Mark Dust is a combat veteran of the Iraq war and returned home with PTSD. His quest to understand his PTSD symptoms led him to complete a Ph.D. in Health Promotion Sciences with a concentration in Neurocognitive Sciences. His research focuses on the potential for primary prevention of traumatic stress-related disorders and how to moderate the symptoms of chronic stress and traumatic stress. He can speak to how chronic and acute stress affect our decision-making abilities and ways to recognize and respond to stress in our bodies. He also can discuss the evolution of the human stress response, how our nervous system responds to modern-day stressors, and how the pandemic has influenced stress levels and our ability to manage elevated stress.