My current work focuses on the prevention and intervention of interpersonal violence and abuse in women. Recent research from the CDC (2011) finds that 1 in 5 women in the U.S. experience rape in their lifetime and more than 1 in 3 women experience violence from a partner. Recent estimates put the cost of childhood violence on par with medical conditions such as diabetes and stroke (Fang, 2012). Much of this abuse is preventable. The toll of interpersonal violence on women includes reduced psychological, interpersonal, physical, occupational, and economic functioning; all of which reduce her quality of life. We are researching an adjunctive therapeutic class which provides psychoeducation, psychological skill development, and physical empowerment training to women who have a history of interpersonal trauma. In addition, we are piloting a program to promote positive health behaviors, personal safety, and empowerment for adolescent girls, partnering with a local high school.

Dr. Keller’s general interests are in Mood Disorders, Neuropsychology, and Trauma. Her research focus has primarily been in biological and clinical aspects of major depression, including brain imaging, neuropsychology, and endocrine functioning. Her interests also include the relationship of trauma (early-life and adult-onset) and its relationship to the biological and clinical aspects of mood disorders. This has stemmed an interest in and research focus on the prevention of interpersonal violence in adolescent girls. Dr. Keller also has an interested in the perception and treatment of psychiatric illness across cultures. She is working on investigating the expression and treatment of mental health disorders Pakistan, particularly in women. In addition, she has begun examining mental health expression and treatment in South Asian immigrants.