About

I am an Assistant Professor of Public Affairs in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My research uses data and methods from economics, public health, and genomics to examine how social inequality erodes health at a molecular level and speeds up the aging process. I take a life course view of aging that considers how social disadvantage shapes health from the prenatal period through adulthood and into old age. To capture the dynamic interplay between our inner biology and our socioeconomic circumstances, my work marries cutting edge genetic and epigenetic measures with data on the social environment from population-based longitudinal studies and randomized control trials. I primarily use methods for learning causal effects from observational data with the aim of identifying policy targets that support quality of life and extend healthspan.  

In 2017, I received a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to examine social determinants of epigenetic processes related to aging and cognitive decline. In addition to the NIA, my research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Center for Retirement Research, the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the March of Dimes.

I earned my B.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado and my M.S. and Ph.D. in Economics from the New School for Social Research. I received my M.S. in Human Genetics from the University of Michigan in 2019.