Francesca Querdasi, M.A. is a PhD student in developmental psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, with minors in health and quantitative psychology. Her research focuses on understanding how experiences of adversity or hardship predispose individuals to develop chronic health problems, with a particular focus on depression, anxiety and chronic pain disorders. Her prior work has examined the intergenerational transmission of adversity by way of the gut microbiome, and how adversity is related to communication between the brain and gut microbiome in early childhood. In the future, Fran plans to examine the role of the immune system and immune-gut microbiome communication in the development of mental health problems during the teenage years. The ultimate goal of Fran’s work is to inform new prevention and treatment strategies that promote health and well-being for children and families impacted by adversity.