Marianne ChiricaM.S., LPC

Portrait of Marianne Chirica

Research on predictors of suicide-related outcomes across development.Psychology Resident, Child and Adolescent TrackUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterDissertation defended June 2026, Indiana University

Research Full CV (PDF)

Broadly, my research aims to identify potential risk and protective factors for anxiety and suicidal behavior, in an attempt to better understand and predict adverse outcomes among youth.

Lines of research

Research program

Using a developmental psychopathology framework, my research assesses various units of analysis across the lifespan, such as behavioral (i.e., suicidal behavior), sociocultural (i.e., racial and ethnic differences), and biological (i.e., medications used) markers that interact both cross-sectionally and temporally to predict developmental trajectories.

Dissertation, defended June 5, 2026

Data Driven and Epidemiologic Perspectives on Suicide Risk Across Development

Suicide rates in the United States have increased 36% since 2000, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10 to 24. The dissertation integrates developmental, epidemiological, and translational perspectives across three studies.

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington. Committee: Natasha Chaku, Lorenzo Lorenzo-Luaces, Patrick Quinn, and Richard Viken.

  1. Study 1

    Machine learning applied to a broad range of suicide risk factors among adolescents presenting to emergency departments.

    JCPP Advances, 2026
  2. Study 2

    Greek-life affiliation as a potential risk or protective factor for suicide-related outcomes among college students.

    Dissertation chapter
  3. Study 3

    Prescription benzodiazepine use and suicidal behavior among commercially insured adolescents and adults.

    Psychiatry Research, 2026 Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2025

Identifying suicide risk in large datasets

SOPHE/CDC Student Fellowship in Injury Prevention

Developmental risk factors in ED-STARS

PIs: Natasha Chaku, Cheryl King

Combining clinical and developmental expertise with longitudinal data, this project parses out distal, proximal, and developmental risk factors for suicide-related outcomes in youth presenting to an emergency department, using the Emergency Department Screen for Teens at Risk for Suicide (ED-STARS) dataset.

NCHA Greek-Life Suicide Project

PIs: Patrick Quinn, Natasha Chaku

Marianne led multi-level data analysis in SAS using the ACHA-NCHA III, a large population-level dataset, to examine the association of Greek life involvement with suicidality in college students, particularly among those in minoritized racial and ethnic groups.

Suicide prevention in schools

$300,000 grant from the Humana Foundation to a team led by Anna Mueller

Connect to Care in Schools

PIs: Anna Mueller, Natasha Chaku

Aims to improve emotional connectedness between school staff and students as a core strategy for reducing youth suicide. Marianne serves as the clinician on call for youth who report elevated suicide risk scores.

Help-Seeking for Suicide in Children

PIs: Anna Mueller, Natasha Chaku

Using data from the Social Worlds & Youth Well-Being Study, assesses from whom parents seek help for their child’s serious mental health struggles, and which logistical issues or attitudinal beliefs hindered or facilitated help-seeking.

Prescription benzodiazepine use

NIMH T32 Research Training Grant, 2022–2024: Training in Clinical Translational Science (5 T32 MH103213)

Benzodiazepines and suicidal behavior: a systematic review

PIs: Brian D’Onofrio, Patrick Quinn

An epidemiological systematic review of the effect of benzodiazepines on subsequent suicidal behavior, pre-registered on PROSPERO.

Incident and long-term benzodiazepine use

PIs: Brian D’Onofrio, Patrick Quinn

A case-control and cohort study of employer-sponsored health care claims among 1,904,608 individuals, evaluating psychiatric diagnoses and race/ethnicity as predictors of incident and long-term benzodiazepine use.

Suicidal behavior after initiating benzodiazepine treatment

PIs: Brian D’Onofrio, Patrick Quinn

A pharmacoepidemiological, within-individual analysis of U.S. insurance claims comparing suicidal events before and during treatment to a baseline 3-12 months prior to initiation, accounting for all stable confounding.

