Edith Chen


Edith Chen is a scientist known for researching and focusing on understanding the psychosocial and biological pathways that explain relationships between low socioeconomic status and physical health outcomes in childhood. She is currently a professor at Northwestern University. Scientific Award for an early career contribution within her first nine years of receiving her PhD. Chen was awarded the 2015 George A. Miller Award for an Outstanding Recent Article on General Psychology for the article “Psychological stress in childhood and susceptibility to the chronic diseases of aging: Moving toward a model of behavioral and biological mechanisms” alongside co-authors Gregory E. Miller, and Karen J. Parker. Dr. Chen's idea of professional success has meant publishing in the top journals in her field and having her grants funded which to her signals that the research she is conducting is seen as good.

Biography

Chen grew up in Miami, Florida. Since Chen was in high school, she always loved science. Chen competed in science fairs in high school and also was able to work and conduct research in a lab which sparked her interest in science. In 1999 she earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from University of California, Los Angeles. She began her position as the Professor of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine in 2012.At Northwestern University she spends time doing research and teaching. On the research side of things, she conducts science experiments, oversees a research lab, writes grants and writes research articles. On the teaching side of things, she teaches undergraduate lectures and runs smaller scale seminars for graduate students. Across her career, Chen has researched many different things but has maintained a love for research. She was a post doctoral fellow at the national institute of mental health.

Research

Chen's research is centered around understanding the psychosocial and biological contributors to socioeconomic inequalities in health outcomes in children. The main impact or finding that her work has had on society has been that individuals in low income status homes have had much poorer health opposed to their counterparts of higher socioeconomic status. Chen discovering this has impacted society and allowed for a greater understanding of this phenomenon and how this holds true when health is measured as prevalence of illness, the severity of these illnesses, and diseases as well. Overall her findings explore and explain why low income socioeconomic status is associated with poorer physical health not only in childhood but throughout adulthood as well.
Some of the topics that Chen is researching are an Asthma study and Mentoring and Health Study. The Asthma study which is about investigating youth from low socioeconomic status families and understanding what physical and social environmental factors contribute to their terrible asthma outcomes. She is also studying this phenomenon at a cellular level to see or get an explanation as to how bad could have become worse due to external factors. Whereas the mentoring and health study which is also about youth from low socioeconomic status and other at risk youth. This is about how the youth in these areas or backgrounds can greatly benefit from mentorship. They are currently working to expand the research to physical health. They have also found that within the mentees helping others or one another has had benefits on their health. As mentioned this study like the others are still in the works.

Representative publications