Biocultural Lab for the study of Inequality and Social Stress (BLISS)

At University of Toronto, Department of Anthropology

BLISS is a research group dedicated to advancing the understanding of human stress, resilience, agency, and survivance (Wilbur and Gone 2023) across contexts and stages in the life course. We work with minimally invasive biomarkers, anthropometrics, health data, and qualitative/mixed-ethnographic methods to understand how social inequality and diverse forms of social stress influence biological outcomes and processes (developmental, neuroendocrine, inflammatory), health, and well-being. Interested students (undergraduate and graduate) and post-doctoral scholars should contact me for more information about joining BLISS. At this time, BLISS is a research group with a forthcoming behavioral endocrinology wet lab. Contact Delaney if you are interested in joining the lab.

Lab Members and Affiliates

Delaney Glass, Principal Investigator and Lab Director

Alexa Fairclough, Undergraduate Member

Alexa Fairclough is a BA Candidate at the University of Toronto's Department of Anthropology. She has a background in implementation-focused research designed to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within academia. Previously, she was a research assistant at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education from 2021-2022 and 2023-2024, as well as a 2023-2024 fellow within the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto. She is interested in community-engaged research, social disparities, ethnography, policy, climate change, vector ecology, archives, and visual culture.

Risana Chowdhury, External Lab Affiliate

Risana Nizam Chowdhury is a biological anthropologist. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology, M.S. Biomedical Anthropology, and M.A. in Anthropology from Binghamton University (SUNY). Dr. Chowdhury recently concluded a fellowship in Behavioral Medicine at the University of South Florida-Tampa. Her research interests include social determinants of health, health disparities, social support, stress and resilience, the embodied effects of environmental influences, biomarkers, neuro-degenerative disease, bio-archives, evolution and human health.

Omar Alzeir, External Lab Affiliate

Omar Alzeir is a medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, from UW in 2021. Born in Jordan, Omar has lived in several cities, including Seattle, Toronto, and Amman, shaping his global perspective on healthcare. Omar is deeply committed to addressing health disparities, particularly among underrepresented communities. He serves as a Summer Health Professions Education Program ambassador and member of the SHPEP Engaging Men Committee to increase representation of men of color in healthcare. His experiences fuel his passion for advancing equitable healthcare among underserved and immigrant populations as he volunteers through the Iraqi Arab Health Boards and Muslim Association of Puget Sound -MAPS- MCRC. Omar is currently on a project team with Dr. Glass focused on a review of Arab youth.

Signe Svallfors, External Lab Affiliate

Dr. Signe Svallfors (they/them) is a Wallenberg postdoctoral scholar at the Department of Sociology and an affiliate of the Center for Innovation in Global Health at Stanford University. Signe applies mixed methods to examine the impact of conflict and crises on sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. Signe earned their PhD in Sociological Demography from the Department of Sociology, Stockholm University in 2021.

Curtis Atkisson External Lab Affiliate

Dr. Curtis Atkisson is a Data Scientist at The University of Washington eScience Institute. His background is in evolutionary anthropology and computational social science. He is interested in how and why humans cooperate or do not cooperate and has extensive experience with qualitative and quantitative methodologies.. He is currently contributing his expertise as a social data scientist on projects with Dr. Glass about social safety and threat among adults and youth affected by conflict and displacement.

Hani Alsamawi, External Lab Affiliate

Hani Alsamawi holds a BS in Biology from the University of Washington, Seattle. His research interests include community health, health disparities, social determinants of health, and the impact of conflict and displacement on well-being. Hani's volunteer experiences in Syria, and with refugee populations in Turkey, and his work with the Iraqi Arab Health Board of Washington have strengthened his ability to provide compassionate care, adapt to resource-limited settings, and effectively communicate with diverse populations. Driven by his experiences and aspiring to become a physician, Hani is passionate about promoting health equity, advocating for better access to healthcare services, and developing culturally sensitive approaches to serve refugee and underserved communities.