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Three core faculty in the Department of Epidemiology
supervise and mentor the research activities of the Reproductive,
Perinatal, and Pediatric fellows. Additionally, faculty mentors
with area-specific and methodologic expertise throughout Rollins
School of Public Health, and the Emory School of Medicine are available
for collaboration on research with fellows.
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RPP Core leaders
Epidemiologic core
Reproductive Health Faculty
Perinatal Health Faculty
Pediatric Health Faculty
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Reproductive,
Perinatal, and Pediatric Core Faculty
Carol J. Rowland Hogue, MPH, PhD, Professor,
Department of Epidemiology; Jules & Uldeen Terry Professor of
Maternal and Child Health; Director, Women's and Children's Center,
Core leader for perinatal research
Dr. Hogue brings extensive experience in applied and academic public
health research, with prior faculty positions at UNC-Chapel Hill
School of Public Health and Arkansas Medical School, and a decade
at the federal Centers for Disease Control, Division of Reproductive
Health, where she was chief of the Pregnancy Epidemiology Branch
(1982-88) and then Director of the Division (1988-1992).
Dr. Hogue's research interests include the effects of induced abortion
on subsequent pregnancies, the causes of health disparities in perinatal
health outcomes, and improving women's reproductive health capacity.
Currently she is PI of multidisciplinary intervention trials to
improve physical activity behavior and nutrition among African American
women employed at a major indigent care hospital. She is also directing
research designed to reduce unintended pregnancy in the U.S. She
is co-PI on the Emory site of the NICHD-sponsored Stillbirth Collaborative
Research Network (with Dr. Barbara Stoll, PI). She has also been
actively involved in epidemiologic investigation of precursors to
preterm birth, particularly on understanding reproductive health
disparities among minority populations. She was lead editor and
co-investigator on the Commonwealth Funded book, Minority Health
in America (Johns Hopkins Press, 2000). With Dr. Fleda Jackson as
PI, she has developed and tested an instrument to measure stress,
strain, and mediators among well-educated African American women.
She sponsored a multidisciplinary conference in 2004 focused on
identifying biomarkers of stress age.
Carolyn Drews-Botsch, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor,
Department of Epidemiology, Core leader for Pediatric Epidemiology
Dr. Drews-Botsch is a pediatric and perinatal epidemiologist who
has been at Emory University since 1989. In her time at Emory she
has worked on congenital cataracts, child abuse, mental retardation,
intrauterine growth retardation, stillbirth and fetal alcohol syndrome.
Her current research interests focus on parenting stress among parents
of children with congenital cataracts, as well as on the possibility
that prenatal alcohol exposure affects the development of the immune
system increasing the risk of neonatal infections and complications.
She is also actively involved in research looking at racial disparities
in the administrative prevalence of Mental Retardation and in risk
factors for isolated, mild MR.
She teaches the Doctoral Seminar in Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology
(EPI 744), a course in field methods of maternal and child health
epidemiology in the distance learning program at the Rollins School
of Public Health at Emory University and a required MPH course in
the application of epidemiologic concepts.
Michele Marcus, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor,
Department of Epidemiology
Core leader for Reproductive Epidemiology
Dr. Marcus has more than 15 years of experience in reproductive
epidemiology. She has published extensively in this field and has
co-authored two book chapters reviewing the effects of environmental
and occupational exposures on reproductive function. Dr. Marcus’
work includes an evaluation of neonatal intensive care for premature
infants, the health consequences of adolescent pregnancy, the physiology
of menopause, risk factors for spontaneous abortion, very early
loss of pregnancy, infertility and congenital malformations. She
has served on expert panels reviewing the possible reproductive
effects of video display terminal use, exposure to electromagnetic
fields, and service in the Persian Gulf War. She currently serves
on an expert panel of the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to
Human Reproduction to review reproductive health effects of phthalates.
She served on the ATSDR/CDC expert panel which recommended appropriate
biological markers of adverse reproductive outcomes to be used in
communities exposed to putative reproductive toxins. She is well-respected
in the field of reproductive epidemiology and co-authored two consensus
documents on the research needs of the field.
