College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Skyla M. Herod, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Chemistry at Azusa Pacific University. Before coming to APU, Dr. Herod worked at the Oregon National Primate Research Center in Beaverton, Oregon, where she studied the brain mechanisms underlying the development of stress-sensitivity and susceptibility to stress-induced disorders, specifically stress-induced infertility in female monkeys.

At APU, she continues her work in the neuroendocrinology of the stress response in genetic mutant mice deficient in normal functioning of the serotonin system, a neurotransmitter involved in mood, cognition, and stress reactivity. Dr. Herod examines the role of early life stress exposure and availability of various neurotransmitter systems in determining susceptibility to stress-induced disorders in adulthood.