Melissa O’Connell Liggett, Ph.D.
Developmental Psychologist
Melissa O’Connell Liggett, Ph.D., a licensed developmental psychologist, in 2016 rejoined the Child Development Program at Children’s National Hospital. She is responsible for the NICU Fellows Follow-up Clinic, providing training on newborn assessment to Children’s neonatology fellows and follow-up developmental evaluations for graduates of the NICU.
| March 2026 | Weiner S, Wu Y, Cheng JJ, Liggett M, McCants C, Adegbulugbe E, Mears A, Henderson D, Andescavage N, Limperopoulos C. The COVID Generation: The Neurodevelopmental Consequences of in Utero COVID-19 Exposure. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 2026 Jan 1:106238. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.106238. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41483846 | view |
| March 2026 | Wu Y, Andescavage N, Weiner SL, Liggett M, Ngwa JS, Kapse A, Kapse K, McDermott CE, Donofrio MT, Wisner KL, Wessel D, du Plessis AJ, Limperopoulos C. Prenatal Maternal Psychological Distress Is Associated With Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Toddlers With Congenital Heart Disease. Pediatric Research. 2026 Mar 3. doi: 10.1038/s41390-026-04859-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41776370 | view |
Date: April 2022
Seed M, Limperopoulos C. In Utero Brain Growth Matters for Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease. Circulation. 2022 Apr 12;145(15):1120-1122. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.058683. Epub 2022 Apr 11. PMID: 35404677
View: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35404677
Date: January 2010
Limperopoulos C, Tworetzky W, McElhinney DB, Newburger JW, Brown DW, Robertson RL Jr, Guizard N, McGrath E, Geva J, Annese D, Dunbar-Masterson C, Trainor B, Laussen PC, du Plessis AJ. Brain Volume and Metabolism in Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease: Evaluation With Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy. Circulation. 2010 Jan 5;121(1):26-33. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.865568. Epub 2009 Dec 21. PMID: 20026783; PMCID: PMC2819908
View: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2819908
Date: February 2024
Wu Y, De Asis-Cruz J, Limperopoulos C. Brain Structural and Functional Outcomes in the Offspring of Women Experiencing Psychological Distress During Pregnancy. Molecular Psychiatry. 2024 Jul;29(7):2223-2240. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02449-0. Epub 2024 Feb 28. PMID: 38418579; PMCID: PMC11408260
View: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38418579
Date: April 2022
Wu Y, Espinosa KM, Barnett SD, Kapse A, Quistorff JL, Lopez C, Andescavage N, Pradhan S, Lu YC, Kapse K, Henderson D, Vezina G, Wessel D, du Plessis AJ, Limperopoulos C. Association of Elevated Maternal Psychological Distress, Altered Fetal Brain, and Offspring Cognitive and Social-Emotional Outcomes at 18 Months. JAMA Network Open. 2022 Apr 1;5(4):e229244. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.9244. PMID: 35486403; PMCID: PMC9055453
View: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35486403