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Epidemiologic
Core Faculty
Harland D. Austin, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology:
Dr. Austin is an internationally recognized teacher and epidemiologist
with a focus on quantitative methods and cancer epidemiology. He
has studied breast and ovarian cancer. He has also completed NIH-funded
studies of STD transmission and the efficacy of the female condom
in preventing STD transmission. Recently he has begun research into
genetic factors associated with thrombosis including intrauterine
growth retardation.
Ruth Berkelman, MD, Professor of Epidemiology:
Dr. Berkelman is primarily interested in infectious diseases (biodefense
and emerging infections). Many diseases affect women differently
from men (e.g., HPV and cervical cancer), some affect pregnant women
different from non-pregnant women (hepatitis E), and young children
may be at greater risk for severe morbidity and mortality from many
infectious diseases. Interestingly, there are a few infectious diseases
such as SARS and hantavirus where there appears to be a dearth of
children affected, the reasons for which are largely unknown. Dr.
Berkelman focuses heavily on disease surveillance issues (particularly
zoonoses), and there are many opportunities to explore the differences
in morbidity and mortality related to demographic factors, including
age, sex and pregnancy status.
James W. Buehler, MD, Research Professor of
Epidemiology and a member of the Center for Public Health Preparedness
and Research: Dr. Buehler also serves as a consultant epidemiologist
at the state of Georgia’s Division of Public Health. His current
research interests focus on the application of epidemiologic data
to improving public health practice and policy and on assessing
the capacity of public health agencies to respond to both common
and terrorism-related emergencies. During a 21-year career at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he became a nationally
recognized expert in the methods and use of public health surveillance
to monitor the health of human populations and inform public health
interventions. He has worked in a variety of public health areas,
from maternal and child health to HIV/AIDS, and his experience has
spanned state-, national, and international-level programs.
W. Dana Flanders, MD, MS, PhD, Professor of
Epidemiology: Dr. Flanders focuses his research on epidemiologic
and analytic methods for epidemiologic studies, including genetic
epidemiology. He has co-authored many papers with Dr. Muin Khoury,
Director of the Center for Genomic and Disease Prevention at the
CDC.
Michael Goodman, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor
of Epidemiology: A licensed physician with dual board certification
in Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine, Dr. Goodman received his
MD degree from the Kaunas Medical Academy, Lithuania in 1984. He
received his MPH degree from the Johns Hopkins University School
of Public Health in 1995. Dr. Goodman has more than 15 years of
clinical experience as a practicing pediatrician. His current research
interests include cancer epidemiology and children's health with
specific focus on prostate cancer, colon cancer, pediatric leukemia,
quality of life and survivorship of cancer patients, utilization
of pediatric emergency care, and neurobehavioral outcomes in children.
Holly Hill, MD, PhD, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention: Dr. Hill was a member of the epidemiology faculty
at the Rollins School of Public Health for over a decade, and now
works full time at the CDC. She has extensive experience teaching
basic epidemiologic methods, having served for over decade as the
course director for the introductory methods course geared toward
MPH and MSPH students majoring in epidemiology at the RSPH. Dr.
Hill’s substantive area of interest is infectious diseases.
She has worked for a number of years with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
(formerly the Hospital Infections Program), with a focus on the
epidemiology and control of antibiotic-resistant organisms. She
was a part of the team from CDC analyzing data from a number of
infectious disease outbreaks, including the recent bioterrorism-related
anthrax outbreak.
David Kleinbaum, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology:
Dr. Kleinbaum is an internationally acclaimed teacher and textbook
writer with over 30 years of experience teaching epidemiology methods
and biostatistics courses. His texts include the third edition of
Applied Regression Analysis and Other Multivariable Methods and
the second edition of Logistic Regression- A Self-Learning Text
(written in a unique “lecture-book” format) and are
widely recognized for their clearly written explanations of the
complexities of mathematical modeling.
Godfrey P. Oakley, Jr. MD, MSPM, Research
Professor of Epidemiology: Dr. Oakley is interested in the
prevention of birth defects and other diseases of prenatal onset.