About

Research

Marianne’s work uses developmental psychopathology and epidemiologic methods on large datasets to identify predictors of suicide-related outcomes across development, with the goal of identifying those at heightened risk and informing more precise prevention.

Training

She received her master’s degree in Psychology: Clinical Counseling from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and defended her dissertation in Clinical Science at Indiana University Bloomington in June 2026. She is a licensed professional counselor.

Residency

She is completing the APA-accredited Health Service Psychology Doctoral Internship at the University of Rochester Medical Center on the Child and Adolescent Track, with training in high-acuity youth and family care and evidence-based practice across outpatient and inpatient settings.

Practice

Her clinical focus is youth with anxiety, OCD, and related disorders. She has expertise in cognitive behavior therapy and exposure and response prevention, and is certified in parent-child interaction therapy.

Marianne Chirica standing in front of a large stone sculpture of a human brain

Clinical work

Youth with anxiety, OCD, and related disorders, their families, and high-acuity youth in outpatient and inpatient care.

PCIT (certified), ERP, CBT, CBIT, ACT, DBT, and the Unified Protocol

Current

University of Rochester Medical Center

Psychology Resident, Child and Adolescent Track

Health Service Psychology Doctoral Internship, Department of Psychiatry. Outpatient pediatric behavioral health, a child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient service, and a specialty elective.

Doctoral internship

2025

Early Childhood Clinic and Tics, Anxiety, and Compulsions Clinic

Clinical Psychology Extern, Indianapolis (virtual)

Families with child behavior problems, and youth with anxiety disorders including GAD, OCD, specific phobia, and social anxiety.

PCIT, ERP, CBT

April–July 2025

Pediatric Testing Practicum

Clinical Psychology Extern, Indianapolis

Youth ages 5 to 18 with potential learning and cognitive conditions.

Woodcock-Johnson, Beery VMI

2024–2025

Riley Psychiatry Early Childhood Clinic

Clinical Psychology Extern, Indianapolis

Families with child behavior problems; conduct, oppositional, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Earned PCIT certification.

PCIT

2023–2024

Riley Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Tics, Anxiety, and Compulsions (TAC) Clinic

Clinical Psychology Extern, Indianapolis

Children with Tourette’s syndrome, generalized anxiety, major depression, specific phobia, and social anxiety.

CBIT, ERP, CBT, ACT

2022–2023

IU Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Clinic

Student Therapist, Bloomington

Adults in the community.

Unified Protocol, CBT

2018–2021

Earlier clinical training

  1. 2020–2021Rogers Behavioral HealthClinical Psychology Intern, Skokie
  2. 2020–2021Interprofessional Community ClinicStudent Therapist and Executive Officer for Behavioral Health, North Chicago
  3. 2018–2019Cunningham Children’s HomePsychology Intern, Champaign

ERP, CBT, crisis intervention

Publications

Google Scholar profile

2026

  1. The risk of suicidal behavior associated with prescription benzodiazepine treatment initiation

    Chirica, M. G., Rickert, M. E., Meraz, R., Adams, S. M., Kroenke, K., Chang, Z., Quinn, P. D., & D’Onofrio, B. M.

    Psychiatry Research, 359, 117033

  2. Predicting six month follow-up of suicidal thoughts and attempts among youth with anxiety presenting to an emergency department

    Chirica, M. G., O’Reilly, L. M., King, C. A., & Miller, S. A.

    JCPP Advances, 6(3), e70096

  3. Advancing translational addiction science: Risk, context, and measurement across diverse populations

    Howe, L. K., Summit, A. G., Chirica, M. G., & Quinn, P. D.

    Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 12(3), 335–342

2025

  1. Psychiatric and racial/ethnic differences in incident and long-term benzodiazepine use: A commercial healthcare claims study

    Chirica, M. G., Adams, S. M., Quinn, P. D., Meraz, R., Rickert, M., Sidorchuk, A., Kroenke, K., & D’Onofrio, B. M.

