Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Ami Ikeda graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in psychology from the University of California, San Diego, where she worked with Dr. Eric Devaney aiding in the investigation of novel gene therapies to improve the contractility in damaged heart tissues. She subsequently earned her M.A. in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience from San Diego State University. Under the mentorship of Dr. Eileen Moore, her work focused on translational research examining responses to pharmacological agents in a mouse model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. In 2020, Ami began her doctoral training in clinical psychology at Emory University, with a secondary concentration in developmental psychology. Under the co-mentorship of Drs. Rohan Palmer and Valerie Knopik, her research examined the persistent and transient effects of prenatal cannabis exposure across development. She was awarded the National Institute on Drug Abuse R36 Research Grant and the American Psychological Foundation Elizabeth Munsterberg Koppitz Fellowship, which funded her dissertation investigating the associations among prenatal cannabis exposure, adolescent substance use, and cognitive and behavioral outcomes. In 2025, Ami began her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. During internship, she worked with Dr. Rachel Gunn on a longitudinal multimethod study to examine the impact of cannabis use during pregnancy on maternal mental health, including sleep. Following her pre-doctoral internship, Ami will begin a postdoctoral fellowship at an outpatient private practice. She is deeply grateful to her research mentors, clinical supervisors, family, friends, her partner, Graham, and fur babies for their endless support.