Project Summary The purpose of this K supplement is to request support following the impending critical life event of childbirth. I was awarded an NIAAA K08 in February 2022, had my first child in June 2022, and then gave birth to my second child in March 2024. The K08 aims are to 1) identify risk and protective factors in the ACEs-alcohol use link, 2) evaluate the role of HPA axis functioning (hair cortisol) in the ACEs-alcohol misuse link and identify relevant protective factors and 3) explore epigenetic mechanisms (saliva DNA methylation) linking ACEs and HPA axis functioning. Despite becoming a first-time mother shortly after I was awarded a K08 grant, I maintained a high level of productivity, which included completing all biological and survey data collection in the first year. NIAAA’s administrative supplement following the birth of my first child allowed me to maintain a very high level of productivity at a more sustainable pace, given that I was able to fund a full-time clinical research coordinator and part-time biostatistician for support. It is worth noting that with the full-time clinical research coordinator’s help, I was able to revise and resubmit a first-author manuscript and submit two additional first- author manuscripts during my maternity leave while simultaneously caring for myself and my infant. Therefore, the purpose of this K08 supplement application is to request funding to support my full-time clinical research coordinator and fund a part-time biostatistician. The clinical research coordinator and biostatistician will support me in my next career phase: submitting my first R34 and R01 grants, and transitioning to research independence.