Jessica Bezek

LIFE Fellow since 2024, University of Michigan

I am a PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan working under the mentorship of Luke Hyde. As a member of the Michigan Neurogenetics and Developmental Psychopathology (MiND) Lab, I study how experiences of early life adversity influence brain development and mental health. In particular, I am interested in exploring the environmental and neurobiological mechanisms underlying risk and resilience in the face of neighborhood disadvantage. My primary methodological interests include neuroimaging and structural equation modeling, which I have applied toward recent projects examining neural reward processing in the context of antisocial behavior, as well as patterns of functional brain network organization associated with resilience. I aim to integrate developmental, clinical, and neuroscientific perspectives into my work to better understand contextually-informed developmental trajectories and modifiable points of intervention in the context of adversity.

Dissertation project:

Characterizing unique profiles and correlates of multi-domain resilience to neighborhood disadvantage in youth: A person-centered approach

Publications

Bezek, J. L., Tillem, S., Suarez, G. L., Burt, S. A., Vazquez, A. Y., Michael, C., Sripada, C., Klump, K. L., & Hyde, L. W. (2024). Functional brain network organization in youth and multi-domain resilience to neighborhood disadvantage in youth. American Psychologist, 79(8), 1123–1138. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001279

Hyde, L., Bezek, J. L.* & Michael, C.* (2024). The future of neuroscience in developmental psychopathology. Development & Psychopathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579424000233

* Shared authorship