Christopher G. Engeland

Christopher G. Engeland is a Professor of Biobehavioral Health at The Pennsylvania State University and a Joint Faculty Member at Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. He serves as an Adjunct Faculty at Penn State Neuroscience Institute and holds affiliations with multiple networks including Social Behavioral Neuroscience and Center for Healthy Aging.

His research focuses on how stress, age, gender, and hormones modulate immunity, inflammation, and health outcomes. Key areas include wound healing, cognitive aging, dementia, depression, and preterm birth, with work spanning both human and animal models.

Recent studies highlight trends in

• biobehavioral risk factors for cognitive decline
• inflammatory mediators of stress
• multi-omic approaches to preterm birth
• sex differences in lipid metabolism during inflammation
• policy implications for dementia prevention

His scientific awards include the Janet Williamson Award (2021), PNIRS Research Scholars Awards (2004-2005), and multiple graduate scholarships. Current funded projects include NIH P01 grants on depression and biological age (2022-2028) and collaborations on stress, racism, and sleep disparities.

He has contributed to grants like the CTSI Bridges to Translation Award (2015-2016) and NIH R01AG042595 (2012-2017) on stress-inflammation interactions. His lab investigates biomarkers for surgical recovery and aging-related cognitive risks.