As part of the Center for Poverty Research Seminar Series, Greg Miller and Edith Chen discussed their work on how early life poverty and even social mobility can affect long-term health. Both Miller and Chen are professors of psychology at Northwestern University and Faculty Fellows at the Institute for Policy Research. The talk took place on March 15, 2016.

Greg Miller’s research examines the behavioral and biological mechanisms through which stress affects health. Dr. Miller has received a number of honors for his research, including the Young Investigator Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the Early Career Award from the American Psychosomatic Society, and the Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions from the American Psychological Association. He is President Elect of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research. Dr. Miller was Associate Editor of the journals Psychological Bulletin (2010-2014) and Psychosomatic Medicine (2008-2011). He is presently a Consulting Editor at both of these journals, and the journals, Brain, Behavior, & Immunity, and Clinical Psychological Science.

Edith Chen’s research seeks to understand why poverty is associated with poor physical health outcomes in children, with a focus on the psychological and biological mechanisms that explain these relationships. She is also interested in questions of resilience—that is, why some children who come from adversity manage to thrive and maintain good profiles of health. For her research, Chen has received honors including the American Psychological Association’s 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.