The Flux Society extends a heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Dylan Gee, who was recently awarded an Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS)! As a member of the scientific society of FABBS, Flux nominated Dr. Gee for this award in recognition of her outstanding research and outreach contributions to the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior. To celebrate these exciting accomplishments, Dr. Arielle Keller from the Flux Communications Committee talked with Dr. Gee about her research program, her path to scientific success, and her advice for the community!

Arielle: What motivated you to go into science broadly and into your particular area of research?

Dr. Gee: I grew up wanting to work with children and families and envisioned that I would become a therapist. I had lots of experiences working with children throughout high school and college, including working for the DREAM program at Dartmouth, which was a formative experience for me and connected me with a broad network of people with similar interests and commitment to youth well-being and mental health. As I explored my interests academically in college, I joined a neuroscience lab. I had never worked in a lab before and quickly fell in love with the process of team science, of being on the brink of new knowledge and discovery and sharing that with people to advance an area of research or practice. Youth mental health was always at the center of my interests, and over time, I arrived at this particular area of research that blends my excitement about the developing brain with a commitment to supporting youth and families struggling with mental health disorders.

Throughout my work with families and my training as a clinical psychologist, those experiences have directly informed my research questions and approach to science, and fundamentally shaped how I approach disseminating the lab’s research findings and efforts to inform policy and structural change.

Arielle: How would you describe your broad research topic?

Dr. Gee: My lab and I study how early life experiences and environments shape brain development and mental health; in other words, how the experiences that children and adolescents have––from family environments to social interactions to adversity and trauma––can impact the developing brain and mental health. We aim to conduct research that can directly inform novel treatments for youth mental health disorders and policies to support youth well-being at the societal level.

Arielle: What have been some of the highlights of your career so far? What is your most proud scientific accomplishment?

Dr. Gee: Working with the amazing trainees in my lab is such a privilege and an ongoing highlight of my career. I quickly realized that one of the joys of directing a lab and mentoring is that my mentees’ highlights have become my greatest highlights. It is such a joy to see them thrive, from seeing them make new discoveries to treating patients in new clinical settings to having their work recognized and even to launching their own labs. I have been so lucky to benefit from incredible mentorship and it is rewarding to feel like I am paying some of that forward.

Earning tenure was a big highlight. I am really proud of the work my lab has done, and that accomplishment reflects the contributions of so many trainees, collaborators, and the dedication that my own mentors poured into me. I also feel a sense of deep gratitude that I have been able to navigate this career path while parenting young children. There have been inevitable challenges but so much joy, and I’m so grateful for the many supports that have made it possible.    

Scientifically, I am especially proud of the work my lab has done in conjunction with Drs. Heidi Meyer and Francis Lee to elucidate the neural underpinnings of safety signal learning across species. This type of collaboration across species is rare but so powerful and has allowed me to tackle central questions about children’s and adolescents’ approaches to learning about their environments in ways that can inform efforts to optimize treatments.

I am also very proud of my lab’s efforts to translate the science of early-life stress and trauma to inform discussions about major societal issues and policy. In particular, we have worked hard to communicate scientific findings about childhood trauma to inform policy related to the forced separation of migrant families at the U.S./Mexico border. It was very rewarding to see developmental science directly impact legal decisions in this space, including a legal declaration I wrote that was cited in the ruling that the U.S. government must provide mental health screening and care to all families who were separated.

Arielle: What advice would you share with trainees who are interested in pursuing developmental cognitive neuroscience research?

Dr. Gee: There are so many exciting questions and areas to pursue in developmental cognitive neuroscience. I think sometimes trainees feel pressure to know exactly what questions they want to pursue or what they want their careers to look like. Developing a program of research and a career in science is a marathon. It is okay and important to take time to explore your interests, and paths in our field are often non-linear!

As with any scientific field, mentorship is so important so I always advise trainees to seek out a mentor who will invest in them and their career. At the same time, it can be helpful to seek out advice and support broadly, including from more advanced trainees and peers who are navigating similar challenges or have recently done so. As much as possible, try to surround yourself with people who will encourage and support you, and of course, try to return that support. And more than ever, collaborative, team science is important in developmental cognitive neuroscience. You don’t have to be the expert in everything; take advantage of opportunities to collaborate which can be incredibly fun and scientifically rewarding.

Arielle: Do you have any advice or key takeaways from your research that you’d like to share with families/caregivers in the community?

Dr. Gee: Early experiences matter! Even though we often don’t have lasting memories from early childhood, experiences in childhood play a central role in shaping development and longer-term well-being. Caregivers and families play such an important role in supporting children’s emotional development and there is so much that caregivers can do to help children to cope and make sense of stressful times. At the same time, there is a lot of pressure, particularly with social media and parenting “influencers,” for parents to do things a certain way. There is so much variability in the environments in which kids can thrive, and I hope parents can give themselves grace when they are not “perfect.”

I also think it is really important to remind caregivers that they need and deserve support too! Caregivers’ own mental health matters, for them, and also for their children. And critically, we all need to work together to bring about structural and systemic changes that support caregivers, children, and families.

Arielle: What do you do for fun outside the lab?

Dr. Gee: My favorite way to spend time is with family and friends. I love sharing experiences with my kids and doing the things they enjoy with them. Right now that means a lot of sports, unicorns, and science experiments. I also love going to concerts (Beyoncé and Shakira are all-time favorites), and I have been a huge Orioles fan since I was a kid.

Arielle: What does receiving this FABBS Early Career Impact Award mean to you personally?

Dr. Gee: This award means a great deal to me. There are critical gaps between science, practice, and policy in many areas, and it can sometimes feel like there is a long way to go before our science is translated into broader societal impact. This award feels validating and like encouragement that the work we are doing is making an impact.

I am very grateful to FABBS for this recognition, and to Flux for nominating me. This award reflects my lab’s work and all of my trainees’ efforts and influences. We have developed this work together; they inspire me and have especially impacted my efforts to translate and communicate our scientific findings to inform evidence-based policy. Lastly, I am grateful to my mentors, collaborators, and community partners, without whom none of this work would be possible.

I’m very grateful for support from Flux and this community over the years. I have really appreciated the value that Flux as a society has placed on science communication and translating developmental science to inform policy and have broader societal impact.

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