Event Details

How Does Stress Get Under the Skin? Adding Epigenetics to Your Research Program

Event Description

Cizik Nursing Research Institute - Lunch & Learn Seminar

Date: March 25, 2026
Where: Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston, Room 360 (Accessible by shuttle)
RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/BwuHeJCiZS

Tacos provided for lunch

How do stress, adversity, and resilience translate into lasting biological effects? This Lunch & Learn will explore how epigenetic biomarkers—particularly DNA methylation and methylation clocks—can be integrated into behavioral research to capture the biological impact of lived experience.

The session will provide an overview of current applications of epigenetics in stress-related research, including biological aging, stress exposure, and adaptive or maladaptive coping. We will also introduce DNA methylation clocks and discuss how these and other biomarker services are available through the Biobehavioral Health Core, enabling investigators to add a molecular dimension to existing and future studies.

For researchers studying stress, resilience, coping, mental health, or behavioral interventions, incorporating epigenetic markers offers a powerful way to strengthen mechanistic insight, enhance translational relevance, and support future extramural funding applications.

Speakers

Consuelo Walss-Bass, PhD
Professor
John S. Dunn Foundation Distinguished Chair
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director, CNRI Biobehavioral Health Core

Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon, PhD
Psychologist
Instructor (Research)
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

RSVP Here: https://forms.office.com/r/BwuHeJCiZS