Dr. Leah Hibel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of California Davis. Her research focuses on the implications of stressful family contexts for mother and child health and well-being. A core component of Dr. Hibel’s research agenda involves integrating biological markers of stress physiology into studies of family relationships. Specifically, she is interested in understanding how stressors (e.g., poverty, violence) affect a mother’s behavior and physiology and her ability to act as an external regulator of her child’s behavioral and physiological functioning.

Dr. Hibel received her doctorate from Penn State University in Biobehavioral Health and a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. Issues surrounding diversity are central to her research, teaching, and outreach. In particular, she has studied underserved populations such as those in rural settings, families in poverty, African American families, Hispanic families, maltreated children, and families with shift working parents. She prioritizes teaching about diverse experiences and is strongly committed to increasing the diversity of scholars in child and family studies. In addition, it is important to her that research informs policy and action. Therefore, she has connected with numerous local and regional agencies providing services to foster parents, foster youth, women and children in poverty, and maltreating parents. As part of my outreach she has written opinion pieces for the New York Times and Sacramento Bee speaking out against detaining migrant children.