Because folic acid-preventable birth defects are as preventable
as polio and because only about 10% of the prevention that can be
done is being done, his recent focus has primarily been on scientific
based-advocacy promoting the prevention of folic acid preventable
spina bifida and anencephaly through folic acid flour fortification
programs worldwide. He is interested in research defining the benefits
of folic acid fortification including the prevention of folate deficiency
anemia and investigating the possibility of population based screening
and treatment for pre-symptomatic pernicious anemia. There is a
current epidemic of Down Syndrome from the epidemic of pregnancies
to women over 35. He is also interested in working with students
to define and report the epidemic and to explore research seeking
to identify effective prevention strategies. Because about 75% of
birth defects remain with no known etiology, he is interested in
working collaboratively with students and adjunct faculty at the
CDC in etiologic research utilizing the large, ongoing case-control
study of birth defects sponsored by CDC.
Richard Rothenberg, MD, MPH, Professor of
Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology:
He has a long career in the study of sexually transmitted diseases,
HIV, and blood borne infections, with a focus on the role of human
networks in the transmission of disease. He received the Parran
Award for lifetime achievement in STDs in 2002. Dr. Rothenberg currently
teaches the course at RSPH in STDs and participates in the introductory
course on HIV/AIDS. He has mentored more than a dozen MPH students
in the preparation of their theses over the past four years, as
well as serving on the committees of a number of PhD candidates.
He will work with students in the general area of reproductive epidemiology,
with specific focus on reproductive tract infections and their sequelae.
Aryeh Stein, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor
of Global Health and of Epidemiology: Dr. Stein is a nutritional
epidemiologist who studies the relationships among social and geographic
changes, nutrient intakes, and evolution of chronic disease risk.
A general feature of this research is Dr. Stein’s attempt
to isolate (and therefore be able to study) critical periods of
development (gestation, infancy, puberty, adult life, to name a
few) in which humans may be especially sensitive to the effects
of nutritional factors, whether deficits (e.g., under nutrition)
or surfeits (e.g., obesity). His current research focuses on the
development of chronic disease among cohorts exposed in utero to
the Dutch Famine of 1944-45 and as children to a nutrition supplementation
intervention program in Guatemala between 1969 and 1977. His earlier
work focused on the development of cardiovascular disease risk among
preschool children in New York City, the potential for consumption
of PCD-contaminated fish to affect fertility among Michigan anglers,
and reproductive performance among women who were exposed in utero
to the Dutch famine.
Nancy Thompson, PhD, Associate Professor of
Behavioral Sciences and of Epidemiology: She is also a practicing
Licensed Psychologist in the State of Georgia. Prior to her appointment
at Emory, she spent 15 years with the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) as an epidemiologist and statistician. Relevant
to women's and children's health, Dr. Thompson has done extensive
work in the areas of childhood injury, breastfeeding, mental health,
and reproductive health. In her 27 years of teaching, Dr. Thompson
has served as a mentor for many doctoral candidates and junior faculty,
and has trained medical residents throughout the United States in
research methods. She has directed more than 100 Master's theses
and doctoral dissertations, and has received several awards for
her teaching. Dr. Thompson will provide mentorship to the candidates
in the behavioral aspects of their work.
Paige E. Tolbert, PhD, Professor of Environmental
Health and of Epidemiology.: Dr. Tolbert conducts research
in environmental and occupational epidemiology, with emphasis on
studies of chemical exposures and acute and chronic health outcomes.
She seeks to elucidate etiologic relationships between occupational
and environmental exposures and disease, using intensive molecular
epidemiologic approaches as well as classical epidemiologic study
designs. Ongoing studies include studies of air pollution in Atlanta
in relation to 1) ER visits for asthma and cardiovascular conditions
(NIH, USEPA, and EPRI), 2) arrhythmic events in patients equipped
with implanted defibrillators (EPRI), 3) apnea in high-risk infants
(NIH), and 4) cardiac birth defects (NIH). Another study is examining
the role of drinking water distribution factors in the incidence
of gastroenteritis (EPA). Dr. Tolbert is collaborating with Dr.
