Lea Dougherty

Dr. Lea Dougherty is Professor and Director of Clinical Training at the University of Maryland. She researches developmental pathways of depression and irritability using multimodal approaches.

Research Focus:
Examines how early life stress affects neurodevelopment and psychopathology risk, with longitudinal studies integrating fMRI, cortisol measurement, and behavioral observation.

Key Findings:

• Demonstrated preschool irritability as predictor of adolescent depression
• Identified neural correlates of emotion dysregulation using developmental neuroimaging
• Developed early interventions for mood disorders