Laura Christine Anderson , 2011

Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology, 1) University of Maryland and 2) Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children's National Medical Center

Professional Background

After I graduated from Duke, I accepted a 2 year fellowship position at the Yale Child Study Center where I conducted clinical and neuroimaging research with infants and young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Currently, I'm a fourth year clinical psychology Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland in the Developmental Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Redcay. My research explores the neural correlates of social interaction in children with ASD. I also do neuropsychological testing and see therapy patients at my externship at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children's National Medical Center.

How has being a P&N graduate helped shape your professional success?

My experiences at Duke highly influenced where I am today. In particular, my experiences working with Dr. Makeba Wilbourn in the Wilbourn Infant Lab at Duke (WILD) taught me how to think as a developmental psychologist. I learned so much about infant development, language, and research methods through completing a senior thesis project with Dr. Wilbourn. I am forever grateful for her mentorship. Additionally, my coursework at Duke was influential in my career choices. Two of my favorite classes were Infancy with Dr. Amy Joh and Gene x Environment Interplay with Dr. Avshalom Caspi and Dr. Terrie Moffitt. These courses helped me think about my research and clinical interests in a completely new way. I am so grateful for the many professors and mentors at Duke who helped influence my career path and who helped me grow as a person.

Laura Christine Anderson , 2011