Michele Marcus on a study evaluating endocrine-related disorders
and reproductive outcomes in women exposed to polybrominated biphenyls
(NIH, EPA).
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Reproductive
Health Faculty
Sarah L. Berga, MD; James Robert McCord Professor
& Chair, Gynecology and Obstetrics:
Dr. Berga is an established investigator in the field of reproductive
neuroendocrinology, and her research focuses on two areas: [1] the
neuroregulation of the GnRH pulse generator and [2] menopause. She
is especially interested in the physiological and psychological
mediators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. An NIH-funded
project currently underway will define the independent contributions
of androgens and insulin in the maintenance of rapid GnRH pulse
frequency characteristic of women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Celia E. Dominguez, MD; Assistant Professor,
Gynecology and Obstetrics: Dr. Dominguez is an active clinician
who will participates in clinical reproductive endocrinology and
infertility research. She has a broad clinical expertise in reproductive
endocrinology and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Her clinical
focus is in the diagnosis and management of polycystic ovary syndrome
(PCOS),menopausal transition, ovarian aging, reproductive surgery,
and the effects of endocrine disruptors on pubertal development
and perimenopause/menopause. She has established collaborative efforts
in the Rollins School of Public Health with Dr. Marcus and in the
Department of Genetics with Dr. Sherman. She is currently working
with Dr. Monteilh, an Epidemiologist at the Rollins School of Public
Health to devise a classification schema for pubertal development
so as to evaluate critical time periods for endocrine disruption.
Lisa Flowers, MD,Assistant Professor, Gynecology
and Obstetrics: Dr. Flowers is currently the Director of Colposcopy
at Grady Memorial Hospital and the Gynecology Director in the Department
of Multicultural Affairs for Grady Memorial Hospital. Her research
interests are diverse ranging from her major focus: cervical neoplasia,
to health disparities in the Latino community, STDs and alternative
or complementary medicine. She administers a gynecological clinic
of predominantly Latino women in the international medical clinic
at GMH and is the Medical director for Dia de la Latina Inc, a non-profit
providing culturally competent health care education to Latino women.
She is interested in mentoring epidemiology graduate students in
summer research rotations, to study the reproductive impact of cervical
neoplasia on reproductive-age women.
Carla Roberts, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor,
Gynecology and Obstetrics: Dr. Roberts will participate in
the investigation of surgical approaches and outcomes in reproductive
medicine and adolescent gynecology. She established the weekly REI
research and training conference and coordinates presentations on
learning objectives. She will also oversee scheduling of topics
and presentations during the academic year to allow incoming students
ample opportunity to meet the program faculty and become familiar
with the scope of research interests and training opportunities
in REI.
She has served as a Consultant for the Women’s Health Division
of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, located in Marietta, Georgia since January
2001. Dr. Roberts is the author of numerous publications on divergent
gonadotropin release, control of uterine contractility, repeat pregnancy
loss, and most recently has focused her research interest on peritoneal
macrophages, glycodelin, and endometriosis. She specializes in adolescent
and pediatric gynecology, pelvic reproductive reconstructive surgery
for infertility, pelvic pain, and congenital anomalies, and in hormonal
management for women of all ages.
Donna Session, MD, Medical Director Emory
Reproductive Center (ERC), Director of Clinical Operations REI;
Associate Professor Gynecology and Obstetrics: In November
2004, Dr. Session joined Emory University. As IVF and Clinical Operations
Director she oversees training in these aspects of REI. She is an
established researcher with interests that involve both clinical
and basic science projects. Dr. Session will serve to mentor students'
research interests that pertain to ovarian function and endometrial
cell proliferation, with a focus on cell cycle regulation.
Robert N. Taylor, MD, PhD, James Robert McCord
Professor & Vice-Chair, Gynecology and Obstetrics:
Dr. Taylor can oversee the students’ choice of research projects
and selection of mentors among the Gynecology and Obstetrics faculty,
and can advise predoctoral epidemiology students interested in studying
uterine function and pregnancy complications. Dr. Taylor’s
laboratory explores hormone effects on vascular and immune regulation
in aspects of human reproduction. The pathological states studied
by his group include recurrent miscarriage, preeclampsia, abnormal
uterine bleeding and endometriosis. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy
disorder associated with maternal hypertension and fetal growth
impairment. This disease begins in the placental bed and ultimately
involves the systemic maternal vasculature. Dr. Taylor was among
the first to postulate that circulating factors in maternal blood
activate placental and endothelial cells via the peroxisome proliferator-activated
receptor (PPAR) pathway.
