Social Epigenomics Research

Program Description

The NIMHD social epigenomics research program has been established to 1) advance the science of epigenomics focused on minority health and health disparities, (2) expand our understanding of epigenetic mechanisms by which social factors lead to biological changes that in turn influence health or modify disease risk that may contribute to health disparities, and (3) promote epigenetics research to better diagnose disease risk or resiliency among populations experiencing health disparities. Additionally, the program promotes multidisciplinary collaborations that will combine the knowledge and scientific expertise of social scientists, public health researchers and molecular biologists to develop innovative strategies to understand the mechanisms that may create or contribute to the persistence of health disparities.

Social epigenomics is the study of how social experiences affect the genes and our biology. Our experiences do not alter the genetic code itself. However, social experiences may bring about changes in the various molecules that interact with DNA, determining which genes are switched on or off. This biological mechanism for controlling gene expression is called the epigenome. The epigenome can be dynamically altered by social and environmental experiences. Studies of how social factors influence the epigenome hold great promise for understanding how social environments affect minority health and lead to health disparities. For example, people who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods are exposed to many social stressors, such as violence or the threat of violence, segregated housing, limited access to healthy food, and psychosocial stress. Studies on the interplay of social factors and the epigenome will help explain and address the drivers of health disparities and inform the development of effective interventions.

NIH Guide No: PAR-16-355 and PAR-16-356

See current NIMHD-funded R01 and R21 grants on NIH RePORTER.

Institution	Principal Investigator	Project Title
University of Southern California	Breton, Carrie Van	Influence of Prenatal Psychosocial Stressors on Maternal and Fetal Circulating miRNAs
University of Pittsburgh	Celedon, Juan Carlos	Exposure to Violence, Epigenetic Variation, and Asthma in Puerto Rican Children
University of Michigan	Colter, Mitchell	Epigenetic Mediation of Adverse Social Context on Stress Response, Socioemotional Development, and Health in a Population-Based Study of Minority and Low SES Children and Adolescents
North Carolina State University Raleigh	Hoyo, Catherine	Social Adversities, Epigenetics, and the Obesity Epidemic
University of Florida	Kertes, Darlene A	Epigenetic Mechanisms of Emotional/ Behavioral Health Among Impoverished African American Youth
North Carolina Central University	Kumar, Deepak	Molecular Determinants of Social Factors in Prostate Cancer
Northwestern University	Miller, Gregory Evan	Understanding Socioeconomic Disparities in Perinatal Risk: The Role of Epigenetic and Transcriptional Regulation in the Placenta
University of Michigan	Needham, Belinda L	Race/ Ethnicity, DNA Methylation, and Disparities in Cardiovascular Mortality: NHANES 1999-2002
Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope (NCI-funded)	Seewaldt, Victoria	Epigenetic Damage in Women Living in LA Food Desert Zip Codes
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Uddin, Monica	Epigenomic Predictors of PTSD and Traumatic Stress in an African American Cohort

Page updated Jan. 12, 2024