Strahm Lab

Home Researchers and Labs Strahm Lab
Print

Primary Research Focus

The Strahm Lab focuses on the interactions between stress and health to discern the pathways by which stress affects health, with emphasis on reproductive health and health disparities.

Our current projects are designed to assess the associations between maternal psychosocial experiences and blood glucose metabolization during pregnancy and how these factors influence pregnancy and postpartum health, as well as the developmental outcomes of their children.

Primary Research Group

Behavioral Science

Email Dr. Strahm

About the Strahm Lab

About Anna Strahm, Assistant Scientist

Dr. Anna Strahm joined us after receiving a PhD in Health and Social Psychology at North Dakota State University, and working as a postdoctoral scholar with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center & The Insitute for Behavioral Medicine Research.

Currently, Dr. Strahm is an assistant scientist at Sanford Research, where her lab explores three lines of ongoing research: 1) Human Reproduction, Pregnancy and Postpartum Health; 2) Biopsychosocial Mechanisms in Health Disparities; and 3) Psychological and Physiological Assessment of Psychosocial Stress and Stress Reactivity.

Academic Affiliations and Training Content

Perinatal Research Society Since 2022

Center for Brain and Behavioral Research Since 2022

Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology Since 2021

PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society Since 2020

Society for Behavioral Medicine Since 2018

Co-Chair of the Women’s Health Special Interest Group 2023-2026

Co-Chair of the Women’s Health Special Interest Writing Group Since 2021

American Psychosomatic Society Since 2017

Psi Chi Since 2014

Publications

Byron, G., Strahm, A.M., Bagne, A.G., & Hilmert C.J. (2023). Using virtual reality to study the impact of audience size on cortisol responses to the Trier Social Stress Test. International Journal of Virtual Reality, 23(1), 1-16.

Strahm, A.M., Mitchell, A., Pan, X., Christian, L.M. (2022). Repetitive Negative Thinking during Late Pregnancy through a Year Postpartum: associations with Mental Health, Inflammation and Breastfeeding. Journal of Affective Disorders, 319 497-506.

Strahm, A.M., Bagne, A., & Rued, H., Larson, K.J., Roemmich, J.N., & Hilmert, C.J. (2020). Prenatal traumatic stress and offspring hair cortisol concentration: A nine year follow up to the Red River Flood Pregnancy Study. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 113, 104579.

Awards

Diversity Institute Emerging Leader 2023-2024
Society of Behavioral Medicine
NIH – Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition Young Investigator 2022
Perinatal Research Society
Meritorious Abstract, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2020, 2023)
Young Investigators Colloquium Scholar , American Psychosomatic Society (2019)
Comprehensive Training in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences Program, T32 National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)/NIH and the Ohio State University College of Dentistry (2021-2022)
Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, Psychological Stress, Stress Reactivity and Blood Glucose Metabolization during Pregnancy, North Dakota State University College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies (2019-2020)
Co-Investigator, The Impacts of Prenatal Nutrition, Stress, and Reactivity on Blood Sugar and Perinatal Outcomes, Sanford Health and North Dakota State University Research Seed Grant (2018-2020)
Primary Investigator, Healthy American Indian Pregnancy Project, Henry P. David Research Grant, American Psychological Foundation (2018-2020)

Lab Projects and News

woman holding baby and kissing its forehead

Maternal Stress and Blood Sugar Metabolization During Pregnancy Study

Through the research study, we are examining how women’s emotions and nutrition during pregnancy are associated with their blood sugar and overall pregnancy health. This study will help us better understand how pregnant women respond to stress, which may enable us to help women in the future.

Learn more

Meet the Team

Valentina Ayala Catalan

Research Specialist

Valentina earned a Psychology degree from Santo Tomas University, Santiago-Chile in 2016. The same year, she moved to Scotland-UK where she was trained in English as a second Language. She is using her skills and knowledge to assist Dr. Strahm with the Maternal Stress and Blood Sugar Metabolization During Pregnancy Study, developing protocols and managing lab experiments.