Elinor L. Sullivan

Elinor L. Sullivan is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University, where she investigates how early environmental factors—including maternal nutrition, obesity, and stress—shape child neurobehavioral development and mental health disorders such as ADHD, autism, anxiety, and depression.

Education:

• B.A. in Biology, Willamette University (2000)
• Ph.D. in Physiology, Oregon Health & Science University (2006)

Her research integrates non-human primate models with human longitudinal cohorts to examine biological mechanisms like inflammatory pathways, adipokine signaling, serotonin systems, and epigenetic modifications. Current projects focus on developmental programming of neurobehavioral outcomes through maternal diet (e.g., high-fat, Western-style diets), prenatal stress, and environmental toxins including THC. She actively contributes to the Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, analyzing how prenatal exposures influence brain development.

Recent publications reveal consistent themes:

• Diet-Brain Interactions: Maternal nutrition directly impacts offspring neurodevelopment through inflammatory and metabolic pathways
• Translational Models: Primate studies bridge mechanistic insights to human developmental disorders
• Environmental Vulnerability: Prenatal exposures (THC, stress) alter neurodevelopmental trajectories via epigenetic and neural circuit changes

Scientific Recognition:

• Outstanding Scholarship Award (University of Portland)
• Top manuscript selection for Obesity Journal Symposium (2015)
• Multiple travel awards and grants from NIH, The Obesity Society, and American Heart Association
• Provost’s Initiative for Undergraduate Research Award

Dr. Sullivan mentors graduate and undergraduate students in developmental neuroscience research. Her funded projects include investigations into maternal diet impacts on offspring behavior (Butine grant) and neurodevelopmental mechanisms in primate models. She collaborates extensively with the HBCD Study consortium and leads interdisciplinary teams examining biospecimens, neuroimaging, and behavioral outcomes.

Her laboratory work emphasizes translational developmental neuroscience, utilizing primate models to uncover how early-life exposures program neurobehavioral outcomes. Current initiatives focus on pandemic-related stress impacts, food environment disparities, and cannabinoid effects on fetal development.