E'mett McCaskill, Ph.D.

E'mett is currently a Term Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, Barnard College/Columbia University. She teaches courses in Neuroethics, Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuropharmacology, Neurodevelopment, and the Psychology of Drug Use and Abuse. She has been a faculty member at Barnard for the past 9 years.

E'mett received her B.A. from Duke University followed by a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with specialization in Neuropsychology from Northeastern University. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, she conducted animal research in the prenatal effects of addictive substances, and directed a research study investigating psychosocial factors mediating medication adherence in HIV+ substance abusing women. At New York Presbyterian Hospital she led therapy groups for children and adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS. Most recently, E'mett completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Division of Medical Ethics, Harvard Medical School. Her research investigated the ethics of psychopharmacological research in African American pediatric populations.

E'mett demonstrates a commitment to ethics in all of her work. She is an active participant in interdisciplinary initiatives promoting the integration of ethics into the college/university curriculum. She is committed to designing and implementing programs which aim to develop ethical professional postures. In addition, her experience as a researcher and clinician with socio-economically disadvantaged minority populations has fostered research interests in the ethics of medical treatment and clinical research involving "vulnerable" populations.