PhD Students

Jay O’Shields conducts a translational program of research aimed at improving treatment outcomes for people who experience major depressive disorder. He uses advanced quantitative methods such as structural equation modeling, generalized linear modeling, and psychometric network analysis to understand how the social environment “gets under the skin,” interacting with biological systems associated with depressive symptoms. The primary focus of his research has been to understand how social threats such as childhood maltreatment create gendered disparities in inflammatory health and major depressive symptoms into adulthood, and how social workers can launch interventions that reduce the impact of these social threats.

Before arriving at the University of Georgia School of Social Work, Jay obtained his Bachelor of Science in psychology from Georgia Southern University (2012) and his Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia (2015). His post-MSW work experience includes several years of experience working with children and adolescents, adults, and older adults in acute medical and psychiatric settings. He is experienced with crisis assessments, individual and group counseling, and complex discharge planning.