    Journal of Psychiatric Research, 184, 155–162

  2. Changes in tripartite dimensions of anxiety and depression in emerging adults before and during COVID-19

    Chirica, M. G., Carreon, S., Buscemi, J., Greenley, R. N., Tran, S. T., & Miller, S. A.

    Journal of American College Health, 73(4), 1721–1729

  3. Toward better outcomes: Evolving psychopharmacologic approaches in youth psychiatry

    Regnier, S. D., Chirica, M. G., Acuff, S. F., & Strickland, J. C.

    Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 11(3), 277–280Editorial

2024

  1. Methodological innovations in the measurement of psychological constructs

    Chirica, M. G., Piccirillo, M., & King, K. M.

    Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 10(3), 245–250Editorial

  2. Exploring phenotypic overlap across schizotypy and autism spectrum conditions in American and Chinese young adults

    Chirica, M. G., Zhu, Y., Mu, W., Zhou, H., Gong, J., Chan, R. C. K., Kwapil, T. R., & Berenbaum, H.

    Schizophrenia Research, 267, 359–366

  3. Investigating the link between chronic health conditions and mental health symptoms among low-income patients seen at a student-run free clinic

    Vincent, S., Chirica, M. G., Thippana, J., Chen, M., & Schneider, K.

    Journal of Student-Run Clinics, 10(1)

2023

  1. Utilizing video simulation in interprofessional education to teach IPEC competencies and social determinants of health: A universal IPE teaching tool

    Batteson, T. J., Chirica, M. G., Fo, K. S., Froehlich, J., Garber, S. S., Lambdin-Pattavina, C., McCormack Tutt, S. A., Ochs, L., Rodriguez, K., Ross, N. J., & Thuente, L.

    Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 31, 100617

2022

  1. Examining protective factors for substance use problems and self-harm behavior during adolescence: A longitudinal co-twin control study

    O’Reilly, L., Elam, K. K., Quinn, P. D., Adams, S., Chirica, M. G., Klonsky, E. D., Pettersson, E., Lundström, S., Larsson, H., Lichtenstein, P., & D’Onofrio, B.

    Development and Psychopathology, 34(5), 1781–1802

  2. Loss and grief in the context of dementia caregiving

    Paun, O., Loukissa, D., Chirica, M. G., & Nowell, H. M.

    Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 60(10), 7–10

  3. Testing a theory-driven factor structure of the autism-spectrum quotient

    Zhu, Y., Mu, W., Chirica, M. G., & Berenbaum, H.

    Autism Research, 15(9), 1710–1718

  4. Metacognition, macrocognition and moral reasoning in collaborative team decision-making: Implications for healthcare education

    Chirica, M. G., & Batteson, T. J.

    Journal of Educational Studies and Multidisciplinary Approaches, 2(1), 72–86

2021

  1. A national study of medical students’ attitudes toward sexual and gender minority populations: Evaluating the effects of demographics and training

    Bunting, S. R., Chirica, M. G., Ritchie, T. D., Garber, S. S., & Batteson, T. J.

    LGBT Health, 8(1), 79–87

Curriculum vitae

Full CV (PDF, September 2025)

Education

  1. CurrentHealth Service Psychology Doctoral InternshipUniversity of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry. Child and Adolescent Track.
  2. 2021–2026Doctoral program, Clinical SciencePsychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington. Minor in Advanced Analytic and Epidemiological Methods for Psychopathology. Dissertation defended June 5, 2026.
  3. 2019–2021M.S., Psychology: Clinical CounselingRosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Research track.
  4. 2019B.S., Psychology and SociologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Certificate in Criminology, Law and Society.

Licensure

Licensed Professional Counselor

State of Illinois, since 2020. Certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.

