Tara Thompson-Felix, MD
Assistant Professor in the Child Study CenterAbout
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Titles
Assistant Professor in the Child Study Center
Biography
Dr. Tara Thompson-Felix received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ and her MD from Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Prior to medical school, she worked as a postgraduate research associate in the Yale Child Study Center focusing on investigating the genetic basis of developmental language and behavioral disorders. After earning her M.D., she trained in adult psychiatry at the Lewis Katz Temple University medical school. At Temple, she served as a chief resident and completed the child and research track. Her research involved collaborations with the Temple OB/GYN and neuroscience department to investigate the epigenetic landscape of fetal neural exosomes associated with in utero exposure to opiates. Based on this work, Dr. Thompson-Felix was selected as an APA research colloquium awardee in 2018. Dr. Thompson-Felix is also a National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative (NNCI) scholar and continues to work on developing new teaching materials, including a “this stuff is really cool” talk on extracellular vesicles and clinical commentary published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry (2019). She was awarded the 2020 George Ginsberg Fellowship award from the American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training (AADPRT), acknowledging her commitment to teaching and education. Dr. Thompson-Felix is interested in improving child development starting from the in-utero experience and maternal health. At this time, she an attending psychiatrist on the consult liaison service and a PhD candidate in the Yale Investigative Medicine Program through the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of maternal obesity on child neurodevelopment through the characterization of and fetal neuron derived extracellular vesicles. This work is supported by various awards including the Patterson Mentored Trust Award, NRSA TL1 training program, NIH Loan Repayment Program, and 2022 YCSC trainee pilot award. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing with her kids, spending time with family and cooking cultural dishes.
Appointments
Child Study Center
Assistant ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow
- Yale School of Medicine (2023)
- Resident Physician, Chief Resident
- Temple University Hospital (2020)
- MD
- Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Doctor of Medicine
- Postgraduate Research Associate
- Yale School of Medicine (2012)
- BA
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Psychology (2009)
Research
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Overview
Medical Research Interests
Public Health Interests
ORCID
0000-0002-9439-341X
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Andrés S Martin, MD, PhD
Hung Pham
Kieran O'Donnell, PhD
Laelia Benoit, MD, PhD
Uche Aneni, MBBS, MHS
Wanjiku Njoroge
Publications
2025
BUILDING BETTER BRAINS 3: WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO DO IT, AND WHY
Cain K, Hargrave T, Marr M, Thompson-Felix T, Jessani S, MacMaster E, Hemke A, Richards M, Murtuza M. BUILDING BETTER BRAINS 3: WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO DO IT, AND WHY. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry 2025, 64: s144. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2025.07.665.Peer-Reviewed Original Research10.1 Maternal Obesity and Fetal Neurodevelopment: Characterizing the Role of Extracellular Vesicles
Thompson-Felix T. 10.1 Maternal Obesity and Fetal Neurodevelopment: Characterizing the Role of Extracellular Vesicles. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry 2025, 64: s349. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2025.07.772.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2024
BUILDING BETTER BRAINS: WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO DO IT, AND WHY
Cain K, Hargrave T, Jessani S, MacMaster E, Marr M, Rahman J, Thompson-Felix T, Murtuza M. BUILDING BETTER BRAINS: WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO DO IT, AND WHY. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry 2024, 63: s377-s378. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2024.07.878.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchEditors’ Note: 2024 Annual Report Regarding JAACAP’s Antiracist Journey
Novins D, Singh M, Althoff R, Bagot K, Blader J, Brotman M, DelBello M, Dickstein D, Doyle A, Drury S, Findling R, Fortuna L, Fristad M, Middeldorp C, Njoroge W, Rogers C, Pumariega A, Bath E, Bihani N, Thompson-Felix T, Billingsley M, Family J. Editors’ Note: 2024 Annual Report Regarding JAACAP’s Antiracist Journey. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry 2024, 63: 1184-1192. PMID: 39307183, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2024.09.001.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricThe effects of pregnancy, its progression, and its cessation on human (maternal) biological aging
Pham H, Thompson-Felix T, Czamara D, Rasmussen J, Lombroso A, Entringer S, Binder E, Wadhwa P, Buss C, O'Donnell K. The effects of pregnancy, its progression, and its cessation on human (maternal) biological aging. Cell Metabolism 2024, 36: 877-878. PMID: 38521058, PMCID: PMC11774303, DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.02.016.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMinimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches.