PPARs are nuclear receptors that regulate lipid metabolism, inflammation
and vascular tone. Endometriosis is a common gynecological condition
in which ectopic foci of endometrial tissue grow outside the uterus.
This disorder is clinically associated with pelvic pain and infertility.
Combinations of primary human cell cultures and immortalized cell
lines are used in the lab to study the expression of nuclear hormone
receptors and their effects on genes that regulate angiogenesis
and immune cell trafficking in the endometrium and placenta. Prototypical
examples include vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), placental
growth factor (PlGF) and the monocyte chemokine RANTES. Studies
are underway to map critical regions in the VEGF, PlGF and RANTES
gene promoters responsible for transcriptional regulation of these
proteins.
Miriam Zieman, M.D., Division director of
Family Planning and Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics:
Dr. Zieman is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and is
a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Her main professional interest is education in the specialty of
Family Planning. Dr Zieman is one of the authors of two recent books:
A Pocket Guide to Managing Contraception for Clinicians, and A Personal
Guide to Managing Contraception for Women and Men.
She is also the director of the fellowship in family planning.
Dr. Zieman has mentored graduate students in epidemiology previously,
including the first Applied MCH Epidemiology trainee, Larissa Brunner,
and will continue to interact with students interested in women’s
reproductive health.
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Perinatal
Health Faculty
Adolfo Correa, MD, PhD, MPH, Supervisory Medical
Officer, Birth Defects Surveillance Team Leader, National Center
on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC; and Adjunct
Professor of Epidemiology, RSPH: An internationally recognized perinatal
epidemiologist, Dr. Correa was on the epidemiology faculty at Johns
Hopkins University from 1987-1998, rising from Assistant to Associate
Professor. He maintains a position as Adjunct Associate Professor
at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Correa was recruited by CDC in
1998 to be chief of the Surveillance and Epidemiology Branch in
the Division of Birth Defects and Pediatric Genetics. Dr. Correa’s
recent research interests are focused on ambient air pollution and
neonatal and postneonatal mortality from birth defects; the impact
of behaviors (e.g., folic acid supplementation and prenatal diagnosis)
on the prevalence of birth defects at birth; and the scope and causes
of stillbirth. Dr. Correa and Dr. Hogue are collaborating on stillbirth
research, with the goal of creating synergy between CDC’s
new stillbirth initiative and the NICHD Stillbirth Collaborative
Research Network.
Dr. Correa heads the unit at CDC that maintains the Metropolitan
Atlanta Congenital Defects Program and the National Birth Defects
Prevention Study, a large and ongoing case-control study. These
data bases have been the source of numerous studies and doctoral
dissertations.
Margaret Honein, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist,
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities,
CDC: Dr. Honein came to the CDC as an EIS Officer in 1997,
after completing her PhD and MPH in Epidemiology at UCLA. Her research
interests focus on the impact of prescription drugs, smoking, and
obesity on the risk of birth defects. Dr. Honein is the team leader
for the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, and would be interested
in mentoring student research in studies that capitalize on the
availability of large numbers of rare defects in that data base,
such as maternal use of teratogenic medications and the occurrence
of multiple congenital anomalies, and the relation between illicit
drug use and cardiovascular malformations.
Michael K. Lindsay, MD, MPH, Luella Klein
Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal
Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics: Dr. Lindsay’s
professional career has been dedicated to providing clinical services
to underserved women and conducting clinical research on determinants
of adverse pregnancy outcome in this population. His interest is
perinatal epidemiology with a focus on pregnancy outcome in substance
abusers and prevention of maternal and perinatal HIV infection.
