Ben Trumble, PhD  

Professor, Arizona State University

btrumble@asu.edu

My research examines how environmental conditions like parasites, pathogens, food availability, and social interactions impact human health. Taking an evolutionary life history perspective, I use field and laboratory studies to understand variation in human endocrine and immune systems, and how these factors interact to influence chronic diseases of aging including benign prostatic hyperplasia, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s dementia. I co-direct the Tsimane Health and Life History Project. When not in the lab or in the field, I enjoy hiking, cooking, and playing with my dogs and cat.

   Jake Aronoff, PhD

   Postdoctoral Scholar

   jarnoff@asu.edu

   My research has primarily focused on understanding how stress and       social inequality impact health and wellbeing across populations and  environments, with particular focus on immune function and aging (“immunosenescence”). I have worked with large population-based studies in the Philippines (Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey) and US (Add Health, Jackson Heart Study), while I am now working with the Tsimane Health and Life History Project. My current research interests include understanding how environmental and lifestyle factors influence the relationship between immune function and brain aging as well as connections between immune and metabolic function (“immunometabolism”).

Carrie Jenkins, PhD

Faculty Research Scientist

carrie.jenkins@asu.edu

I am a Faculty Research Scientist at the Center for Evolution and Medicine at Arizona State University, overseeing operations and research in the Trumble lab. My research focuses on the lifelong impacts of bacterial infectious diseases, with a particular emphasis on Staphylococcus aureus and its role in systemic inflammation, cognitive aging, and chronic disease. I have a diverse background in microbiology, tissue culture, inflammatory biomarkers, cognitive decline, brain atrophy, and cardiovascular disease. My current work investigates how chronic exposure to pathogens like S. aureus influences immune activation, inflammation, and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). In collaboration with NIH-funded research, I work with populations such as the Tsimane and Mosetén in Bolivia to explore the relationships between oral health, systemic inflammation, and neurodegeneration. In addition to my research, I enjoy sewing, cycling, and solving complex puzzles.

Madeleine Getz

Graduate Student, School of Human Evolution and Social Change

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Awardee 2025!

I am a graduate student in the Global Health program at ASU. I have previously worked on the World Health Organization’s World Health Survey Plus, where my research focused on bioethics and community-engaged research methods in global health projects, and am now interested in chronic diseases of aging and their impacts on individual and community health. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, running, and cycling with friends and family.

Previous Lab Members:

Jacob Negrey (Assistant Professor University of Arizona, former Postdoc)

Sam Patterson (Assistant Professor Notre Dame, former Grad Student)

Jaclyn Thomas (Adjunct Appalachian State University, former Grad Student)

Angela R Garcia (former Postdoctoral Scholar)

Stephanie Koebele (former Postdoctoral Scholar)

Mia Charifson (former Grad Student)

Kate Woolard (former Grad Student)

Sophia Balasubramanian (former Grad Student)

Katelyn Dinkel (former Undergraduate Student)