About
Dr. Jessica Obeysekare attended undergraduate college at the University of Pittsburgh. She attended medical school and psychiatry residency at Brown, in Providence, Rhode Island. She is an associate program director for the Greer Psychiatry Residency program, and leads the reproductive psychiatry and addiction psychiatry resident rotations. She also co-chairs the Grand Rounds committee and participates in departmental grant writing. Her primary clinical interests are within reproductive psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. Her research interests include the intersection of policy and mental health, particularly parental leave policies and family perinatal mental health outcomes. Dr. Obeysekare is appreciative of her collaboration with Clemson faculty members on research pertaining to employment leave policies, and is looking forward to continuing to grow these relationships.
How their research is transforming health care
The United States has worse perinatal morbidity and mortality rates (defined as deaths that occur during pregnancy or within 6 weeks of delivery) compared to other developed countries. The CDC classified the most frequent cause of perinatal death from 2017-2019 as 'mental health conditions", which include suicide and substance use related deaths. Dr. Obeysekare is interested in examining potential contributing factors to negative perinatal mental health outcomes from a systems, equity, and policy perspective. She is particularly interested in the intersection of parental leave and mental health outcomes, as well as organizational outcomes.
Health research keywords
Women's mental health, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, parental leave policy
