Ava Avolio

About Ava Avolio

I am a dedicated Research Specialist at the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services (CABS) clinic at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, where I contribute to NIH-funded, multi-site research on youth bipolar disorder. In this role, I conduct diagnostic interviews and neurocognitive assessments and collaborate with national research teams to support early intervention, improve mood episode prediction, and refine clinical risk calculators. Our work aims to identify circuit-level biomarkers and advance precision psychiatry for mood disorders across development.I hold an M.A. in Psychology from Carlow University and a B.A. in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Committed to translational research, I am particularly interested in how neurobiological and psychosocial processes interact to shape illness onset and trajectory. My goal is to bridge affective neuroscience with clinical care to enhance early identification, personalize treatment, and promote long-term functioning in individuals affected by mood and trauma-related disorders.

Experience

1. Research Specialist

   UPMC

   Mar 2025 — Present · Pittsburgh, PA, US

   Conducts diagnostic interviews (SCID, K-SADS, A-LIFE) and neurocognitive evaluations as part of 3 multiphasic, NIH-funded longitudinal studies investigating mood episode recurrence and adjunctive ketogenic interventions in adolescent bipolar disorder• Authors and formally presents integrative case summaries to attending psychiatrists, demonstrating clinical judgment and fluency in diagnostic formulation while upholding Human Subjects Protection and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards• Analyzes statistical interactions among clinical symptomatology, glucocorticoid biomarkers, and metabolic indices to evaluate treatment response and refine biomarker-informed models of mood dysregulation• Collaborates with investigators across the Child Bipolar Network (CBN) and multi-site trials (UCLA, University of Denver, Cincinnati Children\'s) on study development, implementation, data collection, and protocol integrity, contributing to a rigorous translational research infrastructure

Education

• Pepperdine University

  Bachelor's degree, Psychology

  2019 — 2023

• University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

  Certificate of Clinical Research

• Carlow University

  Master of Arts, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology