James Josh Snodgrass, Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon

The Human Biology Research Laboratory is directed by Dr. Josh Snodgrass and focuses on the development and application of minimally invasive techniques (e.g., dried blood spots and saliva) for assessing health and physiology in population-based research. Our primary research in the lab involves the use of biomarkers, such as cortisol, alpha-amylase and Epstein-Barr virus antibodies, to better understand how psychosocial stress contributes to the development and progression of cardiovascular disease. We also study life history trade-offs in growth and immune function using biomarkers such as C-reactive protein and immunoglobulin E.

The laboratory is located in the Center for Medical Education and Research building on the campus of the Sacred
Heart Medical Center in Eugene, Oregon (1 block west of UO). The lab is equipped to support immunoassay analysis
of human blood, saliva, and urine samples and, additionally, provides facilities for data analysis. Click here for directions
to the lab.

The laboratory also houses portable metabolic equipment, including a MedGraphics VO2000 unit, which allows the measurement of energy expenditure in lab or field conditions. Additional equipment is available for assessment of
physical activity (e.g., Actical and Actigraph activity monitors and Polar heart rate monitors), body composition
(e.g., bioelectrical impedance analysis instruments), body temperature (Vitalsense telemetric physiological
monitoring systems), and cardiovascular/metabolic health (e.g., blood pressure monitors, Cardiochek PA, Cholestech
LDX & GDX, and Hemocue instruments).

The lab is connected to, and shares resources with, several human physiology labs, including the Cardiopulmonary and Respiratory Physiology Lab.

For more information on the types of biomarker analyses performed in my lab click here. This publication also
contains information on the biomarkers that can be measured from dried blood spot samples.

Current Lab Projects:
Couples/Romantic relationship influences on health in adulthood
Shuar Health and Life History Project
Stress, discrimination, and health among Latin American immigrants in Oregon
Acculturation, stress-systems, and Latino risk behaviors
WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE)

Selected Lab Publications and Presentations:
Blackwell et al. 2011. Evidence for a peak shift in a humoral response to helminths: Age profiles of IgE in the Shuar of Ecuador, the Tsimane of Bolivia, and the U.S. NHANES. PLoS Neglect Trop D 5: e1218.

Blackwell et al. 2010. Life history, immune function, and intestinal helminths: Trade-offs among immunoglobulin E, C-reactive protein, and growth in an Amazonian population. Am J Hum Biol 22: 836-848.

(cover photo)

Squires et al. 2011. Diurnal cortisol rhythms among Latino immigrants in Oregon (meeting abstract). Am J Hum Biol 23: 278-279.

Ridgeway-Diaz et al. 2011. The Shuar Health and Life History Project: Epstein-Barr virus and market integration in the indigenous Shuar of Ecuadorian Amazonia (meeting abstract). Am J Hum Biol 23: 274.

Shattuck-Faegre et al. 2011. The Shuar Health and Life History Project: Immune pathways and Epstein-Barr virus (meeting abstract). Am J Hum Biol 23: 276.

Liebert et al. 2011. Immunoglobulin E, C-reactive protein, and cardiovascular and metabolic health among the indigenous Shuar of Ecuador (meeting abstract). Am J Hum Biol 23: 264.

Snodgrass et al. 2011. Acculturation, pscyhosocial stress, and EBV antibodies among Latino mother-child dyads. Poster presented at the Society for Applied Anthropology meeting, Seattle, WA.

Current Lab Members:

Lab Director: