
The Heart Rate Variability Institute is dedicated to advancing the science, education, and applied understanding of heart rate variability. HRVI supports professionals, researchers, clinicians, educators, and practitioners working to expand the role of HRV in medicine, mental health, human performance, resilience, recovery, and wellbeing.
Through education, research support, professional development, and conference programming, HRVI provides a platform for collaboration and continued growth in the HRV field.
What We Do
HRVI works to support the responsible advancement of HRV through research, education, training, professional engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Board Members
Dr. Christina Davis
Dr.. Christina Davis is a former assistant professor who has worked across multiple universities advancing mental-health and biofeedback-focused interventions for veterans, active-duty military personnel, student-athletes, and individuals engaged in recreational therapy. She holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration and a Master’s Degree in Recreational Therapy, grounding her work in evidence-based practice, human performance, and holistic wellbeing. Throughout her academic career, Christina has been committed to developing accessible, person-centered programs that strengthen resilience, emotional regulation, and long-term health outcomes across diverse populations. Following the birth of her two sons, Christina became deeply passionate about natural birth and the power of hypnobirthing. Her transformative experience led her to become a certified hypnobirthing educator, where she now supports families in cultivating confidence, calm, and informed decision-making throughout pregnancy and birth.
Dr. Christine Sanchez
Dr. Christine Sanchez specializes in mental performance training and executive coaching for individuals and teams operating in high-stakes environments. Over the past two decades, she has worked with elite military service members, first responders, executives, professional athletes, physicians, and other high performers who are committed to reaching their full potential while sustaining their wellbeing. Her work centers on mindful performance under pressure, learning through productive failure, and optimizing recovery to support long-term excellence. Dr. Sanchez integrates evidence-based mental skills training with psychophysiological tools such as heart rate variability and capnography biofeedback. She also helps clients develop deliberate recovery practices that fit into their lifestyle, incorporating breathwork, nature-based experiences, mindfulness, movement, and meaningful social connection. Dr. Sanchez serves on the Board of Directors for the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance, contributing to the advancement of standards and education in psychophysiology and performance optimization. Dr. Sanchez earned her PhD in Sport and Performance Psychology from Florida State University and holds certifications including Board Certified in Biofeedback - Performance, Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Certified Breathing Behavioral Analyst, and ICF Associate Certified Coach.
Dr. Carmen Russoniello
Dr. Carmen Russoniello is Professor Emeritus at East Carolina University and founder of ECU's Max Ray Joyner, Sr. Biofeedback Lab. He has 30 years of experience in HRV clinical practice as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC ) in teaching, research, education, bio and neurofeedback and physiological measurement. While at ECU he received several DoD grants to develop remote HRV telemedicine applications and to create technical based tension/stress reduction interventions. He has used HRV clinically with depression/anxiety clients and in cognitive, emotional, physical performance research. His focus is on HRV applications for prediction, prevention, intervention and as an outcome indicator in chronic illness such as diabetes and returning (prevention) and homeless Veterans. Dr Russoniello has great interest in re-establishing a successful program he and his colleagues conducted at ECU combat Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr Russoniello was a Marine machine gunner in Vietnam
Linda Bolin, Ph.D
Dr. Bolin, RN, ANP, BCB, FAHA, an educator, researcher, and clinician, specializes in cardiovascular disease prevention. As a Nurse Practitioner and Biofeedback Provider, she integrates interventions to enhance health, emotional well-being, and quality of life. She is board-certified in Biofeedback and a Fellow of the American Heart Association.
Yori Gidron, Ph.D
Dr. Gidron is Prof of health psychology at the faculty of health sciences, university of Haifa, Israel. He specializes in neurocognitive modulation of health and illness. Specifically he focuses on 1. the protective role of the vagal nerve in health and illness, 2. effects of hemispheric lateralization on health. 3. Health promotion using psychological inoculation, 4. PTSD prevention using a neuroscience based method He has over 130 scientific articles and is on the editorial board of 4 scientific journals. He believes in using health research as a bridge between people and countries.
Amelia Saul, Ph.D
Dr. Saul is a Visiting Teaching Professor at Florida International University in the Rehabilitation and Recreational Therapy Program. She’s also the Past President of the North Carolina Recreational Therapy Association. Amelia’s research interests include examining anxiety and depression in college students, assessing effectiveness of evidence-based stress management techniques, utilizing biofeedback technology to assess coping mechanisms, and implementation of prevention mechanisms for people with a family history of cardiovascular disease.
Connect With HRVI
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