Discoveries in epigenetics have transformed our understanding of how environmental factors, including diet, physical activity, psychological stress, and social context, influence gene expression and affect individual and community health.

Faculty engaged in epigenetics research integrate social context, early life adversity, and cumulative life stress to understand phenotypic variation in biological and behavioral stress reactivity and resilience, symptom expression in cancer, pregnancy outcomes, and risk for cardiovascular disease, depression, and diabetes.

We partner with communities and engage students to explore new inter-professional care models that address health disparities among several populations, including African-American men and women, Filipino women, Asian Indians, at-risk youth, and veterans.

Loyola Nursing researchers study the self-management of chronic diseases and seek to better understand how symptoms impact individuals and their families. 

Faculty research how to optimize the learning environment for students and inter-professional teams. This involves developing and implementing new models of care to address the health care needs of individuals with chronic conditions in underserved areas.