Juliann Purcell, PhD

Dr. Juliann Purcell is passionate about supporting survivors of trauma through direct clinical work, research to understand neurobiological changes after trauma, and advocacy to help decrease mental health stigma.

Dr. Purcell earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham under the mentorship of Dr. David Knight and Dr. Sylvie Mrug and completed her clinical internship at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System in Richmond, Virginia. Her published research broadly explores the neurobiological impacts of adversity (e.g., childhood abuse and neighborhood disadvantage). Dr. Purcell’s NIH-funded dissertation work investigated relationships that different patterns of substance use across adolescence have with brain structure and function in young adulthood. Additionally, she was instrumental in developing an intervention designed to enhance emotion regulation and interpersonal skills for individuals reintegrating into their communities after incarceration. Dr. Purcell’s clinical background and neuroscience expertise afford a unique perspective from which she approaches clinical, research, and advocacy work.