Emma

Cleary

Undergraduate School: Syracuse University

Graduate School: Indiana University Bloomington

Doctoral Program: Indiana University Bloomington, Clinical Psychology PhD

Interests & Career Goals: I am passionate about working with patients who are facing reproductive health concerns. This includes individuals who are experiencing infertility, traumatic births, pregnancy loss, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. My goal is to develop a career at an academic health center treating a wide range of women’s health problems, while also contributing to research to improve treatment of psychological concerns that arise during reproductive transitions.

Favorite Pastimes: In my free time, I love to bake, travel (recent favorites are Ireland and Norway), ice skate, and spend time exploring Durham with my husband and fellow interns!

Why Duke? I chose Duke because the Women's Health concentration was uniquely suited to meet my internship training goals. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to expand my health psychology skills through full year rotations at the Duke Fertility Center, the Perinatal Mental Health clinic, and a rotation focused on sexual and reproductive health through the Duke Cancer Institute. During interviews, I was blown away by the kindness and expertise of the training director and clinical supervisors and I'm happy to report that it continues now that I'm here!

Research Interests: My dissertation work focused on opioid medications prescribed for pain management during the perinatal period. I am particularly interested in studying the safety of these medications during and after pregnancy, including consequences for child development and postpartum mental health. My work utilizes large datasets and epidemiologic methods to help disentangle effects of opioid medications from effects of other factors, such as genetic and environmental confounders, and indication for prescription opioid use. I have also been lucky to collaborate with a wonderful team of researchers to study brief treatments for traumatic stress in perinatal patients.