I have a Bachelor’s in Science in Biology from Oklahoma Christian University, and a PhD in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior from Emory University.

I am the Director of the Detroit Trauma Project, which uses psychophysiological and neuroimaging methods to investigate biomarkers of PTSD in an urban population of primarily African American children and adults.  My research focuses on translational fear conditioning paradigms in patients with trauma-related disorders, using startle response as well as other psychophysiological and brain imaging measures, such as MRI. The bulk of my career has been dedicated to working in minority populations, especially from large cities with significant community violence and childhood adversity, such as Detroit. My research interests are in the association between genetic risk factors and psychopathology, with a focus on neurobiology, including fear-potentiated startle and brain function. I am specifically looking at impaired fear inhibition processes as a potential vulnerability factor for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or anxiety in the aftermath of experiencing trauma. Brain areas such as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, which control feelings of fear and panic in safe contexts, can be altered in those with PTSD. Although responding to real threats in the environment is adaptive, when people react with fear to safety signals, it can severely limit their quality of life. My work aims to better understand how and why fear responses become abnormal and how we can target these responses with treatment.

In my graduate work I studies an animal model of early adversity—specifically, I observed baby monkeys that were abused by their mothers. I found that abused monkeys expressed blunted emotions in their vocalizations. While I loved working with non-human primates, once I finished my PhD, I realized that there weren’t many jobs for professional “monkey watchers.” I decided to switch to looking at the impact of early trauma on human brain development and emotion regulation. As a postdoctoral fellow and Assistant Professor, I expanded this work to better understand how people with trauma regulate fear in ways that make them either more vulnerable or more resilient to developing PTSD. I realized that the inability to inhibit fear in safe contexts is one factor that can help us both predict who is most at risk, but can also help track treatment outcomes, as fear inhibition improves with medication and therapy.

I believe preventing mental illness can be more impactful than treatment of individuals who have already developed a disorder. In order to have effective prevention measures, we need to identify those at risk and implement early interventions. This work can apply both to adults who have been recently traumatized, and to children with early life trauma exposure, therefore I have done longitudinal studies both in adults recruited from Emergency Departments and children growing up in communities with a lot of violence. I am especially excited about novel interventions that specially target neurobiology of fear inhibition, such as brain stimulation. Such studies are currently emerging, and I am collaborating with clinicians to understand how these interventions work.

One of my favorite books is Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky. This book clearly lays out an evolutionary perspective on the toxicity of stress on brain and behavior. Dr. Sapolsky is a neuroscientist at Stanford, who has done extensive research on stress in monkeys, and has received a McArthur Fellowship Genius Grant. His work is very translational in that he has looked at neuroendocrinology and behavior in non-human and human primates.  He is an exceptional speaker and writer, and this book is both scientifically accurate as well as entertaining to read. I recommend it to all my trainees.

I have many favorites! Dr. Robert Sapolsky is one of my science nerd heroes because of his science. But I have also had wonderful mentors, such as Dr. Michael Davis and Dr. Kerry Ressler who have made me excited about studying brain mechanisms underlying mental illness while also teaching me, through their very generous mentorship, how to nurture and promote trainees. I have also had great role models, such as Dr. Barbara Rothbaum, who demonstrated a high level of academic success, while also being a dedicated parent to her sons, and a wonderful friend. 

Since moving to Michigan, I have really enjoyed kayaking on the lakes. I have decided I would like to try to kayak in as many places as possible—just last weekend I was able to kayak in the canals around Miami Beach. I really enjoy traveling and seeing new places, which is good since I travel for work a lot.