Lab Members

Faculty

Lane Strathearn, MBBS FRACP PhD

Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Psychological and Brain Sciences

Dr. Strathearn is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and the Director of the Attachment and Neurodevelopment Lab. His research and clinical work focuses on the neurobiology of mother-infant attachment, and neurodevelopmental disabilities such as autism. This includes a longitudinal study of women and their infants, examining maternal brain and hormone responses to infant facial expressions using functional MRI. His work explores the development of attachment behavior, and how drugs of abuse may highjack these relationships. He is also studying the long-term effects of child maltreatment on cognitive and emotional development, and early childhood factors that may help to protect against abuse or neglect. His research has drawn upon the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) birth cohort of over 8000 mothers and children who have been followed over 20 years. His current research funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health examines maternal brain responses of drug-addicted mothers, the potential role of intranasal oxytocin to enhance parental caregiving, and epigenetic risk markers for autism. Dr. Strathearn is Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Pharmacology, and Psychological and Brain Sciences. He is also the Division Director for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Iowa, co-director of the Hawkeye Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (Hawk-IDDRC), and Physician Director of the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. He holds the William E. Bell/Gail A. McGuiness Endowed Chair for Pediatric Neurodevelopment.

Research Team

Allan Andersen, MD

Child Psychiatrist

Dr. Allan Andersen provides psychiatric care for children and adults with ASD and ID. He participates in ASD team evaluations at the CDD. Academically, he's published on safety related to elopement, sometimes called "wandering", in ASD and conducted IRB-approved research on the delivery of diagnostic ASD services via telemedicine. He also collaborates on psychiatric genetic and epigenetic investigations with other researchers in our department.

Kelsey Dawes, PhD

Clinical Trials Researcher

Dr. Kelsey Dawes is a translational scientist whose work advances the clinical and commercial application of DNA methylation biomarkers. She earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from the University of Iowa under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Philibert, developing integrated genetic and epigenetic frameworks to improve disease prediction and prevention. Beyond academia, Dr. Dawes has led biotech innovation as Chief Scientific Officer at Behavioral Diagnostics and Founder & CEO of Relevant Methylomics Inc., where she drives assay development, AI-guided analytics, and regulatory strategy for precision diagnostics.

Ali McCue, M.A., CCC-SLP

Behavioral Health Manager at CDD

Ali McCue, MA, CCC-SLP is the Center for Disabilities and Development's (CDD) Behavioral Health Manager and a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. She graduated with her bachelors degree from Northwestern University and her masters degree in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology from the University of Iowa. She trained in the Iowa Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders (ILEND) program at the University of Iowa. And recently served as the Autism Center Clinic Coordinator at the CDD. Ali specializes in care for autistic children, especially young children who are developing foundational social engagement skills.

Joy Edeh, MBBS, MS

Graduate Research Asssitant

Joy is a graduate student in the Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health at the University of Iowa. Her research in the lab has focused on early life predictors of addiction in mothers.

John Pienta, MD

Clinical Trials Research Associate

Dr. Pienta graduated from Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. He is interested in furthering research in child development, neuroscience, and data science. He spends his time outside the lab with his wife and three children, and enjoys music, mathematics, reading, writing, rucking, and meditation.

Bella Liu, MS

Graduate Research Assistant

Bella is a Ph.D. student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Iowa. Her research interests center on how brain development and neural circuits contribute to emotion, social behavior, and mental health, with a particular interest in applying neuroimaging methods to understand individual differences in these processes. Outside of the lab, she enjoys video games, spending time with her cat, and sleeping.

Cole Kaufmann, BS

Research Intern

Cole graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.S. In Psychology. He is interested in identifying early diagnostic factors of neurodevelopmental disorders and investigating differential diagnostic indicators of highly comorbid disorders, specifically ASD and ADHD. His long-term goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, where he will continue to investigate neurodevelopmental disorders. Outside of the lab, he enjoys skiing and spending time with friends, family, and his two dogs.