Who We Are

Personal Statement

My program of research is broadly aimed at understanding processes involved in the etiology and treatment of self-injury, including nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide attempts, in adolescents. I utilize longitudinal cohort based datasets (Developmental Pathways Research Program; VanderStoep & McCauley), cross-sectional epidemiological data (Washington State Healthy Youth Survey), and adolescents recruited from inpatient psychiatry unit (PIs: Adrian & Sim) to examine genetic, environmental, and individual contributions to prediction of the spectrum of self-injurious behavior during adolescence.

In addition to employing a developmental psychopathology approach to the study of self-injury, I also work towards identifying core components of effective treatments for youth at risk for self-injury. In the context of NIMH-funded clinical trial to understand efficacy of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), I have provided leadership for the recruitment and assessment arms of a clinical trial for youth who repetitively self-injure and involved in the treatment team for DBT arm of intervention (Collaborative Adolescent Research on Emotions and Suicide; PIs Linehan, McCauley, Berk, Asarnow). I am also interested in improving suicide assessment by incorporating adolescents social media information in predictive machine learning algorithms and applying these methods in clinic and school settings.

Department Affiliations