Theresa E. Gildner

Theresa E. Gildner is an Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on biocultural health determinants, with a particular emphasis on how environmental and lifestyle factors influence disease outcomes. She investigates soil-transmitted helminths among the Shuar of Amazonian Ecuador and leads the Rural Embodiment and Child Health (REACH) Study examining child health in low-resource U.S. regions. She also contributed to the World Health Organization's SAGE study on aging and co-founded the CARE Study on pandemic impacts during pregnancy.

Education: B.S., University of Notre Dame (2011); M.S. and Ph.D., University of Oregon (2013, 2018).

Research interests include parasitic disease epidemiology, immune function, and the intersection of structural racism with health outcomes. She explores evolutionary mismatch theory and the design of culturally appropriate interventions. Current projects address intestinal inflammation, maternal-child health disparities, and the long-term effects of environmental exposures.

Her work emphasizes ethical data-sharing practices and community engagement, particularly with Indigenous populations. Recent findings include associations between lead exposure and urban flooding, and the role of social support in mitigating postpartum mental health challenges during the pandemic.

Affiliations include the American Association of Biological Anthropologists and the Human Biology Association. She collaborates with multidisciplinary teams on global health equity initiatives and has published extensively on topics ranging from helminth immunology to pandemic reproductive health impacts.