Dr. Marco Boks is a psychiatrist and associate professor at Amsterdam UMC. His research focuses on how environmental exposures—such as poverty, childhood adversity, and social inequality—interact with genetic and epigenetic mechanisms to shape mental health across the life course.

A central theme in his work is the causal role of socioeconomic conditions in psychiatric disorders. Using large population cohorts, genetically informed designs, and molecular data, his research has contributed to a better understanding of how poverty and early-life adversity increase vulnerability to mental illness. This work highlights the importance of addressing social and structural determinants as part of effective mental health care.

Dr. Boks leads and collaborates on multiple interdisciplinary projects that integrate epidemiology, psychiatric genetics, and epigenetics. Current studies examine how childhood trauma and family-level socioeconomic conditions become biologically embedded, influencing neurodevelopment, stress regulation, and long-term psychiatric outcomes.

In addition to observational research, Dr. Boks is involved in translational and clinical studies aimed at improving treatment. These include trials combining trauma-focused psychotherapy with biologically informed interventions, as well as international collaborations on the use of epigenetic markers and biological aging measures for precision psychiatry.

Through his work, Dr. Boks aims to bridge molecular research and clinical practice, with the ultimate goal of developing more effective, equitable, and preventive approaches to mental health care.