Associate Professor and Chair of the Centre for Social Sciences
Contact information
Email: kharahr@athabascau.ca
Phone:
Dr. Kharah Ross is a Health Psychologist, with a specialization in maternal-child health and psychoneuroimmunology, or the study of the connections between psychosocial states (e.g. stress, close relationship quality) and immune activity. Her research encompasses three broad areas: (1) Close relationships and health, (2) Health disparities at the intersection of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and (3) Understanding normative physiological activity during pregnancy, the postpartum period and early childhood. Dr. Ross was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California - Los Angeles in Psychology (2015-2018), and with the Preterm Birth Initiative at the University of California - San Francisco (2016-2018). She then returned to her hometown, Calgary, AB, where she was an Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions and CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow (2018-2019) at the Owerko Centre in the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary. Dr. Ross joined the Psychology program at Athabasca University in 2019.
If you would like to learn more about Dr. Ross' current research program, are interested in getting involved, or are looking for research experience to apply to graduate school, please feel free to email her at kharahr@athabascau.ca.
Dr. Ross also works with non-profits and community agencies on data collection and management strategies and data analysis. If you would like to talk to Dr. Ross about this work, please feel free to email her at kharahr@athabascau.ca.
Psychoneuroimmunology and Psychoneuroendocrinology
Maternal-Child Health
Close Relationships
Stress
Educational credentials
2015 - PhD (Psychology), Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
2012 - MA (Psychology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2008 - BSc (Psychology, Honours), University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
2008 - BSc (Biological Sciences, Distinction), University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Professional affiliations
Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Calgary
Member, Maternal & Child Health Theme, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
Selected publications: († indicates trainee)
Lowe, C.†, Keown-Gerrard, J., Ng, C. F., Gilbert, T., & Ross, K. M. (Accepted). COVID-19 pandemic mental health trajectories: Patterns from a sample of Canadians primarily recruited from Alberta and Ontario. Can J Behv Sci.
Ross, K. M., Dunkel Schetter, C., Carroll, J., Mancuso, R. A., Irwin, J., Okun, M., Hobel, C. J., & Coussons-Read, M. (2021) Inflammatory and immune marker trajectories from pregnancy to one-year post-birth. Cytokine, ePub.
Ross, K. M., Cole, S., Sanghera, H.†, Anis, L.†, Hart, M., & Letourneau, N. (2021). ATTACH Intervention and improved immune cell gene expression profiles in mothers and children: A randomized-control trial. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity – Health, ePub.
Ross, K. M., Oltman, S., Baer, R., Altman, M., Feuer, S., Flowers, E., Gomez, A., & Jelliffe-Pawlowski, L. (2021). Socioeconomic status, diabetes and gestational length in Native American and White women. Health Psychology, 40, 380-387. DOI: 10.1037/hea0001072
Ross, K. M., Carroll, J., Horvath, S., Hobel, C., Coussons-Read, M., Dunkel Schetter, C. (2020). Epigenetic age and pregnancy outcomes: GrimAge acceleration is associated with shorter gestational length and lower birthweight. Clinical Epigenetics, 12, 1-11. DOI: 10.1186/s13148-020-00909-2
Ross, K. M., Carroll, J. E., Dunkel Schetter, C., Hobel, C., & Cole, S. W. (2019) Pro-inflammatory gene expression during the third trimester of pregnancy is associated with shorter gestational length and lower birthweight. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, ePub. DOI: 10.1111/aji.13190
Ross, K. M., Dunkel Schetter, C., McLemore, M. R., Chambers, B. D., Paynter, R., Baer, R., Feuer, S., Flowers, E., Karasek, D., Pantell, M., Prather, A., Ryckman, K., & Jelliffe-Pawlowski, L. (2019). Socioeconomic status, preeclampsia risk and gestational length in Black and White women. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 6, 1182-1191. DOI: 10.1007/s40615-019-00619-3
Ross, K. M., Rook, K., Winczewski, L., Collins, N., & Dunkel Schetter, C. (2019). Close relationships and health: The interplay of positive and negative dimensions. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13, 1-19. DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12468
Ross, K. M., Thomas, J., Campbell, T. S., Letourneau, N., & Giesbrecht, G. (2019). Partner social support during pregnancy and the postpartum period and inflammation in 3-month-old infants. Biological Psychology, 144, 11-19. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.03.005
Ross, K. M., Cole, S. W., Carroll, J. E., & Dunkel Schetter, C. (2019). Elevated pro-inflammatory gene expression in the third trimester of pregnancy in mothers who experienced stressful life events. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 76, 97-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.11.009