Teresa Seeman, Ph.D. Professor of Medicine & Epidemiology, Division of Geriatrics Phone: (310) 825-8253    FAX: (310) 794-2199 E-mail: tseeman@mednet.ucla.edu

Education

• 1984, Ph.D., Epidemiology , University of California, Los Angeles
• 1978, M.S., Public Health , University of California, Los Angeles
• 1975, B.A., French Literature, University of California, Los Angeles
  

Research and Projects

Dr. Seeman’s research interests focus on the role of socio-cultural factors in health and aging with specific interest in understanding the biological pathways through which these factors influence health and aging.  A major focus of her research relates to understanding how aspects of the social environment, particularly social ties, influence health and aging.  Dr. Seeman was a member of the MacArthur Research Network on Successful Aging (1985-1995) and directed data collection for the longitudinal MacArthur Study of Successful Aging.  She has published extensively from this study and others on the role of social and psychological factors in aging.  She is currently a member of the MacArthur Research Network on Socio-economic Status and Health.  She has also served as a consultant to the Behavioral and Social Research Program at the National Institute on Aging on issues relating to the integration of physiological parameters into more socio-behavioral models of health and aging and currently serves as a member of the National Advisory Committee for the Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program.  In collaboration with Drs. Bruce McEwen, and Burton Singer, she has taken a lead in empirical research on the new concept of allostatic load, with particular attention to both issues of measurement of the concept as well as empirical documentation of its relationship to both subsequent health outcomes as well as prior life circumstances. 

Selected Relevant publications include:

1.       Seeman TE, Berkman LF, Gulanski B, Robbins R, Greenspan S, Charpentier P, Rowe J. Self-esteem and neuroendocrine response to challenge: MacArthur Successful Aging Studies. Psychosomatic Research 39:69-84, 1995.

2.       Seeman TE, McEwen BS. Social Environment Characteristics and Neuroendocrine Function: the Impact of Social Ties and Support on Neuroendocrine Regulation.  Psychosomatic Medicine 58:459-471, 1996.

3.       Seeman TE, McEwen BS, Singer B, Albert M, Rowe JW. "Increase in Urinary Cortisol Excretion and Declines in Memory:  MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging"  J Clin Endo & Metabol 82:2458-2465, 1997.

4.       Seeman TE, Singer B, Horwitz R, McEwen BS.  "The Price of Adaptation --Allostatic Load & Its Health Consequences: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging" Archives of Internal Medicine 157:2259-2268, 1997.

5.       Seeman TE, Singer B, Rowe J, McEwen B.  Exploring a new concept of cumulative biological risk -- Allostatic load & its health consequences:  MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 98(8): 4770-4775, 2001.

6.       Seeman TE, Singer B, Wilkinson C, McEwen B.  Gender Differences in Age-Related Changes in HPA axis Reactivity.  Psychoneuroendocrinology, 26:225-240, 2001.

7.       Seeman TE, Lusignolo T, Berkman L, Albert M.  Social Environment Characteristics and Patterns of Cognitive Aging:  MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging. Health Psychology 20:243-255, 2001.

8.       Seeman TE, Singer B, Ryff C Levy-Storms L.  Psychosocial factors and the development of allostatic load. Psychosomatic Medicine 64:395-406, May/June 2002.

9.       Karlamangla, A.S., B.H. Singer, B.S. McEwen, J.W. Rowe, and Seeman TE.  Allostatic lead as a predictor of functional decline: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging.Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Vol 55, No. 7, 696-710, July 2002.

10.  Seeman TE, Crimmins E, Bucur A., Huang MH, Singer B, Bucur A, Gruenewald T, Berkman LF, Reuben DB.  Cumulative Biological Risk and Socio-Economic Differences in Mortality:  MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging.  Soc Sci & Med 58, 1985-1997, 2004.

11.  Karlamangla A, Singer BS, Williams DR, Schwartz J, Matthews K, Kiefe CI, and Seeman TE.  Impact of Socio-economic Status on Longitudinal Accumulation of Cardiovascular Risk in Young Adults: The CARDIA Study. Social Science & Medicine 60: 999-1015, 2005

12.  Seeman TE, Huang, MH, Bretsky P, Crimmins E, Launer L, Guralnik JM. Education and APOE-e4 in Longitudinal Cognitive Decline: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences 60(2): P74-P83, 2005

REVIEWS 

1.      Seeman TE, Robbins RJ.  Aging and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to challenge in man. Endocrine Reviews, 15:233-260, 1994. 

2.      Taylor SE, Repetti RL, Seeman TE. "What is an Unhealthy Environment and How Does It Get Under the Skin?"  Annual Review of Psychology, 48:411-47, 1997.