My research investigates the effects of early adversity on young children's development, in particular, the effects of prenatal and postnatal stress on the developing brain.  Much of this work has been carried out with at-risk communities in the United States, including families contending with extreme poverty, trauma, and social isolation. A second major focus of my work is children's developmental thriving in low- and middle-income countries, especially South East Asia where my teams and I are conducting basic and intervention studies designed to protect young children against such factors as poverty, malnutrition, and the effects of trauma. Outside of the Department, I am also a member of the University's Global Health faculty, as well as Co-Director of the UO Center for Global Health and Co-Director of the Oregon Public Health Corps (aka Corona Corps).

Dr. Measelle is not accepting new graduate students for Fall 2025.

Selected Publications:

Measelle, J.R., Baldwin, D.A., Gallant, J., Chan, K., Green, T.J., Wieringa, F.T., Borath, M., ...Whitfield, K.C. (2021). Thiamine supplementation holds neurocognitive benefits for breastfed infants during the first year of life. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Loftis, J.M., Byrne, M.L., & Measelle, J.R. (2020). Contexts and Consequences of Childhood Inflammation. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 86, Special Issue, 1-3.

Ablow, J.C., & Measelle, J.R. (2019). The multitasking reality of the parenting brain. Parenting, 19, 86-89.

Measelle, J.R., & Ablow, J.C. (2018). Contributions of early adversity to pro-inflammatory phenotype in infancy: the buffer provided by attachment security. Attachment & Human Development, 20, 1-23.

Our work has been funded by the MacArthur Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Child and Human Development, the National Science Foundation, Friends without Borders, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.