2018 NIH Director’s New Innovators Award
Can Childhood Stress Affect the Immune System?
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins

Katie Ehrlich
Credit: Alan Flurry, University of Georgia, Athens
Whether it’s growing up in gut-wrenching poverty, dealing with dysfunctional family dynamics, or coping with persistent bullying in school, extreme adversity can shatter a child’s sense of emotional well-being. But does it also place kids at higher of developing heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions as adults?
Katherine Ehrlich, a researcher at University of Georgia, Athens, wants to take a closer look at this question. She recently received a 2018 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award to study whether acute or chronic psychosocial stress during childhood might sensitize the body’s immune system to behave in ways that damage health, possibly over the course of a lifetime.
Share this:
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
- Click to print (Opens in new window)
Posted In: Creative Minds
Tags: 2018 NIH Director’s New Innovators Award, adversity, anitbodies, bullying, childhood, childhood health, chronic disease, families, flu, flu vaccine, health disparities, heart disease, immune system, immunity, minority health, poverty, psychosocial stress, racial discrimination, rural health, stress, Strong African American Families Project, well-being