Linking childhood adversity and heart disease

Dr. Shakira Suglia, associate professor of epidemiology, is lead author on a new scientific statement written on behalf of the American Heart Association that highlights the link between childhood adversity and cardiovascular disease. Suglia, whose research is centered on the ways in which social factors impact cardiometabolic health, proposed creating the statement and served as chair of the writing committee. "The goal is to bring attention to childhood exposures—in particular traumatic adverse exposures—and how they're relevant for diseases that manifest much, much later," says Suglia. “If we wait until cardiovascular disease manifests itself at age 50 or 60, it may be too late."

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