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        

                                    Attending Clinical Psychologist
                                    Outpatient Psychiatry Services
                                    UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA

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

Education and Training

                                    Postdoctoral Fellowship
                                    Baylor College of Medicine
                                    Department of Pediatrics and Menninger Department of Psychiatry
                                    Houston, TX

                                    Doctoral Clinical Psychology Internship
                                    The Menninger Clinic
                                    Baylor College of Medicine, Menninger Department of Psychiatry
                                    Houston, TX

                                    Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
                                    Rosemead School of Psychology, La Mirada, CA

                                    M.A., Clinical Psychology
                                    Rosemead School of Psychology, La Mirada, CA

                                    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 work (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.