Hello
I’m Dr. Jodi Pawluski—a neuroscientist, therapist, and science communicator specializing in the neuroscience of motherhood and perinatal mental health. My work centers around understanding and providing care for brain changes during the transition to motherhood and maternal mental health conditions.
A bit about me
Originally from the beautiful Okanagan Valley in Canada, I earned my B.Sc. in Psychology (UBC), M.A. in Psychology (Toronto), Ph.D. in Neuroscience (UBC), and Habilitation Degree (HDR) in Life Sciences (Rennes). I’m a mother of two, and I draw from both my professional expertise and personal experiences to guide my work and advocacy.
I believe that understanding the brain and mental health during motherhood not only empowers mothers but also builds healthier families and communities.
As a researcher, my work centers around understanding how the brain changes during the transition to motherhood, how maternal mental health conditions affect a mother and her children, and how treatments such as antidepressants and probiotics play a role in this journey. I have been published in high-ranking peer-reviewed journals, including top neuroscience journals such as JAMA Neurology and Trends in Neurosciences. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, CNN, The Boston Globe, Die Zeit, Elle, Marie Claire (France), to name a few, and I have been a guest on national radio such as FranceInter and BBC Radio Woman's Hour.
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As a therapist, I lead the Perinatal & Reproductive Mental Health practice at Bergeseen Group​, an international women’s mental health specialty practice. I'm certified in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C) and trained as a Motherhood Studies Practitioner, combining both evidence-based knowledge and lived experience to support mothers, families, and clinicians alike.
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I am also active in many other perinatal mental health related activites. Currently, I am the Scientific Advisor at Strategies for Moms, a tech startup focused on developing strategies to reduce the mental load of motherhood. I lead a Working Group at EU-SABV COST Action, which is focused on improving research on women's health. I'm the Section Editor for Neuroscience at Archives of Women's Mental Health (Springer) and a Guest Editor at the Journal of Neuroendocrinology (Wiley), where I am co-editing a special issue on the Neuroscience of Parenting. Recently, I was also appointed a Scientific Advisor of the Lancet Psychiatry's Commisson on Women's Mental Health.
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One of my driving forces is the importance of understanding how the brain is changing during pregnancy and motherhood and what this means for mothers today. This is why I created the podcast Mommy Brain Revisited and wrote Mommy Brain.
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