My program of research is focused on alleviating the mental health burden of trauma by enhancing our understanding of risk and resilience factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of traumatic stress and exploring novel intervention strategies for individuals affected by traumatic stress. Fear learning has been used as a predominant animal model for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and theories of PTSD view persistent symptoms following trauma as a failure of extinction to trauma-related cues. My current research program has incorporated fear conditioning paradigms using psychophysiology to assess whether fear learning processes may help to explain the intergenerational transmission of trauma and whether a resiliency intervention can improve extinction learning in those with a history of childhood interpersonal trauma. Memory and learning processes are also integral to the successful uptake of psychotherapy. In my research, I have explored how changes in cognitions serve as an important treatment mechanism of psychotherapy for PTSD. Very recently, I have also become more interested in understanding brain mechanisms that can inform the development of novel interventions for traumatic stress. My recently funded NIMH R61 examines how morning bright light therapy affects amygdala reactivity in individuals with traumatic stress. I believe that developing a better understanding of the neurobiology of memory and learning processes linked to trauma exposure and interventions for traumatic stress has great potential to improve our ability to reduce the suffering of those affected by trauma.

Key Research Areas:
Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Transdiagnostic, Resilience, Prevention & Treatment