Social Epigenetics and the Embodiment of Early Environments. Epigenetic processes are responsive to experiences during development and play important roles in regulating gene expression. A focus on epigenetics in community-based studies encourages us to reconceptualize the human genome as a dynamic substrate that incorporates information from the environment to alter its structure and function—an approach that moves beyond simplistic “nature vs. nurture” and “DNA as destiny” metaphors. Several studies are investigating epigenetic signatures of socioeconomic adversity early in life, epigenetic modifications to inflammatory genes as a mechanism linking early environments with inflammation in adulthood, and the social and ecological factors that predict gene expression.
Pathways Linking Social Inequalities, Inflammation, and Health Within and Across Generations. Inflammation is an important part of normal immune function, but excessive or chronic activation of inflammation contributes to adverse birth outcomes, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic degenerative diseases. McDade is conducting research in the United States and the Philippines that investigates the social and developmental factors that shape the regulation of inflammation. Recent papers have documented significant impacts of stress, breastfeeding duration, birth weight, and microbial exposures in infancy on inflammation in adulthood. A new project is evaluating the impact of a fully remote, randomized mindfulness intervention on chronic inflammation and other aspects of physical and mental health.
Biomarkers for Population-Based Health Research. The application of minimally invasive, "field-friendly" methods for measuring physiology is an important part of McDade's effort to conduct integrative population-based research on health. He has developed methods for assaying biomarkers in a drop of blood collected from a simple finger prick, and he consults on the implementation of these methods into a number of large, nationally representative health surveys, including the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, Health and Retirement Study, and WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health. In 2020, McDade developed the first method for quantifying coronavirus antibodies in finger stick dried blood spot samples to facilitate remote, “no contact” testing of large numbers of people to track viral spread in the community. New methods are focusing on gene expression and biomarkers of dementia.
Cells to Society (C2S): The Center on Social Inequalities and Health. Social and cultural contexts are critical determinants of human development and health, but we know very little about the processes or pathways through which they act. Along with colleagues at IPR, McDade has helped establish C2S as a center at Northwestern to serve as catalyst for innovative, multidisciplinary approaches to understanding health disparities.
McDade, T., J. Polos, K. Kershaw, T. Hargrove, and S. Koning. 2025. Duration of breastfeeding in infancy and levels of central adiposity and systemic inflammation in early middle adulthood. AJPM Focus: 100375.
Koning, S., E. Adam, A. Kapoor, and T. McDade. 2025. Echoes of conflict and displacement in maternal health: Life-course violence, timing, and maternal stress after childbirth at the northern Thailand-Myanmar border. Psychoneuroendocrinology 171.
Chen, E., T. Yu, K. Ehrlich, P. Lam, T. Jiang, T. McDade, G. Miller, and G. Brody. 2024. Family Disadvantage, Education, and Health Outcomes Among Black Youths Over a 20-Year Period. JAMA network open 7(3).
McDade, T., M. Giletta, A. Miller, K. Krause, and N. Michels. 2024. Implementation of a minimally invasive cell culture system to measure the regulation of inflammation in a school‐based sample of adolescents. American Journal of Human Biology: e24077.
Polos, J., S. Alexandria, T. Hargrove, S. Koning, T. McDade, and K.Kershaw. 2024. Effects of an intervention on black family incomes on self-rated health and obesity in black and white adolescents and young adults. American Journal of Epidemiology: kwae327.
Aronoff, J., S. Koning, L. Adair, N. Lee, D. Carba, C. Kuzawa, and T. McDade. 2024. Intimate partner violence, depression, and chronic low‐grade inflammation among middle‐aged women in Cebu, Philippines. American Journal of Human Biology: e24053.
Rilling, J., M. Lee, J. McIsaac, S. Factor, P. Gallagher, J. Kim, J. Zhang, C. Zhou, T. McDade, K.Hepburn, and M. Perkins. 2024. Evaluation of a photo captioning cognitive empathy intervention for dementia caregivers. Clinical Gerontologist: 1–14.
McDade, T. 2023. Three common assumptions about inflammation, aging, and health that are probably wrong. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120(51): e2317232120.
Berkman, L.F., E. Kelly, L. Hammer, F. Mierzwa, T. Bodner, T. McNamara, H. Koga, S. Lee, M. Marino, L. Klein, T. McDade, G. Hanson, P. Moen, and O. Buxton. 2023. Employee cardiometabolic risk following a cluster-randomized workplace intervention from the work, family and health network, 2009–2013. American Journal of Public Health 113(12): 1322–31.
McDade, T., C. Ryan, L. Adair, N. Lee, D. Carba, J. MacIsaac, K. Dever, P. Atashzay, M. Kobor and C. Kuzawa. 2023. Association between infectious exposures in infancy and epigenetic age acceleration in young adulthood in metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. American Journal of Human Biology: e23948.
McDade, T. and K. Harris. 2022. From society to cells and back again: New opportunities for discovery at the biosocial interface. Discover Social Science and Health 2: 4.
Koning, S., J. Polos, K. Kershaw, and T. McDade. 2022. Racial inequities in birth weight by maternal age among college-educated mothers: The role of early disadvantage. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 62(5): 735–44.
McDade, T., J. Meyer, S. Koning, and K. Harris. 2021. Body mass and the epidemic of chronic inflammation in early mid-adulthood. Social Science & Medicine 281: 114059.
McDade, T. and S. Koning. 2021. Early origins of socioeconomic inequalities in chronic inflammation: Evaluating the contributions of low birth weight and short breastfeeding. Social Science & Medicine 269: 113592.
