FEATURED PUBLICATIONS

  • Do dyadic interventions impact biomarkers of child health?: A state-of-the-science literature review.

    Sullivan, A. D. W. , Roubinov, D., Noroña-Zhou, A., Bush, N. R. (2024) Do dyadic interventions impact biomarkers of child health?: A state-of-the-science literature review. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 162, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106949

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  • Parenting practices may buffer the impact of adversity on epigenetic age acceleration among young children with Developmental Delays

    Sullivan, A. D. W., Bozack, A., Cardenas, A., Comer, J., Bagner, D., Forehand, R., & Parent, J. (2023). Parenting practices may buffer the impact of adversity on epigenetic age acceleration among young children with Developmental Delays. Psychological Science, 34 (10), 1173-1185. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976231194221

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  • Intervening after trauma: Child–Parent Psychotherapy treatment Is associated with lower pediatric epigenetic age acceleration

    Sullivan, A. D. W., Merrill, S. M., Konwar, C., Coccia, M., Rivera, L., MacIsaac, J. L., Lieberman, A., Kobor, M. S., Bush, N. R. (2024). Intervening after trauma: Child–Parent Psychotherapy treat is associated with lower pediatric epigenetic age acceleration. Psychological Science, https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976241260247

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Dr. Alexandra Sullivan

Assistant Professor

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Child Development & Clinical Psychology
University of California San Francisco

WELCOME!

I am an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. I serve as the Director of Research for the Child Trauma Research Program and am affiliated with the Center for Health and Community and Intergenerational Developmental Health Program. I am dedicated to uncovering how early-life stress affects children’s mental and physical health and discovering how effective parenting interventions can counteract these impacts.

To address these interdisciplinary questions, I draw on developmental, health, clinical, and biological psychology. My research includes clinical effectiveness studies and longitudinal observational designs that integrate behavioral and biological measures.

In addition to research on early-life stress exposure and parenting interventions, I also study maternal mental health, how stress effects cross generations, and what biomarkers can reveal about children’s exposure and response to adversity.

Areas of Interest

  • I study how early-life stress gets “under the skin” (the biological embedding of stress) and impacts child health.

  • I focus on how parents and psychosocial interventions that target parenting can protect children from the negative effects of stress exposure. This line of research includes investigating factors like maternal mental health. See this blog post for more info.

  • I am particularly interested in what biomarkers can tell us about stress, parenting, and child health.

  • I also investigate the intergenerational transmission of stress and what steps we can take to stop stress effects from crossing generations.