Dr. Thomas McDade is Professor of Anthropology and director of the Laboratory for Human Biology Research at Northwestern University. He specializes in human population biology, and focuses his research on three topics:  impact of social stratification on stress and health; life course perspectives on immune function and the regulation of inflammation; and the development of minimally-invasive methods for assessing human physiology in non-clinical settings.  He conducts his research in diverse community-based settings, including ongoing projects in Bolivia, Ecuador, the Philippines, and the US.