Elissa Epel, Ph.D, is a best-selling author and a Professor at UCSF in the Department of Psychiatry. She studies how chronic stress can impact biological aging (including the telomere/telomerase system), and how mindfulness interventions may buffer stress effects and promote psychological and physiological thriving. She also studies food addiction and obesity. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, co-chair of the steering council for the Mind and Life Institute, and past President of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.

Epel co-wrote The Telomere Effect: The new science of living younger longer with Liz Blackburn, a New York Times best-seller that integrates the science of cell aging with practical daily tips and has been translated into 30 languages. She has won many awards for her research, which has been featured in venues such as TEDMED, NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s Morning Show, 60 minutes, National Public Radio, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wisdom 2.0, Health 2.0, and in science documentaries. In addition to doing research, she enjoys leading meditation retreats with her colleagues.

During the pandemic, Epel led the creation web-based resources for psychological first aid, and COVID-related stressors such as substance abuse, addiction, and parenting stress, at www.cope.ucsf.edu.