“The stress response system can be life saving for children who experience adversity and can really protect them in the moment. What happens though, to their developing brain, if that stress response system is activated over and over and over again? People then are at risk for all of these health conditions in the long-term.” – Dr. Rachel Gilgoff

Rachel Gilgoff, MD, is a child abuse pediatrician and serves as a member of the Pathways to Resilience Advisory Committee. She has been a clinical advisor to the California ACEs Aware initiative since 2020. Dr. Gilgoff has worked at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital & Research Center and helped develop and implement the Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events (PEARLS) study as a co-investigator with the Bay Area Research Consortium. Her work now focuses on prevention efforts and program development and aims to incorporate trauma interventions into routine pediatric clinical practice. 

In this video, the second in a three-part series, Dr. Gilgoff clarifies the difference between temporary responses to stress and the prolonged activation of the stress response system, or toxic stress. While infrequent and/or short-term stress responses may not be harmful, Dr. Gilgoff explains how the repeated activation of the stress response system can impact both the body and mind and increase the risk of serious health conditions.  

Watch the first video featuring Dr. Gilgoff here and stay tuned for the final part of the series to learn how health care providers and families can use evidence-based “stress busters” to treat toxic stress and improve health.