Expert Profile
E. Alison Holman
Professor of Nursing
E. Alison Holman studies the early post-event predictors of co-morbid trauma-related mental and physical health problems.
Areas of Expertise
- Physical health
- Acute Stress
- Acute Stress & Cardiovascular Disease
- Psychological Trauma
- Media Exposure
Biography
E. Alison Holman's research focuses on understanding the early post-event predictors of comorbid trauma-related mental and physical health problems. She seeks to identify predictors of, contributions of, and interactions between acute responses to trauma (biological, cognitive, emotional, social, environmental, behavioral) that increase vulnerability to trauma-related health problems, especially cardiovascular disease. Toward this end, Holman examines gene-environment interactions and the roles of several biological systems in acute/posttraumatic stress response: renin-angiotensin-aldosterone, endocannabinoid, and oxytocin systems as well as hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response. The ultimate goal is to identify targets for early interventions to prevent trauma-related morbidity and mortality.
Media
Media Appearances
UTA study finds potential link between parental divorce and stroke later in life
The Dallas Morning News, 2/27/2025
Why communities only seem to come together during a crisis, according to science
Fast Company, 2/12/2025
Collective trauma: the psychological fallout of the LA fires
LAist - AirTalk, 1/29/2025
Coping with traumatic events like wildfires
KTVU, 1/23/2025
The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Summer Program Prepares Future Leaders in Nursing
Insight Into Diversity, 1/7/2025
Graphic images harm our mental health, UC Irvine researchers say
Daily Pilot, 7/24/2024
Articles
Reported Worst Life Events and Media Exposure to Terrorism in a Nationally Representative U.S. Sample
Journal of Traumatic Stress
The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-2019) Outbreak: Amplification of Public Health Consequences by Media Exposure
Health Psychology
Associations between exposure to childhood bullying and abuse and adulthood outcomes in a representative national U.S. sample
Child Abuse & Neglect
Exposure to prior negative life events and responses to the Boston marathon bombings.
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
Media Exposure to Collective Trauma, Mental Health, and Functioning: Does It Matter What You See?
Clinical Psychological Science
Education
U.C. Irvine
PhD, Health Psychology, 1996
University of California, Santa Cruz
BA, Psychology, 1989
San Francisco State University
BS, Nursing, 1981
Affiliations
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
- Association for Psychological Science
- American Psychological Association, Divisions of Health Psychology and Trauma Psychology
- California Association for Nurse Practitioners
Research Grants
Genetic variation, stress, and functional outcomes after stroke rehabilitation
National Institute of Nursing Research, 7/1/2015-6/30/2020
A national longitudinal study of community trauma exposure
National Science Foundation, 1/1/2015-12/31/2017
RAPID: Responding to Terror of a Different Kind: A National Study of the Ebola Epidemic
National Science Foundation, 12/1/14 - 11/30/15
Susceptibility to Acute Stress and Cardiovascular Ailments: A Gene-Environment Analysis
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar Grant, 2010-2013