Elizabeth Goldfarb, PhD
Associate Professor of PsychiatryDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Appointments
Psychiatry
Primary
Department of Psychology
Secondary
Additional Titles
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Director, Cognitive Neuroscience of Affect, Memories and Stress (CAMS) Lab, Psychiatry
Contact Info
Appointments
Psychiatry
Primary
Department of Psychology
Secondary
Additional Titles
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Director, Cognitive Neuroscience of Affect, Memories and Stress (CAMS) Lab, Psychiatry
Contact Info
Appointments
Psychiatry
Primary
Department of Psychology
Secondary
Additional Titles
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Director, Cognitive Neuroscience of Affect, Memories and Stress (CAMS) Lab, Psychiatry
Contact Info
About
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Titles
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology; Director, Cognitive Neuroscience of Affect, Memories and Stress (CAMS) Lab, Psychiatry
Biography
Dr. Goldfarb is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and member of the Wu Tsai Institute. She completed her PhD in Psychology: Cognition & Perception with Dr. Elizabeth Phelps at New York University and a postdoctoral fellowship in the Departments of Diagnostic Radiology and Psychiatry with Dr. Rajita Sinha at Yale. Her research investigates different forms of learning and memory, how stress changes which parts of our experiences we remember, and the impact of memory on later behavior.
Last Updated on July 01, 2026.
Appointments
Psychiatry
Associate Professor on TermPrimaryDepartment of Psychology
Assistant ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- PhD
- New York University, Psychology: Cognition and Perception (2017)
- BA
- Bard College, Psychology and Creative Writing (double major) (2010)
Research
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Overview
Medical Research Interests
Alcohol Drinking; Association Learning; Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms; Emotions; Functional Neuroimaging; Glucocorticoids; Habits; Memory, Episodic; Memory, Long-Term; Stress, Physiological; Stress, Psychological; Substance-Related Disorders
ORCID
0000-0001-9869-7771- View Lab Website
CAMS Lab
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Elizabeth Goldfarb's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Elizabeth Goldfarb's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Elizabeth Goldfarb is interested in exploring.
Rajita Sinha, PhD
Nick Turk-Browne, PhD
Dustin Scheinost, PhD, BS
Dylan Gee, PhD
Felicia A. Hardi
John Krystal, MD
42Publications
947Citations
Stress, Psychological
Emotions
Association Learning
Memory, Episodic
Alcohol Drinking
Stress, Physiological
Publications
2026
Childhood environment clusters reveal heterogeneous associations between large-scale brain networks and youth mental health symptoms
Hardi F, Keding T, Holt-Gosselin B, Goldfarb E, Gee D. Childhood environment clusters reveal heterogeneous associations between large-scale brain networks and youth mental health symptoms. Psychological Medicine 2026, 56: e134. PMID: 42100879, PMCID: PMC13161815, DOI: 10.1017/s0033291726104115.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltered stimulus-response learning and striatal responses in posttraumatic stress disorder
Loetscher K, Nguyen D, Krystal J, Groman S, Goldfarb E. Altered stimulus-response learning and striatal responses in posttraumatic stress disorder. JoCN Forum 2026 DOI: 10.21428/8e6ba8ef.50097cad.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMemory Consolidation Processes of Emotionally Arousing Memories across a Stress Manipulation
Cliver K, Goldfarb E, Phelps E, Davachi L, Tompary A. Memory Consolidation Processes of Emotionally Arousing Memories across a Stress Manipulation. JoCN Forum 2026 DOI: 10.21428/8e6ba8ef.516b370a.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2025
Dynamic brain mechanisms supporting salient memories under cortisol
Huang Y, O’Connor D, Harris B, Sinha R, Constable R, Goldfarb E. Dynamic brain mechanisms supporting salient memories under cortisol. Science Advances 2025, 11: eadz4143. PMID: 41370392, PMCID: PMC12693973, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adz4143.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThis study investigates how cortisol enhances emotional memory by dynamically altering brain networks, strengthening connections for arousal and memory, and prioritizing emotionally salient information.Stimulants as agents of arousal in whole-brain functional connectivity
Goldfarb E. Stimulants as agents of arousal in whole-brain functional connectivity. Cell 2025, 188: 7335-7336. PMID: 41448138, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.11.029.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricTrauma-predictive brain network connectivity adaptively responds to mild acute stress
Hardi F, Ye J, Zhou I, Bai Z, Nguyen D, Loetscher K, Pratt J, Harris B, Gee D, Goldfarb E. Trauma-predictive brain network connectivity adaptively responds to mild acute stress. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2025, 122: e2505965122. PMID: 40737323, PMCID: PMC12327799, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2505965122.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricPositive affect amplifies integration within episodic memories in the laboratory and the real world
Pratt J, Wemm S, Harris B, Huang Y, Sinha R, Goldfarb E. Positive affect amplifies integration within episodic memories in the laboratory and the real world. Learning & Memory 2025, 32: a053971. PMID: 39870487, PMCID: PMC11801478, DOI: 10.1101/lm.053971.124.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetric
2024
Network state dynamics underpin basal craving in a transdiagnostic population
Ye J, Garrison K, Lacadie C, Potenza M, Sinha R, Goldfarb E, Scheinost D. Network state dynamics underpin basal craving in a transdiagnostic population. Molecular Psychiatry 2024, 30: 619-628. PMID: 39183336, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02708-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricDrawbacks to Strengthening Neural Salience Encoding: A Link Between Cortisol and Risky Drinking
Harris B, Sinha R, Goldfarb E. Drawbacks to Strengthening Neural Salience Encoding: A Link Between Cortisol and Risky Drinking. Journal Of Neuroscience 2024, 44: e1027242024. PMID: 39147591, PMCID: PMC11450530, DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1027-24.2024.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricAcute Stress Effects on Statistical Learning and Episodic Memory
Sherman B, Huang I, Wijaya E, Turk-Browne N, Goldfarb E. Acute Stress Effects on Statistical Learning and Episodic Memory. Journal Of Cognitive Neuroscience 2024, 36: 1741-1759. PMID: 38713878, PMCID: PMC11223726, DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02178.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitations
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Dynamic brain mechanisms of stress, affect, and memory
IRB ID2000037109RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2026Recruiting ParticipantsNeurobiological memory processes promoting generalized alcohol-seeking behavior
IRB ID2000032557RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2026Recruiting Participants
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
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Activities
activity Memory Disorders Research Society
09/14/2022 - PresentProfessional OrganizationsMember
Honors
honor Honorable Mention, Klerman Award for Excellent Clinical Research
07/29/2024National AwardBrain and Behavior Research Foundationhonor Young Investigator Award
02/22/2023National AwardNational Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and AlcoholismDetailsUnited Stateshonor Rising Star Award
02/28/2022National AwardAssociation for Psychological ScienceDetailsUnited Stateshonor Harry June Travel Award
12/06/2020National AwardAmerican College of Neuropsychopharmacology
News
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News
- December 10, 2025Source: Yale News
Stress Hormones can Alter Brain Networks—and Strengthen Emotional Memories
- August 06, 2025
How Our Past Trauma Drives Our Brain’s Response to New Stress
- July 31, 2025Source: PNAS
Trauma-Predictive Brain Network Connectivity Adaptively Responds to Mild Acute Stress
- May 16, 2025Source: Being Patient
The Double-Edged Sword of Cortisol: When Stress Hurts — and When It Helps
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