Zaneta Thayer, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology, Dartmouth College

With only three TV channels to switch between as a child, Zaneta Thayer grew up on programs airing on PBS, through which she was introduced to the concept of anthropology. “I love that the field addresses the question of what makes us human,” she says.

Thayer is now an associate professor of anthropology at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.

Thayer’s body of work focuses on how maternal stress may play out in future generations. She was drawn to the idea that maternal biology, which is influenced by a woman’s life experiences, can cue the infant’s development in preparation for its environment. “However, there can be costs to these responses; while they may increase survival in the short term, this may trade off against the development of poor health outcomes in the longer term,” says Thayer. 

Her work is rooted in illuminating “how social inequities can create health inequities through activation of the evolutionarily ancient stress physiology pathway that is shared across animals,” she explains.

Maternal stress is not distributed equally, with those at a social disadvantage being more likely to experience stress and bear children who experience ill health. Thayer’s research has revealed that mothers who experience poverty or racism are more likely to record higher stress hormones during pregnancy, birthing children who are at greater risk for health issues, sometimes being born premature and at lower birth weights. She hopes that these findings “will help to persuade others of the real and harmful impacts of racism.”

Thayer secured tenure while having a child herself — a period that she says was difficult. “I hope that individuals coming through the ranks will have more examples of moms who have done this successfully so that they can have confidence in their ability to make it through too,” says Thayer. 

Thayer’s own experience with motherhood gave her new insight into her research, raising new questions about breastfeeding, infant sleep, and prenatal testing. “Knowing more about how the maternity care system in the U.S. works from actually having a child made me sensitive to all of the ways that this system was likely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and made me interested in trying to address those issues,” she says.

Along with another researcher, Thayer launched the COVID-19 and Reproductive Effects (CARE) study to help pregnant individuals deal with the consequences of a pregnancy during a pandemic. Presently, she is addressing a new avenue of research — childbirth fear.