Presentations

15 oral presentations and 16 conference posters, including ABCT, APA, the Society for Research in Psychopathology, and the Midwestern Psychological Association.

Honors and funding

  1. 2025Gordon Kato Fellowship
  2. 2025Midwestern Psychological Association Graduate Student Paper Award
  3. 2025Psychological & Brain Sciences Spring Travel Award
  4. 2025SOPHE/CDC Student Fellows in Injury Prevention Award
  5. 2022–2024NIMH T32 Research Training Grant
  6. 2021–2027Psychological & Brain Sciences Summer Departmental Fellowship
  7. 2021College of Health Professions Dean’s Award for Scholarship, RFUMS
  8. 2021College of Health Professions Clinical Education Award, RFUMS
  9. 2020Award for Excellence in Research by a Master of Science Student, RFUMS
  10. 2020–2021GPF Research Fellowship

Teaching at Indiana University

  1. 2024, 2025Clinical Supervision and Skill Acquisition (PSY-P483)
  2. 2022, 2025Practicum in Psychology (PSY-X476)
  3. 2025Sleep and Sleep Disorders (PSY-P457)
  4. 2021Forensic Psychology (PSY-P457)
  5. 2024Guest lecturer, Psychology of Adolescence
  6. 2023Guest lecturer, Psychotherapy: Empirically Supported Treatments

Service

  1. 2026Science Committee Chair, APAGS
  2. 2023–presentEditorial Board, Translational Issues in Psychological Science
  3. 2023–2026Associate Editor, three TPS special issues
  4. 2024–2025Science Subcommittee Vice Chair, APAGS
  5. 2020–2024Mentor, NextGen Psych Scholars Program

Methods

R, SAS, Stata, Mplus, SPSS, and SQL. Longitudinal models, network analysis, survival analysis, and meta-analysis.

News and writing

News

June 2026

Dissertation defense: Data Driven and Epidemiologic Perspectives on Suicide Risk Across Development

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington.

2026

Named Science Committee Chair of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students

April 2025

Outstanding Graduate Student Paper Award, Midwestern Psychological Association

For “Distal, Developmental, and Proximal Factors for Suicide Attempts in Youth,” presented at the 2025 MPA Convention in Chicago.

Collaborators include her doctoral advisor at Indiana University Bloomington, Natasha Chaku, and her Rosalind Franklin University psychology mentor, Steven Miller. The paper session was scheduled for April 10 and the award presentation for April 11 at the 2025 convention in Chicago.

RFUMS College of Health Professions feature (image)
March 2025

SOPHE/CDC Student Fellows in Injury Prevention Award

Presented “Distal, Developmental, and Proximal Risk Factors for Suicide-Related Outcomes” at the SOPHE 2025 Annual Conference in Long Beach.

“Receiving this award is both a professional and personal honor. It is an affirmation that the work I’m doing is seen as valuable in addressing a significant and urgent public health issue—youth suicide prevention. It motivates me to continue pushing the boundaries of our understanding of suicide risk and contributing to the development of effective interventions.”

SOPHE announcement, March 14, 2025
SOPHE
October 2024

Team led by Anna Mueller receives $300,000 Humana Foundation grant for suicide prevention in schools

The study is led by Anna Mueller with Natasha Chaku, Hank Green, and Jonathan Singer of Loyola University Chicago. The project involves a mental health survey of school staff in a representative random sample of public high schools across Colorado, along with pilot daily assessments of students’ help-seeking, emotional connectedness, and well-being.

Indiana University
2022–2024

Awarded an NIMH T32 Research Training Grant

Training in Clinical Translational Science: Maximizing the Public Health Impact (5 T32 MH103213).

gradPSYCH Blog

July 2024

Data Sharing and Code Commenting: Best Practices for Graduate Students

Introducing the TPS 2026 Special Issues

 October 2023

The Argument Against P-Values

 March 2023

Mentorship as a Grad Student: How and Why

Get in touch

mchirica@iu.edu