Mary L Woody, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Areas of Expertise

  • Children & Adolescents
  • Mood Disorders
  • Anxiety, OCD & Trauma Disorders
  • Women & Reproductive Health
Mary L Woody, PhD

Expertise & Interests

Research Interests

Mechanisms of depression, anxiety & stress; Neurocognitive interventions; Health equity

Clinical Interests

Depressive disorders; Anxiety, trauma & stressor-related disorders; Prevention & early intervention for youth

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Supporting trainees from diverse backgrounds; Medical student & resident education

Selected Publications

  1. Woody ML, Rohac R, Cooper I, Griffo A, McDonald N, Spotts C, Fournier J, Jones N, Pecina M, Young K, Shivanekar S, Rengasamy M, Grafton B, Price RB. The impact of intravenous ketamine on attention bias: Probing mechanisms of rapid-acting antidepressant effects across two clinical studies. Biol Psychiatry, 2025 Nov 21; 97(8):835-42. PubMed PMID: 39581291.
  2. Woody ML, Ladouceur CD, Borrero E, Wang YS, & Silk JS. Avoidance bias to angry faces predicts the development of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol, 2022 Dec 1;50(12):1657-69. PubMed PMID: 35870037.
  3. Woody ML, Bell EC, Cruz NA, Wears A, Anderson RE, Price RB. Racial stress and trauma and the development of adolescent depression: A review of the role of vigilance evoked by racism-related threat. Chronic Stress, 2022 Aug 1;6:24705470221118574. PubMed PMID: 35966451.
  4. Woody ML, Kaurin A, McKone KMP, Ladouceur CD, Silk JS. Displays of negative facial affect during parent-adolescent conflict and the bidirectional transmission of social anxiety. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2022 Aug;63(8):846-854. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13530. Epub 2021 Oct 7. PMID: 34617605; PMCID: PMC8986877.
  5. Woody ML, Yang JO, Cummings L, Gilchrist D, Graur S, Siegle GJ, Price RB. Protracted amygdalar response predicts efficacy of a computer-based intervention targeting attentional patterns in transdiagnostic clinical anxiety. Transl Psychiatry. 2019 Mar 28;9(1):121.
  6. Price RB, Woody ML. Attention and Interpretation. In: Petit J and Olino T, editors. APA Handbook of Depression. American Psychological Association. 2025. ISBN: 978-1-4338-4331-0
  7. Woody ML, Price RB. Targeting neurodevelopmental mechanisms in emotional disorders through intervention. In: Della Sala S, editor. Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience 2nd Edition. Elsevier Science; 2021.
  8. Price RB, Woody ML. Emotional disorders in development. In: Della Sala S, editor. Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience 2nd Edition. Elsevier Science; 2021.

Education & Credentials

Education & Training

Education
PhD, Clinical Psychology, Binghamton University (SUNY)
Internship
Clinical Psychology, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Postdoctoral
Clinical Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

Selected Honors & Awards

  • Biobehavioral Research Award for Innovative New Scientists, National Institute of Mental Health
  • Child and Adolescent Depression Fellow, Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation
  • Young Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation