ECHO

Alison Paquette, PhD: Multi-Omic Data Illuminates the Placenta's Role as a Mediator Between Prenatal EDC Exposures and Preterm Birth
2024-10-09 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Multi-Omic Data Illuminates the Placenta’s Role as a Mediator Between Prenatal EDC Exposures and Preterm Birth
Key Takeaways: Preterm birth is one of the leading causes of infant morbidity and is associated with increased birth defects and impaired fetal development. Prenatal exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) has is positively associated with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) in epidemiological studies, and have been shown to alter placental growth and proliferation in vitro. We have used placental transcriptomic data (microRNA and mRNA) to reveal shared molecular mechanisms. Both prenatal EDC exposure and spontaneous preterm birth are associated with increased expression of genes involved in steroid biosynthesis, and decreased genes involved in placental growth and development, including notch signaling and TGF beta signaling.
Alison Paquette, PhD
Assistant Professor
Center for Developmental Biology
Seattle Children’s Research Institute
Speaker Biography:
Dr. Paquette received her PhD from Dartmouth College under the mentorship of Dr. Carmen Marsit , then joined the Institute for Systems Biology for her post-doctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Nathan Price. She joined the faculty at Seattle Childrens Research Institute in 2020 and is a member of the Center of Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine. She is an Assistant Professor at UW Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics and has an Adjunct appointment in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. She has worked with the ECHO PATHWAYS and PATHWAYS GAPPS cohorts within ECHO through collaborations with cohort lead Dr. Sheela Sathyanaryana.
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Maria Gloria Dominguez Bello: The Early Life Microbiome and Disrupting Exposures
2024-09-11 13:00 - 14:00
The Early Life Microbiome and Disrupting Exposures
Key Takeaways*:
Dr. Dominguez-Bello noted that:

During a vaginal birth, babies are exposed to dense bacterial communities, and throughout early childhood, they continue to be exposed to natural non-self microbes.
In modern society, humans interfere with these natural microbe exposures. For example, many women are given antibiotics during pregnancy, and many babies are born via cesarian section (c-section).
A pilot study has shown that vaginal seeding—which involves transferring vaginal fluids to a newborn’s skin, mouth, or nose—after a c-section may improve microbiome trajectories.
The health of future generations will rely on a deep understanding of microbial biology and restoration.
ECHO Cohort data and observational studies are a great opportunity to test hypotheses and generate more opportunities for research.

*The content presented in this webinar is the responsibility of the speaker and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Maria Gloria Dominguez Bello
Distinguished Professor and
Henry Rutgers Professor of Microbiome and Health, Rutgers University

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Caitlin G. Howe, PhD: Epigenetic Regulators in Human Milk: Opportunities in ECHO with a Focus on miRNAs
2024-08-14 13:00 - 14:00
Epigenetic Regulators in Human Milk: Opportunities in ECHO with a Focus on miRNAs
Key Takeaways:*

MiRNAs, small molecules known to regulate the expression of certain genes, represent a major class of epigenetic regulators that are abundant in human milk.
There is growing evidence that miRNAs in maternal milk are sensitive to modifiable exposures such as environmental toxins, psychological stress, and diet. However, little is known about how these miRNAs may influence child health or the factors that influence the presence of miRNAs.
Based on analysis of ECHO Cohort data through the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, researchers found that higher levels of one specific miRNA in maternal milk consumed by infants were related to a smaller body mass index (BMI) z-score for the child at age 2 years.
A pilot study was designed to understand the potential impact of arsenic and other metals as environmental exposures to miRNA in human milk. The study found that exposure to arsenic around the time of conception and during pregnancy was related to fewer miRNAs.
There are opportunities for ECHO researchers to analyze environmental and social stressors that may alter the composition of miRNAs in human milk. There are also gaps in knowledge about their relationship with infant health outcomes, sensitivity to stressors and health-protective behaviors, as well as the impact of pumping, reheating, or the pasteurization of human milk.

*The content presented in this webinar is the responsibility of the speaker and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Caitlin G. Howe, PhD
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Speaker Bio’s:
Dr. Howe is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. She received her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Southern California. Dr. Howe is a Co-Investigator for Dartmouth’s ECHO site. Her research investigates metal impacts on maternal and child health and the epigenome, with a focus on extracellular microRNAs.

Dr. Jacqueline Chan: Emerging Trends and Treatments in Pediatric Obesity
2024-07-10 13:00 - 14:00
Emerging Trends and Treatments in Pediatric Obesity
Key Takeaways*:
Dr. Chan noted that:

In recent years, there has been a concerning increase in rates of pediatric obesity and obesity-related complications, such as type 2 diabetes.
Children with obesity are four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and studies have shown that type 2 diabetes during childhood is more aggressive and more resistant to treatment than the adult disease.
In January 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new guidance around pediatric obesity that emphasizes the importance of early treatment and intervention.
Evidence has shown that behavior changes, including improving diet and increasing exercise, are not enough on their own to treat pediatric obesity and prevent obesity-related complications. As such, the AAP recommends clinicians not delay appropriate treatment for children with obesity, including medications or surgical interventions, as indicated, in combination with lifestyle changes like diet and exercise.

