Elizabeth E. McAfee, B.A
871 3rd St NW Atlanta GA 30318 | 404-913-8960 | [email protected]
Education/Training
August 2018 – May 2022 Bachelor of Arts, Psychology
Bachelor of Arts, English and Creative Writing
Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Cumulative GPA: 3.77, Psychology GPA: 3.75
Awards, Honors, & Scholarships
Fall 2021 – Spring 2022 Dean’s List, College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University
Jan 2018 Scholastic Alliance for Young Art and Writers, Silver Key for Senior Portfolio; Silver Key for Personal Essay
Feb 2017 Scholastic Alliance for Young Art and Writers, Three Honorable Mentions, Poetry
June 2017 Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate, Honorable Mention
March 2016 Scholastic Alliance for Young Art and Writers, Two Silver Keys, Three Honorable Mentions, Poetry and Short Fiction
April 2015 Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate, Honorable Mention
Research Experience
Postbaccalaureate Research Assistant April 2024 – Present
FEAR Lab, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Principal Investigator: Joe McNamara, PhD; Supervisor: Ryan McCarty, PhD
Stigma of Anxiety Disorders as a Function of Sociodemographic Factors
- Developed research questions and designed an independent research study examining sociodemographic factors contributing to anxiety stigma
- Identified appropriate measures for key variables of interest related to anxiety, stigma, and help-seeking behaviors and created Qualtrics survey
- Responsible for all data collection and management, online recruitment from Prolific, and data analysis
- Preparing first-author publication from study results
Clinical Research Coordinator June 2022 – Present
Grady Trauma Project, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Supervisors: Abigail Powers Lott, PhD ABPP; Rebecca Hinrichs, M.S
Mechanistic links between maternal PTSD and early infant emotional development (Mama Bear)
August 2022 – Present
Longitudinal NICHD-funded R01 study examining maternal stress and trauma, mental health, neurobiology, emotional connection, and infant outcomes
- Developed, managed, and maintained study protocols and assessment procedures for screening, recruitment, data collection and management for all study visits including behavioral assessments, psychophysiology (ECG, saliva), and neuroimaging.
- Conducted primary data collection with mothers and infants including behavioral tasks (e.g., double still-face paradigm), mental health measures, functional MRI tasks, and psychophysiological samples (HR, skin conductance, saliva for cortisol and epigenetics).
- Processed and analyzed ECG data for heart rate variability
- Responsible for behavioral coding of mother-infant interactions using the Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS)
- Trained and supervised undergraduate and graduate research assistants on study procedures including assessments, physiological data collection and analysis (HRV, skin conductance), data entry and management, screening and recruitment, and behavioral coding (WECS).
- Coordinated all participant screening, recruitment, scheduling and worked with Grady Hospital OB-GYN clinic to facilitate participant recruitment from prenatal visits
- Led weekly study meetings with PIs, staff, and multidisciplinary team members to ensure study progress
- Shadowed diagnostic assessments (MINI, Diamond, CAPS) with clinicians
Mothers and Babies Pilot Intervention
April 2024 – Present
Study examining feasibility and acceptability of an evidence-based postpartum depression intervention, Mothers and Babies, for postpartum trauma-exposed women
- Coordinated study recruitment calls, enrollment, pre-post assessments and weekly participation in six-week virtual group program
- Participated in weekly meetings with study staff to manage group progress
- Assisted with virtual group sessions to facilitate participant engagement and technology issues
Primary Care Based Mindfulness Intervention for Chronically Traumatized Individuals (MPC)
June 2022 – August 2022
Study examined feasibility, acceptability, and mechanisms of action for a mindfulness based cognitive therapy group intervention for black adults with PTSD and Depression
- Led weekly study meetings with PIs, staff, and multidisciplinary team members to ensure study progress
- Revised and maintained study protocol and consent documentation
- Responsible for recruitment, enrollment, and scheduling of participants for study visits
- Administered mood and emotion based self-report measures to participants
Building Biobehavioral Goal- Directed Resilience Training Among African American Women (Project GRIT)
June 2022 – August 2022
Study examined the effectiveness of a culturally responsive trauma treatment for Black women with PTSD
- Collaborated with Morehouse School of Medicine site coordinator for training and supervision of interns and intervention enrollment
- Revised and maintained study protocol and consent documentation
- Coordinated study visits and recruitment
- Led weekly study meetings with PIs, staff, and multidisciplinary team members to ensure study progress
Grady Trauma Project (GTP)
- Participated in bimonthly journal club with GTP investigators, grad students, and post-doctoral fellows
