Dr. Dettmer researches early life factors that shape individual differences in development. She studies cognitive, social, and behavioral outcomes in both human and non-human primates. In humans, she is beginning to research how the school environment and after-school enrichment programs influence long-term hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, measured via hair and nail cortisol. Dr. Dettmer served as a member of the Hartford City Council Universal Basic Income (UBI) Task Force, which is developing a pilot UBI program set to begin in early 2023. In nonhuman primates, Dr. Dettmer studies rhesus monkeys as models of child development. Here, she studies how prenatal and postnatal factors influence an individual's risk or resilience to chronic stress, and later health outcomes across the life course. Dr. Dettmer studies primates across the lifespan to understand intergenerational effects of early life experiences.
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms; Mental Health; Neurobiology; Neuroendocrinology; Primates; Stress, Psychological; Resilience, Psychological; Biobehavioral Sciences; Interdisciplinary Research
Behavioral Health; Biomarkers; Maternal & Child Health; Mental Health; Child/Adolescent Health