Biography
Dr. Cynthia Rogers’ research is centered on how certain social determinants of health impact vulnerable populations in both clinical and research settings. Her current research studies assess how adverse exposures like poverty, structural racism, prematurity, and prenatal substance use affect development across childhood in racially diverse populations.
These investigations also include an emphasis on understanding the role of psychosocial stressors including maternal experiences of racial discrimination, maternal mental health, and dysfunctional parenting in affecting the development of the neonatal brain and contributing to childhood psychiatric disorders. Dr. Rogers also directs the Washington University Perinatal Behavioral Health Service whose mission includes improving racial equity in access to mental health care by serving perinatal women with psychiatric and substance use disorders who have been historically disproportionately underserved and faced barriers to receiving mental health care. Research studies within the Perinatal Behavioral Health Service are centered on piloting new prevention and intervention modalities.