Edith Chen, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology; Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University Website | Publications
Abstract: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the most robust risk factors for a variety of diseases throughout the lifespan across both countries with and without universal health care. Despite this widely acknowledged epidemiological phenomenon, the psychobiological mechanisms underlying this relationship have been less well-understood. This talk will provide an overview of our laboratory’s approach to testing the biological pathways that can be linked to low SES, with a focus on gene expression studies.
Bio: Edith Chen received a B.A. in history of science from Harvard University, and then a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in clinical psychology. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in health psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, and has been on faculty at Washington University, the University of British Columbia, and now Northwestern University. She has received numerous honors, including the American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Health Psychology, the Young Investigator Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the Donald K. Routh Early Career Award from the Society of Pediatric Psychology.
