Contact
E-mail:
dwalder@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Phone:
 +1-718-951-5000 ext. 6013

Office:
5303C James Hall

WALDER, DEBORAH J. Ph.D.

Assistant Professor


Biography

Dr. Walder received her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Michigan and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Emory University. She completed a clinical postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology and a research postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral neuroscience in psychiatry (neuroimaging & neuroendocrinology) at Harvard Medical School. She became an Instructor of Psychology in the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry and joined the clinical staff in the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Department, where she conducted neuropsychological assessments and cognitive-behavioral therapy with mood and anxiety disorders. Dr. Walder's research emphasizes identification of early neurodevelopmental risk factors for psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia, and the role of sex differences. Courses taught include Psychological and Developmental Disorders of Childhood, Psychopathology, Cognitive & Behavioral Approaches to Psychotherapy, and Independent Honors Reseach & Fieldwork.


Research

Dr. Walder's research program focuses on neurodevelopment of psychiatric illness from a behavioral neuroscience perspective, emphasizing sex differences. She studies the role of stress, neurohormones and neuropsychological functioning among at-risk youth using longitudinal, prospective methods in order to better understand the risk factors and early premorbid/prodromal trajectory of psychiatric illness, with an eye toward prevention and early intervention.


Selected Publications

Mittal, V.A., Dhruv, S., Tessner, K.D., Walder, D.J. & Walker, E.F. (In Press 2007). The relations among putative bio risk markers in schizotypal adolescents: Minor physical anomalies, movement abnormalities and salivary cortisol. Biological Psychiatry. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2007

Walder, D.J., Seidman, L.J., Makris, N., Tsuang, M.T., Kennedy, D.N. & Goldstein, J.M. (2007). Neuroanatomic substrates of sex differences in language dysfunction in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 90(1-3), 295-301. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2007

Goldstein, J.M. & Walder, D.J. (2006). Sex differences in schizophrenia: The case for developmental origins. In T. Sharma & P. Harvey (Eds.) The Early Course of Schizophrenia. Oxford University Press. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2006

Walder, D.J., Andersson, T.L.C., McMillan, A.L., Breedlove, S. M., & Walker, E.F. (2006). Sex differences in finger digit ratio (2D:4D) are disrupted in adolescents with schizotypal personality disorder: Altered prenatal gonadal hormone levels as a risk factor. Schizophrenia Research, 86, 118-122. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2006

Walder DJ, Seidman LJ, Cullen N, Su J, Tsuang MT & Goldstein JM. (2006). Sex differences in language dysfunction in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(3), 470-477. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2006

Walker E, Sabuwalla Z, Bollini A & Walder D. (2005). Women and stress. In S. Roman and M. Seeman (Eds.) Women's Mental Health: A Life-Cycle Approach. New York: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2005

Walker E & Walder D. (2002). Neurohormonal aspects of the development of psychotic disorders. In Cicchetti D & Walker E (Eds.) Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms in Psychopathology. Boston: Cambridge University Press. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2002

Walker EF, Bonsall R & Walder DJ. (2002). Plasma hormones and catecholamine metabolites in monozygotic twins discordant for psychosis. Neuropsychiatry, Neuropsychology, and Behavioral Neurology, 15, 10-17. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2002

Walker EF, Walder DJ, Lewine R & Loewy R. (2002). Sex differences in The origins and premorbid development of schizophrenia. In F Lewis-Hall, TS Williams, JA Panetta & JH Herrera (Eds.) Psychiatric Illness in Women: Emerging Treatments and Research. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2002

Walker EF, Walder DJ & Reynolds F. (2001). Developmental changes in cortisol secretion in normal and at-risk youth. Development and Psychopathology, 13, 721-732. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2001

Goldman, R. S., Robinson, D., Grube, B., Hanks, R., Putnam, K., Walder, D., & Kane, J. (2000). General Psychiatric Symptom Measures. In Rush, A. J., & Pincus, H. A. (Eds). Handbook of Psychiatric Measures and Outcome. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2000

Walder DJ, Walker EF & Lewine RJ. (2000). Cognitive functioning, cortisol release, and symptom severity in patients with schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, 48, 1121-1132. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2000

Szeszko, P. R., Bilder, R. M., Dunlop, J. A., Walder, D. J., & Lieberman, J. A. (1999). Longitudinal assessment of methylphenidate effects on oral word production and symptoms in first-episode schizophrenia at acute and stabilized phases. Biological Psychiatry, 45, 680-6. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 1999

Walker, E. F., Logan, C. B., & Walder, D. (1999). Indicators of neurodevelopmental abnormality in schizotypal personality disorder. Psychiatric Annals, 29, 132-136. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 1999