Projects
Current Projects
- Health Initiatives for Men (HIM): Pilot Project. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of familial, social, biological, structural, and community factors that act as incentives or barriers for men in engaging in health-related behaviors. To see an abstract of the project click here. Collaborators: University of Washington, Pennsylvania State University, Premera Blue Cross in Mountlake Terrace, WA. Principle Investigator: Dr. Kathleen O'Connor, Associate Professor, University of Washington.
- Effect of music on cortisol levels. This project will investigate the hypothesis that listening to music with a faster tempo will raise cortisol levels, while listening to slower tempo music will lower them. This study will also test the hypothesis that the tone or meaning behind the lyrics of a song will raise or lower cortisol levels according to what the song is trying to convey. Principle Investigator: Mariah Bell, Undergraduate Student and Mary Gates Scholar, University of Washington.
- Reproductive Hormone Study. The main objective of this study is to examine whether time of day at sampling and ethnicity (Caucasian or Japanese) contribute to individual variation in salivary hormone (progesterone and cortisol) levels after adjusting for corresponding blood hormone levels. Principle Investigator: Dr. Shoko Konishi, Assistant Professor, University of Tokyo.
- Biodemographic Models of Reproductive Aging (BIMORA). A large prospective study examining the endocrinology and biology of the transition to menopause in US women (funded by the National Institutes on Aging). Collaborators: Georgetown University, Pennsylvania State University. Principle Investigator: Dr. Kathleen O'Connor. [Publications: click here]
- Reproductive aging in the baboon. Endocrine aspects of reproductive aging in the baboon, and their links to genetic markers of aging. Collaborators: Texas Biomdedical Research Institute, Brown University. Principle Investigator at UW: Dr. Kathleen O'Connor.
- The effect of napping and resting on afternoon cortisol levels.The objective of this study is to explore the effects of short and long naps and brief periods of wakeful rest on cortisol levels and compare them to typical changes in cortisol produced by a good-night's sleep. Principle Investigator: Heidi Yi Febinger, Mary Gates Scholar, BA University of Washington (2010).
Past Projects
- The role of energetics and testosterone in male life history strategy. This cross-cultural dissertation project examines the role of testosterone in male energetic trade-offs among the Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of the Bolivian Amaazon, and a matched Seattle population. Collaborators: Tsimane Health and Life History Project-University of New Mexico and University of California Santa Barbara. Principle Investigator: Dr. Ben Trumble, Post-Doctoral Fellow, UNM & UCSB.
- Changes in male salivary testosterone in response to competitive soccer matches among the Tsimane of the Bolivian Amazon. This project examines male-male competition in an energetically and pathologically stressed non-industrial population. Collaborators: Tsimane Health and Life History Project-University of New Mexico and University of California Santa Barbara. Principle Investigator: Dr. Ben Trumble, UNM & UCSB.
- Effects of Stress on the Ovarian Cycle in the Baboon. A pilot study examining how stress introduced at difference stages of the menstrual cycle affects the timing and type of subsequent menstrual cycle disruption. Collaborators: Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, Brown University. Principle Investigator: Dr. Kathleen O'Connor. [Publication: O'Connor et al., 2011]
- Testosterone and short-term fasting. This project examined endocrine changes in a group of young males undergoing a bried period of fasting. Principle Investigator: Ben Trumble, Graduate Student, University of Washington. [Publication: Trumble et al., 2010]
- An evolutionary perspective on mother-offspring vitamin A transfer. The goal of this dissertation project was to investigate the relationships and trade-offs between maternal hepatic stores of vitamin A, breastmilk vitamin A, and maternal reproductive status in varying ecological contexts of northern Kenya. Principle Investigator: Dr. Masako Fujita, PhD, University of Washington (2008).
[Publications: Fujita et al., 2011; Fujita et al., 2009; Fujita et al., 2007]
- Immune function and stress study (IFSS). A longitudinal study to assess the relationship between inflammation and perceived stress through the analysis of intra-individual data: cortisol measued in urine, C-reactive protein measured in dried blood spots and self-reported measures of psychosocial stress. Principle Investigator: Tara Hayes-Constant, Graduate Student, University of Washington
- Postpartum amenorrhea in rural Bangladeshi women. A prospective study using a series of biodemographic tools aimed at disentagling the contributions of metabolic load from lactation and suckling stimulus on suppression of ovarian cycles in rural Bangladeshi women. Principle Investigator: Dr. Darryl Holman, Associate Professor, University of Washington.
- Cultural degrees of separation: stress and coping in Passamaquoddy children and adolescents.
This dissertation project was a biocultural examination of the relationships between ethnic identity, stress reactivity, and decision making in the Passamaquoddy tribe of Northeastern Maine. Principle Investigator: Dr. Deborah Schechter, PhD, University of Washington (2010).
- A biocultural model of pesticide exposure among migrant Hispanic farm workers. The goal of this dissertation project was to investigate the relationship between culture, pesticide exposure, and cortisol levels among Hispanic farm workers in the Yakima Valley of Washington State. Principle Investigator: Dr. Shedra Amy Snipes, PhD, University of Washington (2006).
- Hormonal coordination in pair-bonded couples: A biological model for the human pair bond. The goal of this study was to determine if pair-bonded couples exhibit hormonal correlation. Links between coordinated hormone levels and possible fitness benefits will be the basis for a biolgically based model for the evolution and maintenance of the human pair-bond. Principle Investigator: Anthony Tessandori, Graduate Student, University of Washington.
