Assistant Professor, Washington University in St. Louis
I’m an assistant professor of biological anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis (B.S., University of Notre Dame, 2011; M.S., University of Oregon, 2013; Ph.D., University of Oregon, 2018).
I study how lifestyle variation and environmental conditions influence infectious disease risk (especially parasitic disease), and how these factors can produce and perpetuate health inequities. My work utilizes a biocultural approach, strongly rooted in life history theory, to examine how lifestyle variation influences individual physiology and immune function. I am also interested in understanding how these interactions can be used to design more effective disease intervention programs.
Other research interests include global aging processes, body composition and metabolic syndrome, and reproductive endocrinology.
Washington University in St. Louis
Department of Anthropology
Campus Box 1114
One Brookings Drive
Washington University
St. Louis, MO 63130
E-mail: gildner@wustl.edu
Affiliations
People
Recent media attention
Ongoing REACH Study work examining the long-term helath and socioeconomic impacts of parasitic disease was featured in the WUSTL Ampersand magazine.
My research on helminth infection patterns among the Shuar and in the American South was profiled on the Sausage of Science podcast.
Research with Dr. Jesse Casana on 19th century parasite infection among Dartmouth community members received attention in Valley News, The Source, and Futurity.
Work with collaborator Dr. Tara Cepon-Robins on possible links between helminth infection and COVID-19 severity was highlighted by UCCS.
Research on links between COVID-19-related exercise disruptions and maternal depression was covered on several media outlets including U.S. News & World Report, HealthDay, and Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network.
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