- Collaborated in the GTP Anti-Racism and Dissemination group to create study related infographics for community dissemination of research findings and facilitate community engagement events
- Presented research findings in GTP trauma seminar and didactics meeting
- Conducted statistical analyses with R and SPSS for co-authored papers and posters
- Coded participant responses about trauma-informed care and treatment in Grady Hospital patient and provider populations
Undergraduate Research Assistant
BUILD Lab, Emory University, Atlanta, GA June 2020 – May 2022
Principal Investigator: Patricia Brennan, PhD
- Coded behavioral videos of mothers and children interacting for the Echo Study
- Recruited participants for the Tooth Fairy Study
- Helped coordinate the pilot for the Star Study
- Participated in bimonthly lab meetings and offered feedback on graduate students’ presentations
Developing Minds Research Intern
Cooperation Lab, Boston College, Boston, MA June 2021 – August 2021
Principal Investigator: Katherine McAuliffe, PhD
- Assisted with participant testing for a child development study
- Recruited families and chidlren for ongoing studies
- Participated in weekly lab meetings, professional development seminars, and data coding teaching programs (R, R for Statistics)
- Completed a literature search for the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” task designed for children
Summer Abroad Program Research Assistant
Psychology in the British Isles, Emory University Summer Abroad Program June 2019 – July 2019
Supervisors: Robert Hampton, PhD; Stephen Hamann, PhD
- Traveled to Galway, Ireland and conducted a child development study about the development of Empathy in students from a public primary school
- Supervised 2nd grade classroom as a teaching assistant
- Participated in in-field experience of participant recruitment, study execution, and data collection
- Administered questionnaires to chosen study participants related to empathy, cognitive functioning, and classroom behaviors
- Observed children in play setting and took field notes for coding
- Completed a three-week research methods course in London including completion of a 35-page scientific assessment and discussion of study results
Publications
Peer Reviewed Manuscripts
1. Lathan, E.C., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, R., McAfee, E.E., Sonu, S.C., Haynes, T., & Powers, A. (in press). Health Care Providers’ Comfort Caring for Trauma-Exposed Patients in the Primary Care Setting: A Mixed Methods Approach. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.
2. Huibregtse, M.E.*, Wallace, S.*, Ravi, M., Karra, S., McAfee, E., Hinojosa, C.A., Mekawi, Y., Powers, A., Michopoulos, V., & Lathan, E.C. (in press). The relations among childhood maltreatment and later intimate partner violence victimization with and without a weapon in a sample of pregnant Black women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
3. Lathan, E.C., McAfee, E., Spivey, B., Garcia, V., Kaslow, N.J., & Powers, A. (in press). Risk for posttraumatic stress disorder by trauma type: The role of self-compassion. Psychological Trauma: Research, Practice, Policy, and Practice.
4. Powers, A., Lathan, E. C., McAfee, E., Mekawi, Y., Dixon, H. D., Lopez, E., Ali, S., Hinrichs, R., Bradley, B., Carter, S., & Kaslow, N. (2024). Feasibility and acceptability of a virtual mindfulness-based intervention for Black adults with PTSD and depression: Randomized controlled trial. Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders.
5. Lathan, E.C., Britt, A., Ravi, M., Ash, M.J., McAfee, E.E., Wallace, S., Johnson II, C.B., Woods-Jaeger, B., Powers, A., & Michopoulos, V. (2023). When reproduction is no longer autonomous: Feeling respected by maternity care providers moderates the association between autonomy in decision making and birth-related PTSD symptoms in a community-based sample of pregnant Black women. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 24(4), 520-537.. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2023.2212406
Published Abstracts
1. Powers, A., Abrams, C., McAfee, E., Wallace, S., O’Banion, D., Hinrichs, R., Michopoulos, V., & Stevens, J. (2022). Maternal-infant emotional connection is related to reduced physiological stress response in mothers and their babies: Preliminary results from a trauma-exposed sample of primarily Black mother-infant dyads. Neuropsychopharmacology, 46(Suppl 1), 111-112.
Books and Book Chapters
Manuscripts Under Review
2. McAfee, E.E., Lathan, E.C., Lipschutz, R., La Barrie, D.L., Stenson, A.F., Jovanovic, T., Bradley, B., Powers, A. (Revise and Resubmit). Disentangling the Association between Worry Dysregulation and Anxiety in Black Children: The Role of Sex.
Manuscripts In Preparation
1. Lipschutz, R., Dahlgren, K., McAfee, E., Santos, J., Rilling, J., Michopoulos, V., Powers*, A., Stevens*, J. (in preparation) Maternal PTSD and neural reactivity to infant cues in postpartum women.
2. Haynes, T., Powers, A., McAfee, E.E., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, R., Sonu, S.C., Lathan, E.C. (in preparation) Barriers to and Facilitators of Trauma-Informed Care: Findings from Focus Groups of Primary Care Providers.
