Elizabeth A. Quinn, PhD, MPH

Elizabeth A. Quinn, PhD, MPH

Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Arts & Sciences

Dr. Quinn is an anthropologist studying human lactation, particularly how maternal health and proximate environmental conditions contribute to variations in the hormones, immune factors and even some nutrients in human milk. Her work focuses on two areas: the role of growth and nutrition during childhood on lactation and reproduction in adulthood, and the association between ecological pressures and milk composition among human populations adapted to unusually stressful environments, such as cold or high altitude.

Dr. Quinn also maintains a Level 2 biohazard wet lab in McMillan Hall, where she and her students use EIA techniques to study biomarkers related to growth, immune function and metabolism in human milk, saliva and dried blood spots.