Bridget Callaghan

Faculty-in-Residence - Rieber Vista

bcallaghan@ucla.edu

Dr. Bridget Callaghan is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology where she directs the Brain & Body Lab. In her lab, Bridget and her students study how early experiences (particularly with caregivers) get under the skin to influence mental and physical health across the lifespan. Using a diverse range of tools such as brain imaging, heart rate monitoring, and gastrointestinal microbiome analyses, as well as behavioral observations of parents and children, and cognitive tasks, Bridget’s research is aimed at creating personalized mental and physical interventions and supports for people who are struggling after early caregiving adversity.

Bridget was born in Sydney Australia and received her undergraduate BA degree in Psychology and her Ph.D at the University of New South Wales before moving to the USA in 2014 to complete her postdoc at Columbia University. Bridget moved to sunny Los Angeles in 2019 with her husband Beau, and her fur baby (Vinnie). Bridget and Beau welcomed their smiley son Freddie to the world in April 2021. Bridget, Beau and Freddie love to spend time at the beach, at the UCLA pool, and taking long hikes. Vinnie nearly drowned in a water outlet on Christmas Day 2019 (Bridget had to dive in to save him) and so does not partake in water based activities (he also does not like garden sprinklers). Freddie likes to get tickled and laugh.