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I lead the Stress and Early Adversity (SEA) Lab at Vanderbilt University, where I study how experiences shape development. My path to this work began as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt, where I studied Child Development and Cognitive Studies. After completing a master's degree in Risk and Prevention at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, I worked at the National Center for PTSD at the Boston VA Healthcare System, which deepened my interest in understanding stress, trauma, and resilience.
My doctoral training at UCLA combined clinical psychology with developmental neuroscience, working with Dr. Steve Lee and Dr. Nim Tottenham. This unique combination helped me understand both the behavioral and neural impacts of early experiences. I specialized in Infant Mental Health during my clinical training at Tulane School of Medicine, where I also began my ongoing work with the Bucharest Early Intervention Project under Dr. Charles Zeanah's mentorship. Following this, I completed postdoctoral research at Stanford University with Dr. Ian Gotlib, focusing on stress, neurodevelopment, and mental health. Since returning to Vanderbilt in 2018 as faculty, I've developed an integrative research program that combines clinical science, developmental science, and neuroscience to address both fundamental questions about human development and practical solutions for families. As a mother of three, I bring both professional expertise and personal understanding to our work with families, studying how we can better support healthy development. |
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