Justin Russotti, PhD, LCSW
Research Faculty
Mt. Hope Family Center
TRANSFORM Research Center
585-275-2991 x245
Justin_Russotti@URMC.Rochester.edu
Dr. Russotti’s research is guided by a developmental psychopathology framework and focuses on understanding how psychopathology unfolds over time within an individual as a result of complex culminations of dynamic interactions between the individual and their environment. He is particularly interested in the etiological roots and mechanistic underpinnings of stress-related and internalizing disorders (e.g., depression and anxiety). More specifically, Dr. Russotti has examined how the developmental timing of adversity may influence internalizing disorders, with an emphasis on early-life adversity. Recently, Dr. Russotti has investigated the effect of parental factors and high-risk parenting conditions (parental psychopathology, parental maltreatment history, and parenting stress) on offspring psychopathology. Dr. Russotti is also involved in longitudinal research designed to investigate the long-term psychological and biological effects of chronic stress (e.g., compromised physical health, allostatic load, epigenetic modifications). Dr. Russotti was recently awarded a 5-year Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01) from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). This award will fund his training and research efforts to harmonize data across multiple longitudinal child maltreatment cohort studies and address questions about heterogeneity in the sequelae of child abuse and neglect. https://reporter.nih.gov/search/uGurjS2nIUG14q-vjE83eg/project-details/10721233details
Dr. Russotti is also deeply committed to applying his research to policy and practice and translating new knowledge to strategies for prevention and intervention. To that end, he is interested in intervention research designed to identify the therapeutic mechanisms that may help buffer or revive high-risk individuals or families from psychopathology trajectories and promote healthy outcomes. Additionally, Dr. Russotti is a licensed clinical social worker in New York State with expertise in providing psychotherapy interventions to children, adolescents, and adults.
Finally, Dr. Russotti is invested in disseminating his knowledge through academic teaching. His interdisciplinary background has led to teaching across the fields of psychology, social work, and counseling. Dr. Russotti teaches graduate courses at the University of Rochester in the areas of clinical practice, developmental psychopathology, and the neurobiological foundations of mental health.