Deborah M. Little, PhD

Biography

Deborah M. Little, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the director of research for the Trauma and Resilience Center. In general, her work is focused on elucidating neurobiological alterations in the central nervous system secondary to trauma (brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, toxic exposure). Current projects include those set out to characterize the mechanisms that underlie risk for neurodegenerative disease secondary to brain trauma; development of diagnostic tests using high field magnetic resonance imaging for those who have been exposed to toxins during military service; and development of early interventions for PTSD.

She completed both her master’s degree and PhD in psychology with a specialization in human cognitive neuroscience at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. She then went on to complete two postdoctoral fellowships in high field human neuroimaging at the University of Illinois. Prior to joining the department, she was with the University of Illinois in Chicago, Texas A&M, and Baylor College of Medicine.