Dr Jessica Bartschi is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Wollongong (UOW) and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI). Jessica completed her Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) in 2015, and recently completed her PhD thesis in the School of Medicine at UOW.

Jessica has a particular research interest in the relationships between psychological disorders and comorbid physical health conditions, particularly in relation to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). For Jessica's Honours thesis she investigated electrophysiological biomarkers of depressive symptoms, with her PhD research examining the relationships between hunger and satiety hormones, psychological overeating styles and the risk of obesity in MDD. Her ongoing work in this area aims to further investigate the role of the brain and biological factors in MDD, in order to identify potential endocrine and electrophysiological risk factors for MDD symptoms to improve treatment outcomes. Jessica also continues to be involved in research spanning additional areas including health psychology, cognitive psychology and dietetics, specialising in the relationships between mental and physical health.

In her Post-Doctoral research as part of the Australian Centre for Cannabinoid Clinical and Research Excellence (ACRE), Jessica is extending on her PhD research by studying the potential for cannabidiol to act as a novel treatment for appetite and cognition-related symptoms, depression, endocrine dysregulation and brain repair in those affected by early stage dementia.

Jessica is a member of the ACRE Community of Practice for Cannabis Medicines and Dementia and the ACRE Capacity Building Group.