He has been a faculty sponsor for over 60 resident research day
projects. Dr. Lindsay will mentor graduate students with interests
in the field of HIV infection in pregnancy, impact of obesity and
pregnancy outcome, and the relationsip between illicit drug use
and cardiovascular malformations.
Christine Prue, PhD, MSPH, Behavioral Scientist,
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities,
CDC. A health communications specialist, Dr. Prue’s research
focuses on developing and testing interventions that lead to the
prevention of birth defects. Dr. Prue is interested in mentoring
PhD epidemiology students in studies of psychosocial, behavioral,
and lifestyles characteristics of women of childbearing age. Data
bases available for research into these topics include The ‘Styles
surveys conducted by Porter Novelli (Healthstyles, Consumerstyles,
and Youthstyles) and the March of Dime Gallup Poll surveys.
Denise Raynor, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Maternal-Fetal
Medicine and Director of the Residency Program, Department of Gynecology
and Obstetrics: Dr. Raynor performs ultrasounds and oversees antenatal
testing in the Emory Regional Perinatal Center as well as supervises
resident care in the Obstetric Clinics, Labor and Delivery and the
inpatient wards at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Raynor is actively involved in research in the role of lipoproteins
and adhesion molecules in preeclampsia. She has received grants
from the Southern Medical Association, Emory University Research
Committee, Emory Medical Care Foundation and a Minority Supplement
Grant from the NIH. She will serve to mentor epidemiology students
interested in maternal fetal health.
Barbara J. Stoll, MD, Professor, Chair of
the Department of Pediatrics: Dr. Barbara Stoll is a recognized
clinical and epidemiologic investigator. She has focused her research
interests on infectious diseases of the neonate, immune mechanisms
related to their diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, clinical
trials and other epidemiologic studies of relevance to newborns,
and international health. Dr. Stoll has been the Principal Investigator
for Emory’s participation in the NICHD multicenter Neonatal
Research Network since 1991. She is the PI (with Dr. Hogue as co-PI)
for Emory’s participation in the NICHD Stillbirth Collaborative
Research Network. She will serve to mentor epidemiology students
interested in maternal and neonatal health.
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Pediatric
Health Faculty
David R. Archer, PhD, Assistant Professor
of Pediatrics: Dr. Archer conducts research in the use of stem
cell transplantation for the treatment of sickle cell disease. He
has established detailed new potential protocols for the treatment
of sickle cell disease and new measures that may provide simple
monitoring of the clinical course and the pathogenesis of sickle
related complications. He will work with epidemiology graduate students
during the translation of these laboratory measures to clinical
practice and in the determination of their utility in clinical trials.
Lou Ann S. Brown, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics:
Dr. Brown’s primary research foci are maternal alcohol abuse
and lung development using animal (pregnant guinea pig and mouse)
models of chronic ethanol ingestion and in timed ethanol ingestion
studies. She has held numerous NIH grants to study these problems
and is a leader in the ethanol center grant to study the impact
of alcohol intake on oxidative damage. As a basic scientist in a
clinical department, Brown has extended her research work to include
one-on-one instruction and mentoring. She also participates in problem-based
learning for first-year medical students.
Donald L. Durden, PhD, MD, Professor of Pediatrics,
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: Dr. Durden’s current
research focus is on mutations in PTEN, a dual specificity protein
and lipid phosphatase, that has been implicated in the malignant
progression of adult and pediatric glial tumors. Dr. Durden has
held several NIH grants to study tumor progression and acts as the
Director of Basic and Translational Research for the AFLAC Cancer
Center at Emory University School of Medicine. He will work with
graduate students in epidemiology to provide a link between epidemiologic
studies and the epidemiology of childhood cancer, as it relates
to novel therapies.
Theresa W. Gauthier, MD, Assistant Professor
of Neonatology: Dr. Gauthier is a clinician whose research
efforts are focused on the effects of in-utero alcohol exposure
on adverse outcomes for the premature newborn, including infection.
Her primary research has used a guinea pig model to study these
effects. However, she has begun to collaborate with Dr. Drews-Botsch
and colleagues in Denmark, Alaska and Michigan to translate these
findings to human populations. She has received both NIH (R01) and
Foundation (Thacker Foundation) grant support for these efforts.
