Mariah DeSerisy

About

Biography

I am Mariah DeSerisy, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and I specialize in developmental psychopathology, environmental health, childhood irritability, maternal mental health, adolescent mental health, air pollution and endocrine-disrupting chemical exposures. My research focuses on understanding how prenatal and early-life environmental exposures influence children's brain development, emotional well-being, and mental health across the lifespan.

My work examines how environmental factors, including air pollution, phthalates and psychosocial stress, interact with biological and social processes to shape emotional, cognitive and neural development from pregnancy through adolescence. I integrate environmental epidemiology, developmental psychopathology, neuroimaging, and advanced longitudinal statistical methods to identify modifiable risk factors for childhood mental health disorders.

My current research investigates the effects of prenatal air pollution and environmental chemical exposures on childhood irritability, anxiety, depression, executive functioning, and brain development using large prospective birth cohorts. I also study the mechanisms linking early-life adversity and environmental exposures to developmental trajectories of psychopathology, with a focus on identifying sensitive developmental periods and biological pathways that may serve as targets for prevention.

My findings have demonstrated that prenatal environmental exposures are associated with distinct patterns of childhood emotional development and may contribute to later risk for anxiety and depression. In addition, I have examined neurobiological correlates of childhood irritability and factors that influence resilience and vulnerability to mental health challenges.

My career has been shaped by interdisciplinary training that bridges clinical psychology, environmental health, neuroscience, and epidemiology. As a licensed clinical psychologist, my work with children experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma and emotional dysregulation reinforced the importance of identifying early-life contributors to mental health risk before disorders emerge. These experiences continue to inform my research and strengthen my commitment to advancing prevention-focused approaches to child mental health.

Through collaborations across psychiatry, environmental health sciences, biostatistics and neuroscience, I seek to integrate environmental, biological and behavioral data to improve prediction of children's mental health outcomes and identify opportunities for early intervention. Ultimately, my goal is to generate evidence that informs prevention strategies, clinical care, and public health policies that reduce environmental risks and promote healthy child development.

Credentials

Research