GOLD Speakers

Sheehan David Fisher, PhD

• Speaker Type: Mental Health in the Perinatal Period Lecture Pack
• Country: USA

Biography:

Dr. Sheehan Fisher is an Assistant Professor and clinical psychologist at Northwestern University. His research career focuses on the effects of perinatal and subsequent parental mental health on infant/child health outcomes, with a specialization in the emerging field of father mental health. More specifically, he examines: 1) the biopsychosocial risk factors for parental psychopathology, 2) the impact of parental psychopathology on parenting behaviors and the family environment, and 3) the combined effect of the family environment on infant/child medical and emotional health outcomes. His aim is to reconceptualize parental mental health research to integrally involve both mothers and fathers to differentiate the etiology, course, and potential interactivity of paternal and maternal mental health and, in turn, the longitudinal associations with child medical and mental health. Dr. Fisher’s research dovetails with his perinatal clinical practice, including being the clinical director of the Fathers’ Mental Health Specialty Clinic. Ultimately, the goal is for his research plan is to optimize the health and effectiveness of the parental team to positively influence the child health trajectory starting from infancy.