Audrey Tyrka, MD, PhD
STAR COBRE Co-Director
Dr. Tyrka is a Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University and Co-Director of STAR COBRE. In addition, she co-directs the NICHD-funded STAR T32 postdoctoral fellowship program focused on the impact of childhood stress, trauma, and resilience across the lifespan, and leads an NIMH R25-funded research training program in Brown’s psychiatry residency. Dr. Tyrka directs the Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience at Butler Hospital and her program of research focuses on understanding biological mechanisms of risk that underlie disorders linked to adversity and trauma. She works with children and adults who experienced early adversity to understand alterations in neuroendocrine, neuroimmune, epigenetic, and cellular aging pathways implicated in mood and anxiety disorders and related health conditions. Dr. Tyrka’s work has been continuously funded by NIH since 2003 and by several foundation and research career awards. A dedicated mentor and academic leader, Dr. Tyrka has mentored numerous students, residents, fellows, and faculty at all levels and received several awards for her research and academic mentorship. She is dedicated to supporting anti-racist practices and increasing justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in science and academia.
