My Research
Early Life Stress
A key focus of my research is on how early life stress influences development. I am particularly interested in understanding how experiences of socioeconomic disadvantage influence families’ lives and stress levels and factors that may alleviate socioeconomic stressors such as social safety net policies or positive relationships.
Gut-Brain Axis
Another core aspect of my research is understanding how early experiences influence the development of the system of trillions of bacteria living in our gastrointestinal tract, the gut microbiota. My work aims to better understand connections between the developing gut and brain, known as the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
Self Regulation
A final key area of my research focuses on how early social experiences and the microbiota-gut-brain axis influence the development of children’s self regulation - the ability to exert top-down control over thoughts, emotions, and behavior - and the development of brain regions associated with these skills.