Lifespan Health and Disparities

The Lifespan Health and Disparities Lab, led by Dr. Dakota W. Cintron, investigates how life course development and aging influence well-being, cognition, and health. Our research explores not only universal patterns of change but also how social, economic, and environmental contexts shape the risks and resources individuals face across the lifespan.

We use advanced quantitative methods—including growth mixture modeling, dynamic structural equation modeling, Bayesian approaches, and machine learning—to study how constructs such as affect, loneliness, and isolation unfold over time. Our lab places special emphasis on modeling change dynamically and within individuals, often drawing on intensive longitudinal and ecological momentary assessment data.

A core area of our work also focuses on causal inference and program evaluation. We apply state-of-the-art techniques to examine how policies, interventions, and life circumstances causally affect health and psychological outcomes—emphasizing heterogeneity in effects and pathways to resilience.

By combining life course theory, dynamic methods, and causal tools, our lab aims to generate actionable insights that reduce disparities and improve health and well-being from early adulthood through older age.

If you’re interested in collaborating or learning more about our work, we’d love to connect.