Brooke McKenna (2022)

Brooke McKenna is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at Emory University. Brooke’s research centers on the biological and psychosocial factors that contribute to the development of psychological disorders. In particular, she is interested in understanding when and how varying forms of adversity – ranging from childhood trauma to systemic inequality – confer risk for psychological disorders.

Brooke’s research prioritizes the inclusion of Black American women and children, given the historical underrepresentation of Black Americans in psychological studies despite robust evidence that Black Americans are disproportionately exposed to and impacted by individual and systemic adversities. In graduate school, Brooke has taken a diverse approach to examining how genetic factors – spanning polygenic risk, epigenetic alterations, and genetic variation within the gut microbiome – can help us better understand the development of psychological disorders, both within an individual and extending into future generations.

For her dissertation, Brooke will examine biological factors that may identify and protect against the intergenerational impact of stress and adversity among Black American women and children. Brooke is grateful to receive support from the National Institute of Social Sciences Dissertation Grant that enables her to work towards these important goals.