Welsh JA, Goberdhan DCI, O'Driscoll L, Buzas EI, Blenkiron C, Bussolati B, Cai H, Di Vizio D, Driedonks TAP, Erdbrügger U, Falcon-Perez JM, Fu QL, Hill AF, Lenassi M, Lim SK, Mahoney MG, Mohanty S, Möller A, Nieuwland R, Ochiya T, Sahoo S, Torrecilhas AC, Zheng L, Zijlstra A, Abuelreich S, Bagabas R, Bergese P, Bridges EM, Brucale M, Burger D, Carney RP, Cocucci E, Crescitelli R, Hanser E, Harris AL, Haughey NJ, Hendrix A, Ivanov AR, Jovanovic-Talisman T, Kruh-Garcia NA, Ku'ulei-Lyn Faustino V, Kyburz D, Lässer C, Lennon KM, Lötvall J, Maddox AL, Martens-Uzunova ES, Mizenko RR, Newman LA, Ridolfi A, Rohde E, Rojalin T, Rowland A, Saftics A, Sandau US, Saugstad JA, Shekari F, Swift S, Ter-Ovanesyan D, Tosar JP, Useckaite Z, Valle F, Varga Z, van der Pol E, van Herwijnen MJC, Wauben MHM, Wehman AM, Williams S, Zendrini A, Zimmerman AJ, MISEV Consortium, Théry C, Witwer KW. Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches. J Extracell Vesicles 2024, 13: e12404. PMID: 38326288, DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12404.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus Statements
2023
Maternal social support during and after pregnancy and child cognitive ability: examining timing effects in two cohorts.
Lähdepuro A, Räikkönen K, Pham H, Thompson-Felix T, Eid R, O'Connor T, Glover V, Lahti J, Heinonen K, Wolford E, Lahti-Pulkkinen M, O'Donnell K. Maternal social support during and after pregnancy and child cognitive ability: examining timing effects in two cohorts. Psychological Medicine 2023, 54: 1661-1670. PMID: 38087866, DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723003550.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsChildren's cognitive abilitiesChildren's cognitive developmentGeneral cognitive abilityMaternal social supportCognitive abilitiesCognitive developmentSocial supportChildren's general cognitive abilitiesWechsler Intelligence ScaleMaternal experienceIntelligence ScaleTiming effectsAvon Longitudinal StudyMaternal anxietySensitive periodLongitudinal studyMaternal symptomsProspective longitudinal cohortAnxietyChildrenLess attentionDepressionLongitudinal cohortSupportWISCEditors’ Note: Third Annual Report Regarding JAACAP’s Antiracist Journey
Novins D, Singh M, Althoff R, Bagot K, Brotman M, DelBello M, Dickstein D, Doyle A, Drury S, Findling R, Fortuna L, Fristad M, Middeldorp C, Njoroge W, Rogers C, Pumariega A, Bath E, Tobón A, Thompson-Felix T, Diversity E, Billingsley M, Family J. Editors’ Note: Third Annual Report Regarding JAACAP’s Antiracist Journey. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry 2023, 62: 1287-1294. PMID: 38035913, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.09.531.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH KeywordsAnti-Black racism in clinical supervision: asynchronous simulated encounters facilitate reflective practice
Calhoun A, Martin A, Adigun A, Alleyne S, Aneni K, Thompson-Felix T, Asnes A, de Carvalho-Filho M, Benoit L, Genao I. Anti-Black racism in clinical supervision: asynchronous simulated encounters facilitate reflective practice. MedEdPublish 2023, 13: 4. PMID: 37123251, PMCID: PMC10140654, DOI: 10.12688/mep.19487.2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricAnti-Black racism in clinical supervision: asynchronous simulated encounters facilitate reflective practice
Calhoun A, Martin A, Adigun A, Alleyne S, Aneni K, Thompson-Felix T, Asnes A, de Carvalho-Filho M, Benoit L, Genao I. Anti-Black racism in clinical supervision: asynchronous simulated encounters facilitate reflective practice. MedEdPublish 2023, 13: 4. DOI: 10.12688/mep.19487.1.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
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Activities
activity Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP)
03/15/2023 - PresentJournal ServiceEarly-Career Mentored Editorial Board Member
Honors
honor Yale/NIDA Neuroproteomics Award
02/26/2024National AwardNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)DetailsUnited Stateshonor Patterson Trust Mentored Award
01/30/2024Regional AwardRobert E. Leet and Clara Guthrie Patterson TrustDetailsUnited Stateshonor Underrepresented Minority (URM) Near Peer Program
07/03/2023National AwardAmerican College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)honor Individual Biomedical Research Award
06/23/2023National AwardHartwell FoundationDetailsUnited Stateshonor Loan Repayment Program for Research in Child Health & Human Development
08/10/2022National AwardNational Institutes of Health (NIH)DetailsUnited States
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