VIPBG News

By Elizabeth Long

Lance Rappaport, Ph.D. is a post-doctoral fellow at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics. He first became interested in the field of behavioral genetics while earning his undergraduate degree in psychology at New York University, where he also studied child and adolescent mental health in the Child Study Center. At NYU, he was exposed to faculty interested in child development and daily diary research, which fueled his interests in affect and research methodology. These interests led him to earn his PhD in clinical psychology at McGill University. His research there focused on investigating the behavioral patterns characteristic of people with internalizing disorders, which may generate interpersonal difficulties.

Given that many experts in statistics surrounded him throughout his PhD, he developed a strong interest in methodology and statistics. These interests led him to his current position as a post-doctoral fellow at VIPBG to gain additional quantitative training and develop expertise in genetic methodology.

Dr. Rappaport’s current research interests surround affective and behavioral mechanisms in the etiology of internalizing disorders. His research draws on a genetic, developmental perspective and advanced research methodology.

When he is not working, Dr. Rappaport enjoys spending time with his dog, Lobo, cooking, and scuba diving.