Program Affiliations

Psychology, Counseling

Biography

Dr. Yells is a Professor of Psychology at Texas A&M University Texarkana. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the Psychology and Counseling programs. His areas of expertise include neurobiology and mental illness, with a focus on Substance Use Disorder.

Professional Experience

Dr. Yells previously served as a faculty member, department chair, and dean at Utah Valley University from 1999 to 2016. He was the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs here at TAMUT from 2017 to 2020. Since 2020 he has been a faculty member in Psychology.  He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2005 and promoted to Professor in 2017.

Education

Dr.Yells received a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychobiology from the University of Nebraska in 1994, a Masters degree in Physiological Psychology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1990, and a BA in Psychology from Bellevue University in 1987. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Teaching

Dr. Yells regularly teaches Abnormal Psychology, Personality Psychology, Psychology of Addiction, and Psychopharmacology. He occasionally teaches Sensation and Perception, General Psychology, and Addiction Counseling. Abnormal Psychology is usually the most popular, although Psychology of Addiction is starting to pick up interest. He has received teaching awards at Buena Vista University and Utah Valley University.

Scholarship & Creative Activity

Dr. Yells’ current research focuses on Substance Use Disorder with an emphasis on cannabis and opioids. He began his career studying the neurobiology of reproductive behavior with papers published in Brain Research, Physiology and Behavior, and Psychopharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. He subsequently explored human memory performance and presented regularly at the Psychonomic Society and Rocky Mountain Psychological Association. He currently has a book chapter in press on the effects of social media on mental health.

Public Talks

Dr. Yells has spoken regularly to various mental health and law enforcement organizations in the region on a variety of topics including risks and benefits of cannabis products, the opioid epidemic, and neurobiology of mental illness.

Honors and Awards

• 2005: Outstanding Teacher, Utah Valley University Alumni Association
• 2013: Utah County Recovery Advocate Award
• 2016: Utah County Autism Resources Council Advocacy Award

Teaching Philosophy:

Dr. Yells will teach for free, but you have to pay him to grade.