Julianna Deardorff | Research UC Berkeley

Research Expertise and Interest

adolescent health, puberty, sexual development, cultural factors, contextual factors, community-engaged research/scholarship, community-based research partnerships

Research Description

Dr. Deardorff’s research focuses on early adversity, adolescent development and risk and protective factors for negative health outcomes. She is particularly interested in health and mental health among Latinx youth and young adults. Her research currently focuses on the contribution of early life stress, family contextual factors, and cultural context to Mexican-origin youths' developmental trajectories and sex and substance use outcomes.

In the News

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Berkeley Researchers Awarded $2.7 Million Grant to Study Impact of Early Life Stressors on Mexican-Origin Children

UC Berkeley School of Public Health professors Julianna Deardorff and Andres Cardenas have been awarded a five-year, $2.7 million grant to study the impact of adverse childhood experiences on the health of Mexican-origin children.

Woman holding red binder inside of a building.

New Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program grant will serve underrepresented undergrads at Berkeley Public Health

To boost the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds in the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) field and improve conduits to the MCH workforce, UC Berkeley’s Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program at the School of Public Health has been awarded the MCH Leadership, Education, and Advancement in Undergraduate Pathways (LEAP) Training Program grant through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau within the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.

An illustration of a teenager sleepless in bed, next to an image of a family

Deportation worries fuel anxiety, poor sleep, among U.S.-born Latinx youth

The rise of anti-immigration rhetoric and policies in the United States following the 2016 presidential election may be taking its toll on the health of California’s Latinx youth, including those who are U.S. citizens, suggests a new study led by University of California, Berkeley, researchers.

Heart health at risk for Latinas worried about deportation

A recent study found that worry about deportation was associated with multiple cardiovascular health risk factors in Latinas from California’s Salinas Valley, home to many immigrants.

Maternal overweight or obesity before and during pregnancy may lead to early menstruation in daughters

A mother’s weight before pregnancy and the amount of weight she gains while pregnant may have important implications for the hormonal development of her daughter, according to recent research from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

Father absence linked to earlier puberty among certain girls

Girls in homes without a biological father are more likely to hit puberty at an earlier age, according to a new study led by researchers at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. The findings held only for girls in higher income households, and even after the girls’ weight was taken into account

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