Layla Esposito, Ph.D., M.A., is a program director in two Branches of the Center for Research for Mothers and Children. In the Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Growth (ENG) Branch, she oversees a portfolio of research on childhood obesity. In the Child Development and Behavior (CDB) Branch, her portfolio includes research on social and affective development in children and adolescents, as well as research on the health benefits of human-animal interaction. Dr. Esposito completed her Ph.D. in social psychology and master's degree in clinical psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to her position at NICHD, Dr. Esposito was a science policy fellow with the Society for Research in Child Development and the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. Her prior research and clinical work focused on peer victimization, aggression, psychosocial functioning and adjustment in children, and child psychopathology.