Our April 5 Users' Meeting speaker is Dr. Kate Webb. Dr. Webb is an Assistant Neuroscientist at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School and an affiliate of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research leverages neuroimaging, geospatial techniques, behavioral assessments, and genetic tools to identify predictors of trauma-related disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The overarching focus of her work is to better understand how socioenvironmental factors, individual characteristics, and neurobiology interact to influence the course of PTSD development.
Title: The biological embedding of socioenvironmental factors and relevance to PTSD
Abstract: Of the nearly 24 million Americans who experience a traumatic event each year, a subset will develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a debilitating condition with significant psychological, financial, and social consequences. Interventions administered in the early aftermath of the trauma can help stave off symptom development; however, identifying those at risk for PTSD and who would benefit from acute treatment is limited by both symptom heterogeneity and the complex interplay between biological and socioenvironmental factors. The present talk will highlight how socioenvironmental risk (e.g., neighborhood disadvantage) and resilience (e.g., residential greenspace) factors may impact PTSD susceptibility in recent trauma survivors. Recent evidence using multimodal MRI and genetics suggesting these factors alter how biomarkers of PTSD perform across sociodemographic groups will also be reviewed. Finally, future directions for research as well as interventions aimed at mitigating the impact of traumatic stress will be discussed.
