Beverly I Strassmann
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BIO
Beverly Strassmann is an evolutionary biologist and biological anthropologist who has conducted research among the Dogon of Mali, West Africa, since 1984. In 1998, she established a prospective cohort study to apply evolutionary life history theory to humans. With the help of a dedicated Malian field team, this project has become a model of rigorous longitudinal research in a low-income country. It stands out for the depth of information gathered on each individual over time and for its exceptionally high subject retention. The study is multi-generational, tracking two generations to assess the developmental origins of health and disease.
A major focus of Strassmann’s work is placental epigenetics. Her team has shown that allele-specific expression (ASE) of imprinted genes in the placenta is associated with maternal traits such as a mother’s height from ages 0 to 10 and her age at menarche. Offspring traits, including sex and birth length, are also linked to ASE patterns. Working with key collaborators Claudius Vincenz, Kerby Shedden, and Weisheng Wu, Strassmann’s team is now using long-read sequencing technology to study allele-specific methylation (ASM) in the placenta. This research aims to uncover how epigenetic mechanisms contribute to the intergenerational transmission of conditions like stunting and low birth weight.
- Merritt, Chloe, Vincenz, Claudius, Dolo, Zachary, Shedden, Kerby, Beverly I Strassmann. 2026. Association between placental malaria, postnatal linear growth, and body mass index in the Dogon Longitudinal Study, Mali. Malaria Journal 25(1):78.
- Beverly I Strassmann, Claudius Vincenz, Eduardo Villamor, Jennie L. Lovett, Zachary D. Dolo, Kerby Shedden. 2025. Risks and Benefits of Weight Gain in Children With Undernutrition. JAMA Network Open 8(6):e2514289-e2514289.
- van Eijk, Anna Maria, ..., Beverly I Strassmann, et al.. 2025. The impact of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance on the effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy in Africa: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Infectious Diseases
- Strassmann, Beverly I, Kurapati, Nikhil T. 2016. What Explains Patrilineal Cooperation?. Current Anthropology 57:S118-S130.
- Strassmann, Beverly I, Kurapati, Nikhil T, Hug, Brendan F, Burke, Erin E, Gillespie, Brenda W, Karafet, Tatiana M, Hammer, Michael F. 2012. Religion as a means to assure paternity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109(25):9781-9785.
- Beverly I Strassmann, Garrard, Wendy M. 2011. Alternatives to the Grandmother Hypothesis. Human Nature 22(1-2):201-222.
- Strassmann, Beverly I, Low, Bobbi, Nepomnaschy, P A, Welch, K B, McDonnell, D S, England, B G. 2006. Cortisol Levels and Very Early Pregnancy Loss in Humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 103(10):3938-3942.