I am interested in the perinatal origins of parenting and the neurobiological and psychological changes that occur during the transition to parenthood.

Lab Director

HELENA RUTHERFORD, PH.D

I am currently studying the impact of substance use on mothers’ neural response to infant cues. Utilizing ERP methods, I am examining how mothers perceive and allocate attention to infants’ faces and cries, and how these processes differ as a function of substance use and addiction.

Eventually, these results will inform future studies where we can understand how mentalization-based treatment may shape neural and behavioral responses to infants in mothers with substance use disorders.

Postdoctoral Fellow

AMANDA LOWELL, PH.D 

I work on recruiting, engaging, and screening pregnant and postpartum mothers in the New Haven community.

Research Coordinator

KIMBERLY STREATER

I am interested in investigating the effects of various prenatal predictors, such as maternal-fetal attachment and prior parental relationships, on postpartum maternal-infant interactions using questionnaire measures and EEG.  Most recently, I am working on a project that examines the effects of infant cries on maternal heart rate in pregnancy.

Medical Student Research Associate

LUCY GAO, B.S

I am interested in how mental health during pregnancy and the postpartum period affects parenting.  I am currently working on an ERP-based study focusing on the relationship between anxiety levels during pregnancy and the ways that mothers interpret infant facial expressions.

Medical Student Research Associate

EMILY VANCOR, B.S

I am interested in the neural and behavioral differences between mothers and non-mothers in processing and responding to infant affective cues. I am also interested in associated psychophysiological differences that may further delineate the effect of motherhood on neurobiological functioning. 

Masters Student

SARAH PEOPLES, B.A

I am investigating the associations between mind-mindedness and parental reflective functioning in mothers. I am also examining whether substance use impacts these parenting capacities.

Postgraduate Research Fellow

DA MI (LAUREN) KIM, M.Res

I work on our Parents-to-be Study, which investigates neurological changes and the impact of individual differences in parents before the birth of their child, and our Tobacco-Smoking and Parenting Study, which explores the impact of tobacco use on parenting behavior. I also work behind the scenes for our Massage and Mindfulness Study and assist with the Yale Baby School collaborative project. 

Postgraduate Research Associate

MADISON BUNDERSON, B.S

I am working on a clinical study that uses the hormone oxytocin to examine maternal brain changes through fMRI. I am also working on a driving simulator study examining driving behaviors of participants from the Yale-Specialized Center of Research longitudinal study that has participants who have been coming to the Child Study Center for over 20 years.

Postgraduate Research Associate

CODY BARTZ, B.S

I am a research assistant helping with both data collection and analysis in multiple projects in the lab. This year, I will be working on my senior thesis project exploring other-race effects in maternal infant facial processing. 

Undergraduate Research Assistant

HANA HAITSUKA

I am currently working on a research project that examines potential biases in parental attention to emotional infant faces. I hope this research eases the transition into parenthood and enhances how parents understand their children.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

CORINE LU

I am using ERPs to examine how the neural response to infant cues changes from pregnancy to postpartum. 

Undergraduate Research Assistant

KATHERINE HOFMANN