Meet us
HELENA RUTHERFORD, PH.D
Lab Director
I am interested in the perinatal origins of parenting and the neurobiological and psychological changes that occur during the transition to parenthood.
KIMBERLY STREATER-ADAMS, B.S
Research Coordinator
I recruit mothers from both the community and hospital settings to participate in various research studies within our lab. I also support education and engagement through the 123MOMS study.
In addition to my research work, I am actively involved in community events across New Haven County. My primary focus is promoting the health and well-being of mothers, ensuring they have access not only to research opportunities but also to valuable resources for themselves and their families.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is witnessing families connect and grow through these experiences, often gaining new perspectives along the way.
CAMILA SERVIN-BARTHET, PhD
Post doc
I received my B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Psychology from the University of Barcelona (Spain), and my Ph.D. in Psychiatry from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain). My research focuses on characterizing hormonal, neural, and behavioral changes across the perinatal period. As a postdoctoral associate at the BABL, I am committed to advancing our understanding of the neuroscience of motherhood by examining psychosocial and neurobiological trajectories of stress and opioid use following pregnancy.
KATHY AYALA, PhD
Post doc
I am interested in how mental health conditions of parents can impact their own parental development and their child's development. I am especially interested in the neurobiological associations between the parent and child during and after pregnancy.
KATHRYN WALL, M.S, M.A
PhD Candidate
I am a PhD student in Yale University’s Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (INP). I am interested in the implications of substance use and mental health on maternal neural processing and infant development.
AMINA HARRATH, B.Sc
MRes Student
I am currently studying an MRes in Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology, run across UCL, the Anna Freud Centre, and Yale. My research uses ERP measures to investigate brain-based mechanisms that mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and maternal mentalising. I am interested in the neurobiological and social consequences of childhood trauma in mothers.
MALAK FISSEHA, BSPH
MPH Student
I am a first-year Master of Public Health Candidate at the Yale School of Public Health studying Social & Behavioral Sciences and Global Health. My research and professional interests lie within global health policy and access to reproductive health in resource-limited and conflict settings, as well as exploring the intersection of health and human rights. With the BABL, I serve as a research coordinator and interact closely with the New Haven community as I recruit participants for the PROMISE study!
LIAM TROSCH, B.S
Postgraduate Research Associate
I graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South with a degree in Neuroscience. I am involved with BABL as a postgraduate associate for the POD study, which is looking to evaluate how factors such as stress and substance abuse impact the transition to motherhood. I am passionate about translational research and medicine. More specifically the evolution of research, starting at the formulation of a question to the successful application in a clinical setting.
KAROLENA RAFFERTY, B.A
Postgraduate Research Associate
I graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in Psychology. As a postgraduate associate (PGA), I am assisting the PROMISE study in examining maternal psychological risk factors that influence mother and infant adjustment through neural responses. I am passionate about using developmental research to improve family health outcomes and increase equity for patients. Generally, I am interested in the impact of adverse childhood experiences on parent and child development.
LILY FOSTER, B.S
Postgraduate Research Associate
I graduated from the University of Missouri - Columbia with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development and Family Science. I work as a Postgraduate Associate for the PROMISE Study, which explores the significance of maternal psychological risk factors and neural responding to infant cues for mother and infant adjustment. I am broadly interested in understanding how parental risk factors, such as mental health and parenting styles, affect the quality of family relationships. I aim to investigate the ways these factors, in turn, shape developmental, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes in children and adolescents.
ALEXA GUZMAN, B.S
Postgraduate Research Associate
I graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University with a B.A. in Psychology. I am currently a Postgraduate Associate (PGA) with the PROMISE Study, which examines how maternal psychological risk factors and neural responses to infant stimuli influence developmental outcomes for both mothers and their infants. More broadly, I am interested in understanding development across the prenatal and postnatal periods, particularly how early-life adversity shapes children's cognitive, behavioral, and emotional development. Through this research, I hope to better understand resilience and adaptive processes that can inform interventions to best support families.
FEV BARINOVA
Undergraduate Student
I am an undergraduate student at Yale College interested in studying psychology. I am particularly interested in research on the psychology of sleep as well as suicide prevention and intervention strategies. At BABL I work as one of the research coordinators of the PEAR Study, which follows birthing parents and their parents before birth and 4 months after, and looks at the transition to parenthood.
