Ilona S. Yim

Dr. Ilona S. Yim is a Professor of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. Her research focuses on biopsychological processes in health and disease, particularly stress during pregnancy, postpartum depression, and individual differences in stress reactivity. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Trier, Germany.

Research Interests: Her work explores stress mechanisms in maternal health contexts, including the effects of prenatal stress on pregnancy outcomes and the role of hormonal and immune responses in stress reactivity. She also investigates cultural and psychosocial factors influencing health behaviors, such as acculturative stress and bicultural identity integration in young adults.

• Key Research Themes:
• Stress physiology during pregnancy
• Psychosocial determinants of preterm birth
• Biobehavioral pathways linking stress to health disparities

Collaborations: She contributes to the Maternal Infant Global Health Team (MiGHT), a multidisciplinary group addressing perinatal health challenges in low- and middle-income countries.