Amanda M. Dettmer, PhD

Amanda M. Dettmer, PhD, is an Associate Research Scientist at the Yale Child Study Center, where she leads the Human and Animal Integrated Research (HAIR) Lab. She is a comparative psychologist and behavioral neuroscientist with over 20 years of experience studying nonhuman primate models of child health and development. Dr. Dettmer is also an experienced science communicator, and is assisting with the development of an integrated child health communications strategy between the Child Study Center and the Department of Pediatrics.

Dr. Dettmer's research program examines the impact of early life factors and individual differences on health across the lifespan. For this research, she relies primarily on nonhuman primates as translational models for human child development, employing multidisciplinary approaches including ethology, neuroendocrinology, immunology, and epigenetics. For more on this research, refer to Dr. Dettmer's complete Google Scholar profile. Dr. Dettmer also works with human populations. She currently serves as a member of the Hartford City Council Universal Basic Income (UBI) Task Force, which is developing a pilot UBI program set to begin in mid-2022.

Dr. Dettmer was the 2017-18 American Psychological Association (APA) Executive Branch Science Fellow, during which she worked at the National Center for Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences, the independent research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Dettmer also served as the Chair of the Governing Council of Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter School in Frederick, MD from 2016-18. In this position, she oversaw the governance of the school and maintained strong relationships with and regular reporting to the local county board of education. Consequently, Dr. Dettmer maintains an active interest in education research, and a second, burgeoning line of research examines how the classroom environment impacts long-term stress and social and academic outcomes in children. She serves as the APA Division 6 representative (Society for Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology) to the Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education. Dr. Dettmer is the President-Elect of APA Division 6 for 2021-22.

Before her fellowship, Dr. Dettmer worked as a senior postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at NIH. There she led several research programs aimed at identifying the causes and consequences of long-term stress in nonhuman primate models of child development. Dr. Dettmer previously served on the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Committee on Animals in Research, and is an editor for Speaking of Research. She served as Executive Secretary of the American Society of Primatologists from 2016-18.

Dr. Dettmer earned her BS in zoology from the University of Washington in Seattle, and her MS (2007) and PhD (2009) in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.