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 Dr. 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.

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. (in press). Functional brain network organization in youth and multi-domain resilience to neighborhood disadvantage in youth. American Psychologist.

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