Chantal Rabay

Chantal Rabay is a Ph.D. student in the Anthropology department working with Dr. Amy Non. She is investigating associations between maternal perceived stress, anxiety, and depression and microRNA (miRNA) expression in human breast milk. This project explores miRNAs within exosomes, which are vesicles that prevent miRNA degradation and present a potential pathway for maternal miRNA to influence developmental programming in infants. Additionally, Chantal is interested in exploring potential miRNA effects on a baby's growth and development. More broadly, she is interested in understanding how social determinants of health lead to epigenetic changes, and how these may contribute to health disparities.