Erika M Manczak
Associate Professor
What I do
I am an Assistant Professor studying the interplay between biological and environmental processes in the development of depression in children and parents.Specialization(s)
Clinical psychology, immunology, child development; depression
Professional Biography
I joined the Department of Psychology in 2018 as an Assistant Professor and I am affiliated with the clinical child psychology Ph.D. program and the Stress, Early Experience, and Development (SEED) Research Center. I received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Stanford University.
Degree(s)
- Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Northwestern University, 2017
- MS, Clinical Psychology, Northwestern University, 2013
- BA, College Scholar Program: "Psychonarrative Application", Cornell University, 2007
Licensure / Accreditations
- Licensed Psychologist
Research
My program of research examines the biological and psychological mechanisms through which experiences during childhood and adolescence confer risk for mental and physical health disorders. I am especially interested in how important social relationships affect immune processes that in turn increase risk for depression in adolescence; however, my work also examines risk across other developmental periods (e.g., adulthood, prenatal) and considers a variety of additional biological pathways (e.g., epigenetic modifications, somatic fitness).
Areas of Research
Depression
child psychopathology
inflammation
family relationships
immune system
Featured Publications
. (2016). The Price of Perspective Taking: Child Depressive Symptoms Interact with Parental Empathy to Predict Immune Functioning in Parents. Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 4(3), 485-492.
. (2016). Does empathy have a cost? Diverging psychological and physiological effects within families. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 35(3), 211-8.
Graduate Mentorship
Dr. Manczak will NOT be reviewing applications for fall 2025 admission.
