Our Goal
We use molecular and cellular biology to understand adversity, to help those who suffer its ill effects by developing novel diagnostics and personalizing healthcare.
Adversity - negative life experiences such as trauma, stress, or social isolation - has major effects on human health.
More than half of all American children experience at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) before age 18, increasing the risk of many chronic diseases and causes of death, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and suicide (1).
Throughout life, traumatic experiences increase the risk of diseases such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Our Mission
Epidemiological and public health research has demonstrated the damaging effects of adversity and the importance of wellness for health outcomes. However, our understanding of the molecular causes and consequences remains incomplete.
The Biology of Adversity Project seeks to understand how adversity leads to poor health by applying cutting-edge technologies to model systems and large-scale human cohorts. We will identify the molecular scars caused by adversity and the cells, tissues, and pathways affected. By providing this molecular foundation of adversity, we will ultimately develop novel, next-generation diagnostics and therapies for improved health outcomes for everyone.
21 million
cases of MDD are estimated to be avoidable by reducing ACEs (1)