Social Policy and Aging Lab
Advancing health equity through policy-driven population research and molecular indicators of aging and disease.
Advancing Health Equity Through Research
The Rehkopf Lab advances health equity by investigating how social, economic, and policy environments shape population health across the life course. We integrate large-scale epidemiologic data with molecular markers – such as genetics, DNA methylation, and epigenetic aging – to detect early biological signals of systemic disease and aging. By translating structural determinants of health into measurable biological outcomes, our work informs faster, evidence-based strategies to reduce health disparities and promote healthy aging.
Our Research Areas
Our lab focuses on how policy, social conditions, and biology intersect to shape population health. We organize our work into three core areas that span from large-scale policy analysis to molecular markers of aging.
Social Policy & Health Equity
Genetics, Epigenetics, & Biological Aging
Cohorts, Data, & Methods
About us
The Social Policy and Aging Lab is based in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University. We investigate how social, economic, and policy conditions shape health across the life course, with a focus on equity and aging. Our interdisciplinary team applies advanced epidemiologic methods to large-scale population datasets, alongside molecular tools such as DNA methylation profiling, to identify early biological markers of systemic stress and disease. We aim to translate structural determinants of health into measurable outcomes that inform public policy, accelerate health equity, and improve population aging.
Our Services
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FROM THE PORTFOLIO
Our Work
WE WORK WITH
Our Collaborators
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MEET US
Our Team
David Rehkopf
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
David is the Director of the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences whose research focuses on understanding how government policy decisions impact health through societal and biological changes.
Nicole Gladish
RESEARCH FELLOW
Nicole’s research integrates genetic, epigenetic, and social determinants of health to understand how early-life adversity and environmental factors shape biological risk, health disparities, and aging trajectories.
Christian Jackson
RESEARCH DATA ANALYST
Christian applies statistical methods to investigate how social and economic policies influence population health and health disparities. His work focuses on the design and analysis of large-scale policy evaluations, supporting the lab’s efforts to link structural determinants to measurable health outcomes.
Interested in Collaborating or Joining the Lab?
We welcome inquiries from prospective students, postdocs, and collaborators who are passionate about health equity, social policy, and population aging. Whether you’re interested in research partnerships, data access, or student involvement, we’d love to hear from you.
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