Amy Non

Dr. Non is a molecular anthropologist with an interest in the genetic and sociocultural contributors to racial and social inequalities in health. Her lab investigates how social experiences can become biologically embedded early in life to affect health throughout the life course. To do this, they explore epigenetic mechanisms, or modifications to the genome, that can link early adverse environmental exposures with altered gene expression, potentially resulting in long-term consequences for adult health and disease. They have investigated DNA methylation at candidate sites in relation to early life adversity in Romanian orphans and genome-wide in children of Mexican-born immigrants, among other vulnerable populations. They are also investigating variation in microRNAs in human milk in relation to maternal mental health and stress. Additionally, her lab studies racial inequalities in health more broadly by investigating the role of genetics alongside the social environment to explain racial inequalities in chronic diseases including hypertension, liver disease, and lung function.