Alison Miller

Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, University of Michigan
B.A., Wesleyan University

Associate Professor, Health Behavior & Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan
Associate Research Scientist, Center for Human Growth & Development, University of Michigan

My research program focuses on how individual child factors, social relationships and contextual processes shape healthy development for children growing up in poverty and who have experienced adverse early life events. Self-regulation, managing stress and adversity, and the influence of social context are themes throughout my work. I study how the balance between biological, social-behavioral, and broader contextual influences can shift over time, and seek to apply this developmental perspective to both inform our understanding of how developmental science can inform basic research on childrens health, as well as to improve health outcomes for young, high-risk children. Integrating a developmental science perspective is essential in order to address public health concerns that disproportionately affect low-income children. To achieve this goal, I collaborate with colleagues across disciplines and community partners to translate research findings into intervention approaches that may ultimately reduce health disparities and foster positive health and well-being outcomes for children and families.