Benjamin Gold, MD, Associate Professor of
Pediatrics: Dr. Gold conducts research in host-bacteria INTERACTIONS
AS mechanisms of upper GI disease - USING POPULATION-BASED METHODOLOGIES,
CLINICAL TRIAL AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, AS WELL AS BACTERIAL
PATHOGENESIS STUDIES IN VITRO. The recipient of many NIH grants
in these areas, his research has included characterizing the host-environmental-bacterial
risk factors contributing to childhood HELICOBACTER pylori (H. PYLORI)-associated
disease IN ADDITION TO validating and standardizing a biologically
relevant, novel tissue culture bilayer model for the study of host-bacterial
interactions in vitro. Dr. Gold currently seeks to characterize
environmental, bacterial and host factors which result in severe
gastroduodenal (e.g., ulcers, cancer) disease in H. pylori-infected
children. This project combines epidemiology and biostatistical
modeling with translational and basic science (molecular microbiology
and immunology) in order to determine which individuals are most
at risk, providing ample opportunity for an epidemiology graduate
student to participate in the study.
A sample of clinical and translational studies being conducted
by Dr. Gold and the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology
and Nutrition in which the epidemiology graduate students can participate
include:
• Translational research focused on improving non-invasive
methods to detect active H. pylori infection, and monitoring the
natural history and time period for infection acquisition in children.
• Characterization of “at risk” populations for
high rates of infection, severe gastroduodenal disease associated
with H. pylori, as well as mechanisms of transmission in order to
better determine methods for prevention. This work has been in collaboration
with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Alaska
Native population where there is high prevalence of H. pylori infection
and an apparent relationship to iron deficiency anemia, severe peptic
ulcer disease and high rates of gastric cancer.
• Longitudinal and cross-sectional study of pediatric inflammatory
bowel disease (IBD) which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative
colitis. Through the PediIBD Consortium, 1,865 children with IBD
have been enrolled to date in an electronic database linked to clinical,
epidemiological and demographic data. The consortium follows these
patients, from both longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches
and will be the large well-defined cohort upon which the epidemiology
graduate student can focus their activities. The consortium has
successful submitted and received funding on three NIH R03 applications,
some of which can be specifically applicable to an epidemiology
graduate student.
David H. Ledbetter, Ph.D. Robert W. Woodruff
Professor of Human Genetics and Director, Division of Medical Genetics:
Dr. Ledbetter's research focuses on the molecular characterization
of human developmental disorders. Specifically, he is interested
in the mechanisms and consequences of chromosomal abnormalities
(gene dosage imbalance and genomic imprinting) that result in abnormal
brain development, mental retardation and behavioral disorders such
as autism. He is also actively involved in genetic testing, newborn
screening, and access to quality genetics services on a regional
and national basis.
Stephanie Sherman, PhD, Professor, Department
of Human Genetics: Dr. Sherman obtained her Ph.D. in Medical
Genetics from Indiana University. Her training and continued research
focus is in genetic epidemiology. Her currently NIH funded projects
involve genetic studies of a variety of important traits including
ovarian failure, neuropsychological performance, human chromosome
nondisjunction (leading cause of mental retardation and pregnancy
loss) and congenital heart defects. One of the primarily goals of
her work is to understand the consequences of genetic variation
in humans. In 1994, she developed a course on Genetic Epidemiology
and has taught this course since that time. She has also conducted
directed studies on population genetics and a seminar series on
gene discovery methods for complex traits.
William G. Woods, M.D., Professor, Department
of Pediatrics; Division Director, Hematology/Oncology/BMT:
Dr. Woods graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine in 1972 and then spent 22 of the next 24 years at the University
of Minnesota, where he did both his pediatrics and pediatric oncology
training, joined the faculty, and subsequently became Chief of the
Hematology/Oncology section. Dr. Woods’ research expertise
is in clinical trials and population-based studies. He was in charge
of the AML studies for the Children’s Cancer Group for several
years, as well as being the Principal Investigator for the Quebec
Neuroblastoma Screening Project.
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