FÁTIMA SAMPEDRO-VALLE
Undergraduate Student
I am a junior in Yale College studying the History of Science, Medicine & Public Health with a concentration in Gender, Reproduction and the Body. My interests focus on supporting women's obstetric and gynecological needs -- especially perinatally and during pregnancy. As an FGLI woman of color, I intend to expand these efforts to underserved communities that deserve amplified health care and representation.
KENDALL ARCHER
Undergraduate Student
I am a junior in Yale College Studying Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience. I am particularly interested in how parent-child attachment and early life adversity impact children’s physical and cognitive development. I hope to leverage this research to create effective interventions that foster adaptive parenting skills and resilience in children with childhood trauma. More generally, I am passionate about access to mental healthcare, maternal and child health, and the impact of toxic stress on physical and mental health.
ALUMNI
Danielly de Souza Oliveria - Masters Student
Osaru Uwa-Omede - Undergraduate Student
Lea Papa - Undergraduate Student
Kaitlyn Sternhardt - Undergraduate Student
Jocelyn Lamore - Postgraduate Research Associate
Kehzu Niu - Postgraduate Research Associate
Dr. Huili Sun - PhD Student in Yale Department of Biomedical Engineering
Maisha Hossain - Masters Student and Postgraduate Research Associate
Michèle Day - Postgraduate Research Associate
Zoe Howell - Masters Student and Postgraduate Research Associate
Daniel McGlade - PhD Student
Maya Ennis - Yale Undergraduate Student '25
Destiny Ojukwu - Yale Undergraduate Student '25
Dr. Clíona Kelly - Postdoctoral Associate
Claudia Gaebler - Postgraduate Research Associate
Victoria Hart-Derrick - Postgraduate Research Associate
Julia Sulkowski - Yale Undergraduate Student '24
Michelle Torres Almache - Yale Undergraduate Student '24
Josephine Levy, M.Res '23 - Postgraduate Research Associate
Rachel Shin, M.Res '23 - Postgraduate Research Associate
Dr. Winnie Orchard - Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. Amanda Lowell - Associate Research Scientist
Isabel Rodden - Summer Intern
Dr. Francesca Penner - Postdoctoral Fellow
Fisayo Adeyina - Postgraduate Research Associate
Dr. Tal Yatziv - Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. Yi Lan McCurdy - Postdoctoral Fellow
Juliana Brenner - Research Assistant
Spencer Birney - Postgraduate Research Associate
Brooke Casey - Yale Undergraduate Student '23
Dèbora Becker - Visiting PhD Student
Justine Murphy - Medical Student Research Associate
Kathleen Guan, M.Res '22 - Masters Student
Lili Massac - NIDA Summer Research Intern
Virginia Osueke- NIDA Summer Research Intern
Saskia Malcorps- PhD Candidate and Fulbright Scholar
Hana Haitsuka, Yale '20 - Postgraduate Research Associate
Lucy Gao - Medical Student Research Associate
Eloise Sutton, M.Res '21 - Masters Student
Sarah Peoples, M.Res '20 - Postgraduate Research Associate
Nick Manco - Postgraduate Research Associate
Dr. Karen Milligan
Madison Bunderson - Postgraduate Research Associate
Cody Bartz - Postgraduate Research Associate
Katherine Hofman, Yale '20 - Undergraduate Research Assistant
Corine Lu, Yale '20 - Undergraduate Research Assistant
Dr. Emily Vancor, Yale School of Medicine '20 - Medical Student
Laura Kolijn - Visiting Member
Dr. Michele Giannotti - Visiting Member
Dr. Karina Sandoval - Postdoctoral Fellow
Amanda Simard - Visiting Member
Lauren (Da Mi) Kim, UCL/Yale '19 - Masters Student
Gwendolyn Ngoh, UCL/Yale '19 - Masters Student
Sarah Pak, Yale '19 - Undergraduate Research Assistant
Dr. Aline Jimi Myung Cho - Visiting Member
Dr. Antonin Sebela - Visiting Member