Jacqueline A. Clauss, MD, PhD

• Johns Hopkins University, BA, Neuroscience, 2008
• Vanderbilt University, PhD, Neuroscience, 2014
• Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, MD, 2016
• Massachusetts General and McLean Hospitals, Adult Psychiatry Residency, 2019
• Massachusetts General and McLean Hospitals, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, 2021
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Post-Doctoral Fellowship, 2023

Dr. Jacqueline Clauss is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist and psychiatric neuroscientist specializing in the care of adolescents and young adults with early psychotic symptoms. After completing adult psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry training at Massachusetts General (MGH) and McLean Hospitals, she joined the faculty at MGH and Harvard Medical School. In 2024, she joined the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center and the University of Maryland Medical School. In these roles, Dr. Clauss provides clinical care, teaches and supervises trainees, and conducts research on the neurobiological basis of risk and resilience to psychiatric disorders. 

Dr. Clauss’s research expertise centers on understanding how risk and resilience develop in the brain, particularly how longitudinal changes in brain neurocircuitry might lead to a range of clinical outcomes in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis. She is interested in the neurobiological mechanisms that underpin these trajectories, with a focus on identifying the factors that contribute to both vulnerability and resilience. Her work aims to translate these insights into more effective interventions for young patients, ultimately improving outcomes for those at risk of developing severe psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Clauss has been recognized for her contributions to the field with multiple travel awards, research grants, and the National Institute of Mental Health Outstanding Resident Award. During her graduate training, she focused on the neurobiological basis of risk for anxiety, which laid the foundation for her current work on psychotic symptoms. Her research has since expanded to include both local (MGH-based) and population-based (Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study) research cohorts. She is currently analyzing data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study to understand structural and neurocircuitry changes associated with risk and resilience in adolescents.

Dr. Clauss is also interested in clinical research, including screening and detection of early psychosis, understanding disparities in access to specialized psychosis care, and developing and implementing novel interventions for individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis. She is involved in a number of clinical research studies involving developing and implementing novel screening and intervention studies to improve outcomes in high-risk populations.

In addition to her clinical and research responsibilities, Dr. Clauss is committed to teaching and mentoring the next generation of mental health professionals. She has been actively involved in the supervision and training of psychology trainees, medical students, residents, and fellows.

risk, resilience, neuroimaging, clinical high-risk for psychosis, psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, clinical outcomes, trajectories, development, adolescence

• Clauss JA, Avery SN, VanDerKlok R, Rogers B, Blackford JU. Neurocircuitry underlying risk and resilience to social anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety. 2014 Oct;31(10):822-833. PMID: 24753211.
• Clauss JA, Benningfield MM, Rao U, Blackford JU. Altered prefrontal cortex function marks heightened anxiety risk in children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2016 Sep;55(9):809-816. PMID: 27566122.
• Clauss JA, Avery SN, Benningfield MM, Blackford JU. Social anxiety is associated with BNST response to unpredictability. Anxiety Depress. 2019 Aug;36(8):666-675. PMID: 30953446.
• Clauss JA, Bhiku K, Burke A, Pimentel-Diaz Y, DeTore NR, Zapetis S, Zvonar V, Kritikos K, Canenguez KM, Cather C, Holt DJ. Development of a transdiagnostic, resilience-focused intervention for at-risk adolescents. J Ment Health. 2023;32(3):592-601.