Elissa Epel

Dr. Elissa Epel is a health psychologist and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, where she directs the Aging Metabolism Emotions Center. Epel's research focuses on the environmental, psychological, behavioral, and social factors that influence cellular aging, including telomeres, inflammation, and mitochondria. She also investigates how self-care practices such as meditation and positive stress can support psychological and physiological health, with an interest in large-scale interventions for communal well-being and health equity.

Epel studied psychology and psychobiology at Stanford University and clinical and health psychology at Yale University. She completed a clinical internship at the Palo Alto Veterans Healthcare System and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. After her formal education, Epel was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCSF, where she led research on women experiencing stress as caregivers of chronically ill children, examining telomeres and telomerase. Her findings contributed to the understanding that telomere length and telomerase levels can serve as indicators of stress-related health risks. Epel was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has served as president of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research and co-chair of the Mind and Life Institute Steering Council.

Epel is co-author of the New York Times bestseller "The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer" with Elizabeth Blackburn. This book, translated into multiple languages, explores the role of telomeres and telomerase in cellular aging and the impact of stress on these biological markers. She also authored "The Stress Prescription: Seven Days to More Joy and Ease," which presents a framework for developing positive stress responses.

Epel has received honors including the APA Early Career Award, the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research Neal Miller Young Investigator Award, the Mind and Life Service Award, the Silver Innovator Award from the Alliance for Aging Research, and the Patricia Barchas Award for Sociophysiology research. Her research team won the inaugural Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award for their project on hormetic stress and its potential to reduce depression and slow biological aging. Epel has been recognized as a highly cited researcher, ranking among the top 0.1 percent of researchers globally for publication impact.

Epel has served as a consultant to organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facebook, Apple, and United Health. Her work has been featured in TEDMED, NBC's Today Show, CBS's Morning Show, "60 Minutes," National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and various science documentaries. Epel and her colleagues develop and test interventions that integrate behavioral, psychological, and mindfulness training to improve stress resilience and slow aging. She co-leads a national Stress Network focused on emotional well-being and continues to advance public understanding of the connections among mind, body, and environment in the aging process.