Jaylyn Waddell

Jaylyn Waddell, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Her research focuses on developmental brain injury recovery and sex-specific mechanisms in rodent models of hypoxia-ischemia and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. She earned her BA (1996), MA (1999), and PhD (2005) in Psychology from the University of North Carolina, Asheville, Appalachian State University, and the University of Vermont, respectively, followed by postdoctoral training at Rutgers University (2008) and University of Maryland, Baltimore (2011).

• Education
  • BA in Psychology, University of North Carolina, Asheville (1996)
  • MA in Experimental Psychology, Appalachian State University (1999)
  • PhD in Experimental Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Vermont (2005)

Dr. Waddell applies expertise in Pavlovian conditioning and contextual learning to investigate sex differences in neonatal brain injury vulnerability and reparative mechanisms. Her work demonstrates divergent male-female outcomes in hypoxic-ischemic models, with male rats showing heightened susceptibility.

Her publications analyze neuroprotective strategies (e.g., acetyl-L-carnitine), sex-specific cell genesis patterns, and amygdala-mediated stress effects on learning. The laboratory's findings emphasize the critical role of biological sex in neurodevelopmental injury and recovery paradigms.

Contact: jwaddell@som.umaryland.edu | Office: 410-406-1473 | Lab: 410-406-4222

Dr. Waddell's research integrates behavioral neuroscience methodologies with pediatric neurology frameworks to explore long-term functional recovery in developmental brain injury models.