Children growing up in low-income households are at increased risk for poorer physical and mental health across the life course. Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, have been proposed as one biological pathway through which socioeconomic inequalities in childhood may become embedded and influence later-life health. In this talk, I will present findings from our studies examining associations between early socioeconomic inequality and DNA methylation. In addition, drawing on evidence from a randomized controlled trial of unconditional monthly cash transfers in the United States, we examined whether reductions in poverty have causal effects on the epigenome. These findings are discussed in the broader context of early-life inequality and the emergence of health disparities across development.
How Does Social Inequality Get Under the Skin? - LEARN! Seminar 7 May 2026 12:30 - 13:30
About How Does Social Inequality Get Under the Skin? - LEARN! Seminar
Starting date
- 7 May 2026
Time
- 12:30 - 13:30
Language
- English
Yayouk Willems
Yayouk Willems is a developmental psychologist based in Berlin, currently working with the Max Planck Research Group Biosocial – Biology, Social Disparities, and Development. She earned her PhD at the Netherlands Twin Register in Amsterdam and spent two years outside academia at a political think tank before returning to research. Her work integrates polygenic and epigenetic approaches in longitudinal cohorts and randomized trials to better understand the intergenerational transmission of social inequality. She was recently awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship to support this research. See: https://www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/1490847/mprg-biosocial-team