Peer-Reviewed Poster Presentations and Symposiums
Poster Presentations
1. McAfee, E.E., Lipschutz, R., Abrams, C., Brennan, P., Powers, A. (2025, April). Maternal PTSD, Infant Physiology, and the Moderating Role of Maternal Sensitivity on Negative Infant Behaviors. Poster accepted for presentation at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America 2025 Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
2. McAfee, E.E., Lipschutz, R., Abrams, C., Narayanan, A., O’Banion, D., Brennan, P., Stevens, J., Powers, A. (2024, October). Intergenerational stress transmission: exploring associations between maternal stress and sensitivity with infant biobehavioral outcomes. Poster presented at International Society for Developmental Psychobiology 2024 conference, Chicago, IL. Received an ISDP Student/Postdoc Member travel award for this abstract.
3. Powers, A., Lipschutz, R., McAfee, E., Abrams, C., O’Banion, D., Michopoulos, V., Brennan, P. A., & Stevens, J. S. (2024, December). Maternal posttraumatic symptoms are related to negative parenting behavior and lower infant respiratory sinus arrythmia in early postpartum. Poster accepted for presentation at The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology conference, Phoenix, AZ.
4. Lipschutz, R., Dahlgren, K., McAfee, E., Santos, J., Rilling, J., Michopoulos, V., Powers*, A., Stevens*, J. (2024, December) Maternal PTSD and neural reactivity to infant cues in postpartum women. Poster accepted for presentation at The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Symposiums
1. Lipschutz, R., McAfee, E.E., Murphy, A., Abrams, C., Salazar, J., Powers, A. (2025, April) Feasibility and acceptability of Mothers and Babies intervention in trauma-exposed postpartum women. Abstract accepted for presentation as a symposium at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America 2025 Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
2. Ahl, R., Arnott, E., Easton, C., McAfee, E.E., Amir, D., McAuliffe, K. (2023, March). Recalling past experiences of resource scarcity reduces children’s generosity. Paper presented as a symposium at the Society for Research in Child Development 2023 Biennial Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
Professional Development and Supervised Clinical Experience
Anxiety Explorers Camp Support Counselor
Emory Child and Adolescent Mood Program; Child OCD Program at Emory (COPE), June 2024
Camp directors/Supervisors: Allison LoPilato, PhD; Jensi Gise, PhD
- Completed training in exposure therapy for children with anxiety and OCD
- Led camp members (aged 9-14) in specific exposures
- Facilitated activities and didactics sessions related to anxiety, exposure, mental wellness, and therapy skills for camp members
- Supervised and participated in daily snack times, lunches, and games with the camp members
- Participated in daily supervision meetings to review camp member progress and develop plans to further engage and support camp members in exposure treatment
Mothers and Babies Pilot Study
- Completed facilitator training for an evidence-based cognitive behavioral intervention for postpartum women (Mothers and Babies Program)
- Co-led virtual stress management groups with trauma-exposed women
- Taught mindfulness skills during group sessions
Supervisor: Rebecca Lipschutz, PhD
University of Florida Therapy Aid
- Helped assist in exposures for clients such as engaging in difficult conversations and talking to unknown individuals
- Engaged with patient in strategies for navigating OCD and anxiety
- Provided advice about feelings of anxiety and discomfort
Supervisor: Joe McNamara, PhD
Path DBT for Families Coach
- Facilitated DBT activities and didactics sessions related to emotion labeling, emotion dysregulation, and therapy skills for group members (aged 8-11)
- Served as a coach for children and provided weekly check ins
- At weekly 1-on-1 check in, created short DBT-based assignments, discussed lessons from group, and created strategies for applying group skills to child’s real-life experiences
- Implemented challenging group experiences to serve as individual emotion exposures
Supervisor: Allison LoPilato, PhD
Therapy Manual Collaborator
Emory Child and Adolescent Mood Program, February – May 2022
- Drafted and edited chapters for an adolescent specific manual for Behavioral Activation Therapy sessions
- Adapted language to be more developmentally appropriate for adolescents
- Added sections about adolescent experiences of depression to improve child’s experience with the sessions
First Author: Allison LoPilato, PhD
Service & Teaching Experience
Assistant Website Editor
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, November 2023 – Present
Supervisor: Lana Grasser
- Reviewed submissions for and assisted with publishing of approved materials to the Clinical Resources page of the ISTSS website
- Solicited content for, maintained, and promoted the Trauma Blog
- Participated in quarterly meetings with ISTSS communications team
Emory University Guest Lecturer
Psych 211: Childhood Psychopathology, April 2022
- Created lesson plans and engaging presentation on depression diagnoses in childhood
- Facilitated student discussion
Professional Affiliations
Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology, Member 2022 – Present
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Member 2022 – Present
Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Member 2023 – Present
International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, Member 2024 – Present
Computer Skills
Proficiency using SPSS, R, Biolab, Mindware Heart Rate Variability Analysis, Eprime, Redcap, Qualtrics, and Excel, EPIC