She received her PhD in clinical psychology from Miami University of Ohio and completed an internship in child psychology at the University of Rochester Medical School. She subsequently pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School, where she remained in a faculty position. Dr. Jelalian is the recipient of grants from NHLBI and NIDDK evaluating weight control interventions for overweight adolescents. She has published in the areas of pediatric weight control, risk-taking and injury in adolescents, and nutrition in children with cystic fibrosis. Dr. Jelalian serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.