Breaking down disciplinary silos | Clinical research with Dr. Amy Elliott

Amy Elliott, PhD, Chief Clinical Research Officer at Avera Research Institute, leads a research team focused on improving child health and development through community-based research. Dr. Elliott is the principal investigator on several National Institutes of Health (NIH) research projects including the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Study, an initiative to reduce infant mortality in American Indian communities. Dr. Elliott also holds professor and research positions at The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.

Education:

• PhD from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Clinical Psychology
• MA from North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, Clinical Psychology
• BA from Moorhead State University, Moorhead, Minnesota, Psychology

Topics we cover:

1. If there was one thing you wish everybody knew about child development, what would it be?
2. Why did you go into clinical psychology instead of medicine?
3. Why did you get a master’s before your PhD?
4. If you loved research, why did you want to get licensed as a clinician?
5. How did you choose your PhD program?
6. What was your grad school research on?
7. Having a baby in grad school - unique benefits & challenges
8. Why did you want to work with children?
9. What did your training look like in graduate school?
10. What was the most valuable part of your PhD?
11. Advice for students interested in Amy’s line of work
12. What does a pre-doctoral internship in behavioral pediatrics and genetics look like?
13. Working on interdisciplinary teams
14. When and why did you transition away from clinical work and into full-time research?
15. “What got you here won’t get you there”
16. Amy’s role at Avera Research Institute: Research & findings, leading a team, day in the life
17. What is one skill, quality, or general factor that has served you no matter where you went in life?

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Music by: Adam Fine