DOHaD epidemiology

The DOHaD Epidemiology group:

  • Conducts public health research on strategies to prevent or mitigate adverse early life developmental processes. Their research focuses on exposures and health outcomes within and across generations, particularly for socially vulnerable populations.
     
  • Contributes scientific understanding of how to reduce disease in communities and health disparities that result from early life developmental processes, especially in socially vulnerable populations.
     
  • Translates biological and clinical research findings about DOHaD into novel hypotheses for population research; studies potential intervention levers that can be applied to communities; conceptualizes, develops and tests community interventions and social policies; communicates findings to policymakers and community members.
     
  • Uses population health research to identify biological mechanisms that need to be explored and exposures and health outcomes that are most critical in communities and most detrimental to socially vulnerable populations.

View recent manuscripts and presentations.

Sarah Andrea, M.P.H.; Ph.D. student
Dissertation topic: The Tipping Point: an exploration of the effects of subminimum wage on maternal and child health

Thomas Tandy and Kacey Potis; M.P.H. Epidemiology students
Research assistantship and mentored research: Does dietary composition vary by birth weight?

Thomas Jeanne, M.P.H., M.D. student
MPH thesis: Prenatal overnutrition magnifies estimated effects of physical activity on cardiovascular risk

The dynamics of transgenerational obesity: simulating systems solutions
K01-DK102285           
Janne Boone-Heinonen, M.P.H., Ph.D.,  principal investigator
9/30/2015-9/29/2018

This study will develop a novel computational simulation model for studying the impacts of maternal obesity on subsequent generations, and to identify promising public health strategies that reduce obesity in the long-term. The simulation model includes the following phases: preconception and pregnancy, early life, childhood and adolescence, and adulthood.

Exploring social factors influencing pregnancy outcome disparities
R21    
Lynne Messer, M.P.H., Ph.D. and Dawn Richardson, M.P.H., Dr.Ph., co-principal investogators
4/1/2016-3/31/2018

This study aims to identify how nativity and documentation status shape adverse pregnancy outcomes, including inappropriate maternal weight gain, pregnancy-induced hypertension/eclampsia, preterm birth, term birth weight, small for gestational age and how the residential food context exacerbates risk for adverse outcomes.