Jessica Chiang

Dr. Jessica Chiang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgetown University. She holds a BA in Psychology and Economics from Smith College, an MA and PhD in Psychology from UCLA, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University. Her research focuses on how stress experiences, particularly during early development, influence health across the lifespan, emphasizing links between socioeconomic status, inflammation, and physiological resilience. Key areas include the interplay of stress, sleep, and mental/physical health outcomes in adolescents and young adults.

Her work employs longitudinal designs and integrates psychosocial, behavioral, and biological data to understand how adversity and social environments shape health trajectories. She has explored topics such as family socioeconomic status, inflammatory biomarkers, and the moderating roles of sleep and emotional regulation in health disparities. Her research bridges developmental psychology, psychoneuroimmunology, and public health, with implications for interventions targeting vulnerable populations.

Dr. Chiang’s studies frequently involve large-scale datasets and collaborations, including pooled analyses of multiple cohorts to examine lifecourse health patterns. She has published extensively on topics such as how early adversity influences immune function, the bidirectional relationships between stress and sleep, and the role of cultural factors in health behaviors. Her findings highlight the need for early interventions to mitigate the long-term impacts of psychosocial stressors.