Heidemarie Laurent, PhD, is an associate professor of human development and family studies and Edna Bennett Pierce Professor of Compassion and Caring at the Pennsylvania State University. She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in developmental clinical neuroscience before becoming an academic faculty member whose research work applies contemplative science to human development and flourishing.
Drawing on her 13 years of personal meditation practice and training in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy with Zindel Segal and Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting with Nancy Bardacke, she teaches graduate trainees in the theory and practice of mindfulness-based interventions. In her research, Dr. Laurent uses a combination of neurobiological and behavioral measures to discover how mindfulness and compassion can protect against stress in close relationships and interrupt intergenerational cycles of stress-related health difficulties in families.
She is currently conducting a randomized controlled trial investigating effects of prenatal mindfulness training on parent-baby bonding and psychological well-being using self-report and neuroimaging methods. Through this work she hopes to support greater availability of mindfulness-based resources for birthing families.