PhD
Associate Professor
Director of the UNC SOM Psychology Internship Program
Associate Director of the UNC Center for Women’s Mood Disorders
Associate Director of Program Development | UNC Integrated Wellbeing Program
Locations:
UNC Hospitals – Chapel Hill
UNC Mental Health Specialists – Chapel Hill
Education and Training:
B.S., Psychology, University of Iowa
M.A., Psychology, University of Iowa
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Iowa
Clinical Internship, Charleston Consortium Internship Program, Medical University of South Carolina
Postdoctoral Fellowship, T32 Program for Reproductive Mood Disorders, UNC-Chapel Hill
Summary Statement:
Dr. Schiller’s research focuses on the impact of ovarian hormones on behavior and brain function in women. Her previous work demonstrated that estrogen and progesterone play a role in bulimia nervosa, smoking behavior, and postpartum depression. She is currently using functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine how estrogen and progesterone provoke changes in neural circuits responsible for depression. This research may improve our understanding of how hormonal changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period precipitate the onset of major depression in some, but not all, women. She also hopes that by contributing to our knowledge of the biological basis of postpartum depression, this work may also serve to reduce the stigma and self-blame associated with mental illness in women.
