Biography
Accomplishments/Awards
Postdoctoral fellowship (2012-14) – Alberta Institutes of Health Research (AIHS)
Postdoctoral fellowship (2015-17) – Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) & Fonds de Recherche Santé, Québec (FRSQ)
Research interests & accomplishments
Broadly, Dr. Jaworska’s research interests center on better understanding brain function and structure in the context of mental illness, particularly mood disorders, as well as the neural features associated with treatment response. She employs various neuroimaging techniques, including clinical electroencephalography (EEG), positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in her work.
She has examined brain function, chemistry, and structure in adolescents at varying risk for substance use disorders and mental health problems that are frequently co-morbid with addiction (McGill University). She has also investigated the neural underpinnings of depression, specifically in adolescents (University of Calgary), as well as assessing electrocortical profiles in depressed individuals throughout the course of antidepressant treatment (University of Ottawa). Dr. Jaworska hopes to utilize neural indices to optimize mental illness treatment. Ideally, such research can nudge mental health practice forward (via research-informed avenues). Her current and future work will focus on exploring the effects of various treatment approaches, including aerobic exercise and stimulation therapies, on neural profiles in mood disorders, particularly in depressed youth.