Orla Mitchell
Visiting PhD Student
Biography
Orla Mitchell is a PhD student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Visiting PhD student within the StressLab at King's College London.
Her research investigates how early life adversity shapes brain development and influences mental health outcomes in adulthood. She combines advanced neuroimaging with clinical and psychological measures to examine the pathways linking early life adversity, brain structure, and psychopathology. Orla is particularly interested in uncovering the mechanisms underlying brain structural changes associated with early life adversity.
During her project at King's, she explored how early life stress, the cortisol awakening response, and depression contribute to brain aging, with the aim of better understanding the biological processes that increase vulnerability to psychopathology later in life.
Research
StressLab: Decoding the Science of Stress
Early life stress is a well-known risk factor for developing severe mental disorders, but the mechanisms linking stress exposure to mental disorders are not clear, which is what Monica’s team is investigating.
Research
StressLab: Decoding the Science of Stress
Early life stress is a well-known risk factor for developing severe mental disorders, but the mechanisms linking stress exposure to mental disorders are not clear, which is what Monica’s team is investigating.