I am passionate about making psychology and neuroscience research accessible to a wide audience because of the broad relevance of these topics across domains of healthcare, business, and policy.

 

After reading Joseph LeDoux's book Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety, I was inspired by the book's clear language and comprehensive scope. In 2018, I conceptualized, designed, and taught an undergraduate seminar course titled "The Anxious Brain." During the course, students read LeDoux's Anxious in its entirety, with the goal of drawing links between the principles of anxiety neuroscience and the complexity of lived emotional experiences. We drew on fictional characters in literature and film to help bring these connections to life. For the final project, students selected a fictional depiction of anxiety, outlined the relevant neural and psychological processes, and developed science-backed recommendations for various ways the character could cope or respond.