Penn State Biobehavioral Health

Cannabis affects the reward processing, stress regulation and impulse control systems in the brain, as do ni****ne and alcohol.

Learn what research has demonstrated about the potential health risks of cannabis use in a recent Q&A with Emily Ansell https://www.psu.edu/news/health-and-human-development/story/qa-what-are-risks-cannabis-use?utm_account=Penn+State+Biobehavioral+Health&utm_campaign=&utm_content=1782486781&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

This Father's Day, learn how being a supportive dad can positively affect your child's health.

"It might surprise people that a father’s behavior before a baby is old enough to form permanent memories can affect that child’s health when they are in second grade. It is generally understood that family dynamics affect development and mental health, but those dynamics affect physical health as well and play out over years.” - Hannah Schreier

Read more: https://www.psu.edu/news/health-and-human-development/story/fathers-early-interactions-babies-may-affect-child-health-years

Meet Haley 👋, a fourth-year majoring in Biobehavioral Health with a minor in Global Health. Haley works as an undergraduate research assistant in the Prevention Research to Optimize (PRO) Health Lab. She handles interactions with project participants and assists with project ex*****on on studies that examine alcohol-use behaviors and alcohol-related blackouts and consequences in young adults.

The experience has helped her prepare for a career in healthcare by learning how to effectively communicate with staff and participants, understand the factors that influence health outcomes and decision-making, and share scientific findings with others. She first started working at the PRO Health Lab after taking BBH 101: Introduction to Biobehavioral Health with Professor Rob Turrisi, who leads the lab.

“Dr. Turrisi has supported and encouraged my academic pursuits, provided extensive advice and assistance, and pushed me to the best I can be both in and out of the lab. I cannot thank him enough for taking a chance on me and providing me with one of the greatest opportunities of my college career.”

Outside of her time in the lab, Haley is involved in the Global Medical Brigades and THON, as well as her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII). For THON 2026, Haley earned a spot as an independent dancer couple — “I am lucky enough to get to say I danced in THON, the best 46 hours of my life!” She has served as THON Family Relations chair and Director of Philanthropy for AOII.

Child maltreatment is linked to disrupted development and decreased ability to maintain stable body systems, including platelet counts, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate.

"Genetic information can reveal a great deal about an individual. But to make that information useful, we must understand how it is expressed and connected to specific health outcomes, so that we know how and when to support people."

-- Qiaofeng Ye, postdoctoral fellow at Penn State, who led the research alongside Idan Shalev, associate professor of biobehavioral health

https://www.psu.edu/news/health-and-human-development/story/child-abuse-may-be-connected-changes-development-body-regulation?utm_account=Penn+State+Biobehavioral+Health&utm_campaign=&utm_content=1781104321&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

With the U.S. recently reclassifying cannabis as a less dangerous substance, Emily Ansell, professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, explained the documented risks associated with cannabis use.

Read her Q&A.

Q&A: What are the risks of cannabis use? | Penn State University With the U.S. recently reclassifying cannabis as a less dangerous substance, Emily Ansell, professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, explained the documented risks associated with cannabis use.

Meet Shannon 👋, who graduated last week (congrats!) with a major in biobehavioral health and a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. As a student, Shannon served as a learning partner with the BBH Student Center and an undergraduate teaching intern (UGTI).

As a learning partner, she provided academic support and tutoring to students in core BBH courses, including BBH 310: Research Strategies for Studying Biobehavioral Health and BBH 440: Principles of Epidemiology. She also assisted in planning and coordinating events in the center to foster community and learning for BBH students. As a UGTI, she further assisted students in understanding course content and supported the instructor with grading and feedback on assignments.

Shannon also served as a philanthropy chair and professional mentor in a business fraternity and worked at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center.

"These experiences have been meaningful to me because they have helped me grow not only as a student, but also as an individual and a professional. I've truly enjoyed supporting others and engaging with the BBH community on campus. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunities I've had to be involved at Penn State, and I know I will carry these experiences with me long after graduation."

Genetic tests of how quickly people age are useful to researchers who want to understand what makes people age faster or slower.

Unfortunately, these tests are not accurate at the individual level, which means that a test of biological or epigenetic age is not useful to understanding your health.

Idan Shalev, associate professor of biobehavioral health, recently discussed the use of epigenetic aging tests in an article for The Conversation US.

https://theconversation.com/biological-age-tests-reveal-what-slows-or-hastens-aging-but-theyre-useful-only-for-researchers-not-consumers-275974

White women with high genetic risk for obesity regained weight around two times faster than those with lower genetic risk for obesity, according to new study.

“Obesity is stigmatized and often associated with laziness. That is a stubborn myth. This study demonstrated one way that genetics influence a person’s ability to manage their weight — by affecting how quickly they regain pounds after moderate weight loss.”

— Harold Lee, lead author of the study and assistant professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State

Read more: https://www.psu.edu/news/health-and-human-development/story/postmenopausal-white-women-genetic-risk-regain-weight-two-times?utm_account=Penn+State+Biobehavioral+Health&utm_campaign=&utm_content=1778597281&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! For the glory 💙🤍

Kiera Papa will serve as the biobehavioral health student marshal for spring 2026 commencement.

She was a member of Schreyer Medical Team and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national health preprofessional honor society. Papa also worked in the Water, Health, and Nutrition Lab as an undergraduate researcher and with Kesem at Penn State in a variety of roles, including counselor and outreach coordinator.

Congrats, Kiera!