Jennifer Morozink Boylan

Jennifer Morozink Boylan is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research program integrates multi-disciplinary perspectives to examine health risk and resilience across the lifespan, with a focus on biopsychosocial mechanisms linking social inequalities to health outcomes.

Education:

• Postdoctoral, Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Program, University of Pittsburgh (2014–2016)
• Postdoctoral, Health Disparities Research Scholars Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine (2013–2014)
• Ph.D., Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• M.S., Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• B.A., Psychology, Illinois Wesleyan University

Her research emphasizes three core areas: (1) the role of positive psychological traits (e.g., meaning in life) in healthy aging, (2) how early-life socioeconomic conditions influence lifelong health trajectories, and (3) biobehavioral pathways connecting social environments to morbidity and mortality. She employs diverse methodologies, including national surveys, biomarker assessments, and laboratory-based stress testing. Her work is particularly relevant to understanding cardiovascular health disparities across race, gender, and socioeconomic lines.

The recent publications reflect a consistent focus on psychological well-being, socioeconomic status, stress physiology, and health disparities. Themes include the protective effects of meaning in life during crises like the pandemic, the interplay between education and mortality, and structural influences such as the Great Recession on cardiometabolic health. Methodologically, her work spans longitudinal analyses, meta-analyses, and interdisciplinary biopsychosocial models.

Scientific Contributions:

• Prominent publications in Health Psychology, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, and Social Science & Medicine
• Research supported by rigorous mixed-method approaches combining self-report, behavioral, and physiological data
• Active contributor to discourse on well-being measurement and health equity

Jennifer Morozink Boylan mentors graduate students through her role as Director of Graduate Studies and leads the CaLM Lab (Collaborative for Life-course and Mental Health) at CU Denver, where she supervises research on stress, resilience, and health across the life course. She teaches courses in human ecology, quantitative methods, social determinants of health, and healthy aging. There is no mention of external grants in the provided text, but her research program suggests active engagement in funded scholarly work.

Laboratory and Team:
The CaLM Lab brings together health psychologists, clinical psychologists, and graduate students to study factors influencing health and well-being, especially in populations at risk for cardiovascular disease. The lab’s work centers on meaning and purpose, religion/spirituality, socioeconomic factors, and physiological responses to stress.