President’s Medal for Science and Innovation Awarded to Kaja LeWinn ’98, Sc.D.

Cornelia Ehlebracht ’25

Managing Editor

The President’s Medal for Science and Innovation, awarded to Dr. Kaja LeWinn ’98, Sc.D. highlights her significant contributions to the field of behavioral neuroscience, social epidemiology and developmental psychology. A graduate of Trinity College, Dr. LeWinn earned her master’s and doctorate at Harvard University and currently holds a professorship in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC San Francisco. Her work focuses on the impact of adverse childhood experiences on health outcomes, utilizing methodologies that integrate neuroimaging and epidemiological approaches.

Key points from LeWinn’s Presidential Distinguished Lecture include the importance of participant diversity. LeWinn emphasized that who participates in research significantly affects our understanding of brain development and health outcomes. Most behavioral studies are conducted with Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic (WEIRD) participants, which may not represent global experiences and contribute to selection bias. She noted that reliance on convenience sampling may contribute to the replication crisis by producing findings that do not generalize well across diverse populations. Collaboration and teamwork were also central themes in her address. Dr. LeWinn highlighted the necessity of teamwork in research, especially in light of the replication crisis in science, as bringing together researchers and participant pools from multiple areas allows for larger, more representative samples. Interdisciplinary collaboration is vital for advancing knowledge in health and society. Regarding equity versus equality, Dr. LeWinn argued for the need to tailor public policies to meet diverse needs, asserting that a one-size-fits-all approach often fails to address the complexities of social determinants of health (SDOH). She noted that SDOH accounts for 30-55% of health outcomes according to WHO, indicating the critical role of social environments in cognitive and physical health. Dr. LeWinn referenced successful policy changes, such as those made to the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in 2009, which improved the nutrition package with more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat milk. Half the moms included in the study were pregnant prior to 2009 and half were pregnant after, which allowed researchers to demonstrate how targeted safety net policies can alleviate health disparities for mothers and children. Additionally, she discussed her research findings on the effects of environmental factors, such as air pollution, on mental health outcomes, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Q&A session, Dr. LeWinn addressed the connection between youth exposure to violence and behavioral outcomes, advocating for trauma-informed care and consistent support systems to improve educational environments. Overall, the event underscored Dr. Kaja LeWinn’s trailblazing work in neuroscience, her commitment to addressing social injustices and the importance of collaborative, informed approaches to public health challenges.