Education
- PhD. University of Denver, Curriculum and Instruction
- M.A. University of Colorado at Boulder, Curriculum and Instruction
- B.A. University of Colorado at Boulder, Biology (Minor in Philosophy)
Research and teaching interests
- Health and Wellness Coaching
- Personal Health and Well-Being
- Personality Theory
- Temperament and Character Inventory
- Foundations of Education
- Curriculum Theory
- Curriculum Development
- Curriculum Implementation
- Neurobiology, Memory, and Learning
- Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods
Biography
Kevin Cloninger, Ph.D. is a Full Teaching Professor at the University of Missouri College of Health Sciences and former Executive Director of the Anthropedia Foundation (2004-2025). An expert in well-being science and coaching, Dr. Cloninger developed Anthropedia’s innovative Well-Being Coach Certification Program and the evidence-based Know Yourself Series. He has lectured internationally on health, wellness, and education across six countries and serves as Director of Coaching at PALM Integrative Health.
As an award-winning educator and former President of the American Association of Teaching and Curriculum (2015), Dr. Cloninger has published extensively on well-being, character development, and positive psychology. His research on biopsychosocial approaches to wellness has been funded by the European Social Fund and published in leading journals including The Journal of Positive Psychology and PLOS One. Dr. Cloninger holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver and a B.A. in Biology with a Philosophy minor from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Selected publications
- Zwir I, Del-Val C, Hintsanen M, Cloninger KM, Romero-Zaliz R, Mesa A, Arnedo J, Salas R, Poblete GF, Raitoharju E, Raitakari O, Keltikangas-Järvinen L, de Erausquin GA, Tattersall I, Lehtimäki T, Cloninger CR. Evolution of genetic networks for human creativity. Mol Psychiatry. 2022 Jan;27(1):354-376. doi: 10.1038/s41380-021-01097-y. Epub 2021 Apr 21. PMID: 33879864; PMCID: PMC8960414.
- Zwir I, Del-Val C, Arnedo J, Pulkki-Råback L, Konte B, Yang SS, Romero-Zaliz R, Hintsanen M, Cloninger KM, Garcia D, Svrakic DM, Lester N, Rozsa S, Mesa A, Lyytikäinen LP, Giegling I, Kähönen M, Martinez M, Seppälä I, Raitoharju E, de Erausquin GA, Mamah D, Raitakari O, Rujescu D, Postolache TT, Gu CC, Sung J, Lehtimäki T, Keltikangas-Järvinen L, Cloninger CR. Three genetic-environmental networks for human personality. Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Aug;26(8):3858-3875. doi: 10.1038/s41380-019-0579-x. Epub 2019 Nov 21. PMID: 31748689; PMCID: PMC8550959.
- Cloninger, K.M., & Cloninger, C.R. (2020) The Psychobiology of the Path to a Joyful Life: Implications for Future Research and Practice, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15:1, 74-83, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1685579
- Zwir, I., Del-Val, C., Arnedo, J., Pulkki-Råback, L., Konte, B., Yang, S. S., Romero-Zaliz, R., Hintsanen, M., Cloninger, K. M., Garcia, D., Svrakic, D. M., Lester, N., Rozsa, S., Mesa, A., Lyytikäinen, L. P., Giegling, I., Kähönen, M., Martinez, M., Seppälä, I., Raitoharju, E., … Cloninger, C. R. (2019). Three genetic-environmental networks for human personality. Molecular psychiatry, 10.1038/s41380-019-0579-x. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0579-x
- Cloninger, C. R., Cloninger, K. M., Zwir, I., & Keltikangas-Järvinen, L. (2019). The complex genetics and biology of human temperament: a review of traditional concepts in relation to new molecular findings. Translational psychiatry, 9(1), 290. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-019-0621-4