Helena Rutherford, PhD

Helena Rutherford, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Child Study Center and in Psychology, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, and Combined Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences. She is also faculty at University College London and the Anna Freud National Center for Children and Families and Dr. Rutherford directs a Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology master’s program. Her research focuses on a unique neurodevelopmental period in adulthood: the transition to parenthood. In particular, her current work examines neuroplasticity of the parental brain during pregnancy and the postpartum period, employing neuroimaging (EEG/ERP, MRI/fMRI), behavioral (observed behavior, reaction time tasks, interview/self-reports), and physiological (hormonal, cardiac) approaches. Through her work in The Before and After Baby Lab, Dr. Rutherford’s program of research seeks to examine mechanisms that are critical to support parenting and understanding under what conditions those mechanisms may be compromised, particularly in the context of addiction.