ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Academic Positions
10/2019 - Present Assistant Professor
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center
Departments of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics & Gynecology
Worcester, MA
Contributing Faculty, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences:
Neuroscience Program, MD/PhD Program, Translational Science Program,
Clinical and Population Health Research, and Master of Science in Clinical Investigation Program
4/2015 - 6/2019 Assistant Professor
Baylor College of Medicine
Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics
Houston, TX
Attending Clinical Psychologist, Texas Children's Hospital, Pavilion for Women
Center for Reproductive Psychiatry, Houston, TX
9/2014 - 3/2015 Research Associate (in transition)
Baylor College of Medicine
Department of Pediatrics, Houston, TX
Education and Training
9/2011 - 9/2014 Postdoctoral Fellowship
Baylor College of Medicine
Department of Pediatrics and Menninger Department of Psychiatry
Houston, TX
7/2010 - 6/2011 Doctoral Clinical Psychology Internship
The Menninger Clinic
Baylor College of Medicine
Menninger Department of Psychiatry
Houston, TX
8/2007 - 8/2011 Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
Rosemead School of Psychology, La Mirada, CA
8/2005 - 8/2007 M.A., Clinical Psychology
Rosemead School of Psychology, La Mirada, CA
3/2000 - 2/2004 B.A., Psychology
Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE
3/2020 - Present Licensed Psychologist, State of Massachusetts
6/2019 - Present National Register Health Service Psychologist
9/2014 - Present Licensed Psychologist, State of Texas
RESEARCH SUMMARY
I am a clinical psychologist and developmental scientist committed to advancing the science of the developing human social brain. My work seeks to: (1) discover early neural markers in the infant’s social brain that predict long-term developmental outcomes, (2) identify potentially modifiable early-life factors that influence the trajectory of the developing social brain, and (3) translate these discoveries into innovative strategies for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment in high-risk children and families for enduring impact.
My training as a clinical psychologist has spanned the fields of psychiatry, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology, resulting in a uniquely integrated perspective on the interplay of genes and environment in early neurodevelopment. My work has focused on parents and infants during the first year of life, as I recognized this earliest period as a critical time during which identification of at-risk individuals and intervention to mitigate risks can be highly effective, with far-reaching implications.
My current KL2 award (National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH) uses two innovative neuroimaging techniques to establish first-in-human neural markers that can detect early differences and deficits in the infant’s developing social brain. This will serve as the basis for an innovative line of research dedicated to advancing our fundamental knowledge of the developing human social brain and discovering new diagnostics and therapeutics targeting the crucial earliest years.