I am broadly interested in understanding female-specific risk for neuropsychiatric disorders across the lifespan. Women are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and the periods of greatest risk- puberty, pregnancy and postpartum, and the menopausal transition- are also periods of dynamic hormonal fluctuation. Understanding the interaction between these uniquely sensitive periods and overall life experience, such as stress and trauma, is essential for developing novel treatments and improving women’s mental health outcomes.

 

I completed my PhD in 2024 with Dr. Tracy Bale at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. My graduate work developed a novel chemogenetic stress model and found that chronic activation of the stress circuitry imparted both sex- and brain region-specific effects, which may underlie the well-established sex-differences in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorder risk. My postdoctoral work in the Galea Lab is examining how the experience of postpartum depression (PPD) shapes long-term maternal brain health and neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. Outside of the lab, I love to travel, explore Toronto and learn about Canada, and I am attempting to finally master gluten-free baking.