Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Psychiatry
The University of Texas
Health Science Center at San Antonio
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Charles is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in the Neurobehavioral Research Laboratory and Clinic (NRLC). She completed her graduate training in Clinical Psychology at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Charles’ research prior to joining the NRLC focused primarily on sex-linked cognition and behavior. She is particularly interested in how sex hormones, such as circulating testosterone and changes in menstrual cycle phase, influence the expression of sex-linked traits. Her research has also applied theories from evolutionary psychology regarding sex differences in social behavior and information processing to the study of sexual behaviors and visual attention to reproductively-relevant social information (e.g., potential mates, infants).
Dr. Charles also has clinical interests in psychological assessment and the treatment of severe psychopathology that led her to pursue clinical research as a postdoctoral fellow. She has studied the contributions of personality and psychopathology to outcomes in a forensic psychiatric sample; other research interests include externalizing disorders, substance abuse, aggression, risky sexual behaviors, and impairments in these areas among individuals diagnosed with severe psychiatric conditions (e.g., Bipolar Disorder). Dr. Charles intends to continue examining sex hormone effects in addition to broadening her clinical research experience while training at the NRLC. Her initial focus will be the etiology and treatment of alcohol use disorders.
Research Interests
- Sex-linked psychological and behavioral traits
- Sex hormone effects in psychiatric and community samples
- Impulsive behaviors in psychiatric and community samples
- Psychological assessment
- Treatment outcomes
Education
| 2011 | Ph.D. | Clinical Psychology | Texas A&M University, College Station, TX |
| 2008 | M.S. | Clinical Psychology | Texas A&M University, College Station, TX |
| 2005 | B.A. | Psychology | Northwestern University, Evanston, IL |
Selected Publications/Presentations with the NRLC
Parental impulsivity is related to preadolescents' stressful life events Charles, N.E., Acheson, A., Mathias, C.W., and Dougherty, D.M. (2012, February). Poster presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Texas Research Society on Alcoholism, College Station, TX |
Children with a family history of alcohol and other drug use disorders show increased discounting of delayed monetary rewards Poster presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Texas Research Society on Alcoholism, College Station, TX |
Parental impulsivity is related to preadolescents' stressful life events Charles, N.E., Acheson, A., Mathias, C.W., and Dougherty, D.M. (2012, March). Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality Assessment, Chicago, IL |
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