Post-Doctoral Trainees

Vicky Atzl, Ph.D.

Dr. Vicky Atzl is a postdoctoral associate in the TRANSFORM Research Center. Vicky received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver and completed her predoctoral clinical internship at Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare in Newark, NJ.

Vicky’s research focuses broadly on predictors and consequences of childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence, including consequences throughout the lifespan and for the next generation. Grounded in the developmental psychopathology framework, her research is dedicated to understanding trajectories of adaptation and maladaptation at multiple levels of ecology to conceptualize pathways of risk and resilience in the context of interpersonal trauma. For example, Vicky is interested in how characteristics of childhood maltreatment (e.g., timing, chronicity, type) influence the development of psychopathology, quality of relationships with close others and the intergenerational transmission of violence. Additionally, Vicky is interested in protective factors that mitigate the negative effects of childhood maltreatment on social emotional outcomes, including factors contemporaneous with childhood maltreatment (e.g., positive childhood experiences). Thus far, Vicky’s research has centered the perinatal period, a transformative developmental window that serves as an opportune time to examine intergenerational transmission in the context of the developing parent-child bond, romantic or co-parenting relationship, and the family system.

Vicky is also invested in improving access to high-quality care for underserved groups. She is therefore interested in intervention research focused on adapting and enhancing evidence-based interventions to meet the needs of diverse populations and identify mechanisms of change. Central to Vicky’s research is a commitment to translating science into effective policy and practice through dissemination of research findings to both academic and community groups.