Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
I am an early-stage clinical investigator whose ambition is to optimize the peripartum environment in order to enhance postpartum mood. I started my academic career with a fellowship at the University of Toronto in 2013. There, I conducted a study of the analgesic effect of pericesarean gabapentin in 204 women. Inspired by this experience of clinical research in North America, on completion of an MSCI, I joined the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis in 2018. It is here that I developed my research interest in identifying peripartum interventions with the potential to improve postpartum mental health. Postpartum depression is a devastating complication of pregnancy. Effective perinatal interventions are urgently needed to protect our vulnerable population as they traverse a high-risk period for depression. Consequently, I have focused my efforts on identifying peripartum interventions and modifiable risk factors with the potential to improve postpartum mental health.