SES Lab Team
Feel free to get to know our team members!
Camelia Hostinar - Principal Investigator
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Dr. Hostinar is the lab director and an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at UC Davis. She completed her doctoral training in Developmental Psychology at the University of Minnesota (Institute of Child Development) and her postdoctoral training at Northwestern University. Dr. Hostinar investigates the ways in which childhood poverty and other forms of early-life adversity influence later development and health. She has particular interest in protective factors that may buffer children and adolescents from chronic stress and subsequent physical or mental health problems. Her work examines developmental processes at multiple levels of analysis, incorporating endocrine and immune biomarkers, electrophysiological data, genetic assays, and behavioral measures. She seeks to improve understanding of the role of early-life stress in shaping self-regulatory skills, and to illuminate how stress-buffering processes such as supportive social relationships exert their effects.
Contact: cehostinar@ucdavis.edu |
Zev Minow - Lab Manager
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Zev is the coordinator for the Social Environment and Stress Lab. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Zev is interested in researching new methods of treating physical and mental disease, and has lead research projects within the UC Davis Health System examining behaviors and treatments to improve health. He utilizes measures of metabolic and respiratory function, cardiovascular health, inflammatory biomarkers, and anthropometric testing in his research. In the future, he hopes to attend medical school and become a physician. In his free time, Zev enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking or snowboarding.
Contact: zminow@ucdavis.edu |
LillyBelle Deer - Graduate Student
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LillyBelle Deer is a first-year PhD student in the developmental psychology program at UC Davis. She grew up in Honolulu, HI and completed her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA in 2015. Her research interests include early life stress and adversity, the physical and mental health outcomes that stem from it, and the buffering processes involved. Outside of the lab, she enjoys swimming with the Davis Aquatics Masters and hiking with her dogs.
Contact: lillybellekdeer@gmail.com |
Antonia Cartwright - Graduate Student
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Antonia Cartwright is a PhD student in the developmental psychology program at UC Davis. Antonia moved to California from England in 2014. Her research interests include the role of stress in mental and physical health outcomes, and how tools such as mindfulness may foster resilience by buffering against stress and adversity. Antonia’s hobbies include rock climbing, yoga, and slipping Britishisms into everyday conversations.
Contact: acartwright@ucdavis.edu |
Grant Shields - Graduate Student
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Grant is a PhD student in psychology at UC Davis interested in determining the effects of stress on memory and executive function as well as the biological mechanisms behind those effects. His role in this lab is a typical graduate student, someone who is always busy coding studies, analyzing data, and writing papers. He is interested in working with Dr. Hostinar because she is someone with a lot of great experience in research areas that align with his interests. In particular, her work examining associations of different life stressors such early adversity in orphanages, with executive function closely parallels his interests, and her work examining the conditions that mitigate or exacerbate stress-related biological dysregulation can certainly inform his research. In addition to working with Dr. Hostinar, Grant works under both Dr. Andrew P. Yonelinas and Dr. Brian C. Trainor at UC Davis and collaborates with Dr. George M. Slavich at UCLA. When he's not working, he enjoys playing with his dogs, running, hiking, and snowboarding when weather permits.
Contact: gsshields@ucdavis.edu |
Shannon Trinh - Undergraduate Student
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Shannon is currently a third year undergraduate student at UC Davis pursuing a B.S. Degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Biology. She chose to be involved in the SES lab because she has a deep interest and passion for working with children who face adversity in their environments. Specifically, Shannon looks forward to contributing to projects that focus on children's levels of social trust and mistrust when growing up in poverty. One day, she hopes to work with the youth in the Bay Area and find ways to promote education and spread awareness about mental health issues and risk factors like stress. Outside of the lab, she loves to spend time with her family, make arts and crafts, and watch Disney movies.
Contact: stntrinh@ucdavis.edu |
Jenna DeKeater - Undergraduate Student
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Jenna DeKeater is one of the undergraduate lab assistants, who is majoring with a BS in Anthropology as well as a minor in Global Disease Biology at the University of California, Davis. Involved in many aspects on campus including Chi Omega, The Panhellenic Council and The 3-day Eventing Team, in her leisure time Jenna enjoys backpacking through different countries and volunteering abroad. She hopes to pursue a joint MPH and MD program after the completion of her undergraduate education. Her specific interests in pediatric health are what lead her to work with Dr. Hostinar in the Center for Mind and Brain.
Contact: jadekeater@ucdavis.edu |
Jennifer La - Undergraduate Student
Jennifer is a second year undergraduate student at UC Davis, pursuing a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. She has an interest in research focusing on underserved communities and specifically the ways poverty, educational inequality, and other forms of adversity affect a person's well-being. In addition to conducting research with Dr. Hostinar, Jennifer works at the Willow Clinic to provide medical care to the homeless population in Sacramento. Her future goal is to become a pharmacist to help patients understand the biological and social factors affecting their physical and mental health. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with friends and family and trying out delicious places to eat.
Contact: jla@ucdavis.edu
Contact: jla@ucdavis.edu
