Scientific Advisor

Liisa Hantsoo

Women's Mental Health ResearcherPMDD · PCOS · PerinatalNIH-funded PIFeatured in NYT · WaPo · JAMA

Director of Research, JH Reproductive Mental Health Center · Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins SOM

Liisa Hantsoo studies how stress and ovarian hormones — and the microbiome that talks to them — shape women's mental health across the lifespan. As Director of Research at the Johns Hopkins Reproductive Mental Health Center, her NIH-funded work has reshaped how PMDD, perinatal depression, and perimenopausal mood are understood and treated.

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40

Peer-reviewed publications

3

Major NIH grants (K23 · R21 · R01)

6

Book chapters & editorial articles

1

Director of Research, JH Reproductive Mental Health Center

Credentials, research, and the work behind the science.

Current Primary Positions

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins SOM
Director of Research, Johns Hopkins Reproductive Mental Health Center
Clinical Advisory Board, International Association of Premenstrual Disorders
Member, NNDC Women & Mood Disorders Task Group

Academic Titles & Honors

Hopkins Catalyst Award (2024)
NARSAD Young Investigator Grant (2015)
NIH K23, R21, and R01 awards for PMDD research
Ph.D., Ohio State University

Main Research Directions

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
Perinatal and perimenopausal mental health
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and HPA axis
Adverse childhood experiences & stress reactivity
Gut microbiome × women's mental health

Previous Important Roles

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Ph.D., Ohio State University

Major Research Projects & Influence

40 peer-reviewed publications · 6 book chapters · 3 editorial articles · 6 conference abstracts
Published in JAMA, Lancet Psychiatry, and American Journal of Psychiatry
NIH-, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation-, and March of Dimes-funded principal investigator
PI on NIH clinical trial: Identification and Validation of Epigenetic Biomarkers of PMDD (NCT06771583)

Press & Recognition

10+ press features in major outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Fast Company
10+ video presentations and clinical-education talks
Editorial co-author, Psychiatric illness across the menstrual cycle, Frontiers in Psychiatry (2024)
Multiple book chapters on reproductive psychiatry and women's mental health

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Science you can taste in the bottle.

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