Suffolk Reporter

Stony Brook University's Distinguished Teaching Professor Marci Lobel has been honored with a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award for the academic year 2025-2026. This recognition, granted by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, acknowledges her expertise in stress, coping, and their impact on health.

Lobel's research focuses particularly on reproductive health. Her work has highlighted the detrimental effects of stress on pregnant women and their children, identifying factors that can either increase or reduce stress levels.

Starting January 2026, Lobel will spend part of the academic year at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. There she will conduct research on stress among pregnant Czech women and teach a course on Women's Health Psychology—a course she pioneered at Stony Brook University and which has become a model for similar courses elsewhere.

“We’re thrilled that Dr. Lobel has received this award,” stated Joanne Davila, chair of the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University. “She’s so well deserving of it. It’s an important opportunity both for her and for her colleagues in the Czech Republic.”

Lobel emphasizes women's unique health experiences in her teaching, addressing differences between men and women in disease symptoms, treatment, diagnosis, and outcomes—key areas for healthcare professionals and scientists focused on women's health.

“Our research and other studies confirm that high stress during pregnancy increases risk for low birthweight and preterm birth,” said Lobel. She pointed out that these are major contributors to poor health outcomes but noted that stress among pregnant women in the Czech Republic is under-researched.

Lobel aims to fill these gaps through her upcoming work at Masaryk University: “Masaryk University is an ideal place to expand knowledge about women’s health," she explained. "I expect to gain new perspectives from this exciting Fulbright experience.”

Having been part of Stony Brook's faculty for 35 years, Lobel also holds a joint appointment with Stony Brook Medicine's Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine. She completed her undergraduate degree at Harvard University followed by a PhD from UCLA.

David Wrobel, dean of Stony Brook's College of Arts and Sciences commented: “My sincere congratulations to Distinguished Professor Marci Lobel on this wonderful news... I could not be more pleased that Professor Lobel will be a cultural and intellectual ambassador."

Professor Lobel directs research at the Stress and Reproduction Laboratory (STAR Lab), addressing public health issues like racial disparities in birth outcomes due to discrimination as well as pandemic-related prenatal stress effects. An accomplished author with over 300 scientific articles published alongside international collaborations under her belt; she's also recognized nationally for contributions across research domains including mentoring efforts too!

Fulbright Distinguished Scholar awards represent some most prestigious appointments within its program offered exclusively towards scholars boasting significant expertise who engage actively host institutions fostering mutual understanding via shared knowledge exchanges globally speaking!