*The content presented in this webinar is the responsibility of the speakers and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Jacqueline Chan
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and is in Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at Primary Children´s Medical Center

Speaker Bio’s:
Dr. Jacqueline Chan completed her Pediatric residency at Sinai Children´s Hospital, and her Pediatric endocrinology Fellowship at University OF Illinois Chicago/ Rush University.
She is certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrinology and Obesity Medicine. She was an assistant professor of pediatrics faculty at the Children’s hospital of Georgia for about 5 years. She has provided multiple education lecture series and podcast about various endocrine and metabolic issues. In addition, she has published multiple peer reviewed articles and is an active member of the Obesity Medicine Association Pediatric Committee.
She is currently an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and is in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at Primary Children´s Medical Center. She will lead a multidisciplinary team for children with obesity. Her interest is on comorbidities associated with pediatric obesity mainly Type 2 diabetes and lipid disorders, as well as Hypothalamic obesity.
Zoom Meeting: https://duke.zoom.us/j/93167123308?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 931 6712 3308
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Fish Consumption during Pregnancy and Impacts on Child Health
2024-06-12 13:00 - 14:00
Fish Consumption during Pregnancy and Impacts on Child Health
Kristen Lyall, ScD (A.J. Drexel Autism Institute); Emily Oken, MD, MPH (Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute); Margaret Karagas, PhD (Geisel School of Medicine and Dartmouth College)
Key Takeaways*:
Dr. Oken noted that:

Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential nutrients for optimal fetal brain and eye development.
The ECHO Cohort’s large, representative population of participants allows researchers to investigate fish consumption and omega-3 supplement intake among pregnant women across the US.
ECHO Cohort researchers found that a quarter of participants reported no fish intake during pregnancy. Even fewer participants reported taking omega-3 supplements.

Dr. Karagas noted that:

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recently released a report on the role of (maternal and child) seafood consumption in child growth and development.
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers found that children ages 1–2 years ate fewer than two seafood meals per month on average, and only 6% of children ages 2–19 years reported eating two or more seafood meals per week.
ECHO’s ongoing follow-up, focus on broad range of health outcomes, and diversity of participants enable it to address a variety of research gaps surrounding the role of fish consumption in child health outcomes.

Dr. Lyall noted that:

There is an opportunity for ECHO Cohort researchers to significantly contribute to the literature by addressing the relationship between fish intake and supplement use during pregnancy and childhood autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and autism-related traits in a much larger sample size.
Higher fish intake, but not supplement use, was associated with lower risk of ASD diagnosis and, to a lesser extent, a lower risk of autism-related traits.

*The content presented in this webinar is the responsibility of the speakers and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Speakers:
Kristen Lyall, SCD
Dr. Lyall is an Associate Professor in the Modifiable Risk Factors Program of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute.
Emily Oken, MD, MPH
Dr. Oken is Professor and Chair of the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and President of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.
Margaret Karagas, PhD
Professor Karagas is the inaugural chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Geisel School of Medicine and director of the Centers for Molecular Epidemiology and Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research at Dartmouth College.

Link to slides (Duke-affiliated access only)

Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha: Unveiling Maternal Health Disparities: Addressing the Impact of Racism
2024-05-08 13:00 - 14:00
Unveiling Maternal Health Disparities: Addressing the Impact of Racism
Key Takeaways*:
Dr. Amutah-Onukagha noted that:

Historically, women of color have disproportionately experienced reproductive injustices exacerbated by medical bias, unequal distribution of resources, and a lack of consistent, timely prenatal care and obstetrics.
There are still many challenges and inequities occurring today, including under-resourcing and underfunding of hospitals and clinics in underserved communities, discrimination based on insurance status, systemic racism that influences health and public policy, and the use of race as a proxy for genetic or biological differences that can result in inaccurate diagnoses and inappropriate treatment.
To address healthcare inequities, it’s important to consider all social determinants that influence health and well-being, including economic stability, neighborhood and physical environment, education, food access, community safety and support, and healthcare systems.
A variety of methods could be employed to advance racial equity and enact respectful maternity care, including recognizing how individual, social, and structural factors affect reproductive health outcomes; ensuring access to reproductive health resources and culturally responsive services to support decision-making; and using an intersectional and social-determinants-of-health lens to address reproductive health barriers perpetuated by systemic racism.

*The content presented in this webinar is the responsibility of the speaker and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health

Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, Ph.D., M.P.H.​
Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Amutah-Onukagha is the Founder and Director of the Center of Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice (CBMHRJ), and of the Maternal Outcomes of Translational Health Equity Research (MOTHER) Lab. A well-published author, Dr. Amutah-Onukagha’s research has been presented in over 80 manuscripts, 8 book chapters, a best-selling book on Amazon, and a textbook on culturally responsive evaluation. Currently, Dr. Amutah-Onukagha is the Principal Investigator of two multi-year studies on maternal mortality and morbidity, an R01 funded by National Institutes of Health and an interdisciplinary grant on maternal health equity funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Link to Slides (Duke-affiliated access only)

Penn-CHOP ECHO: Applying causal inference methods to address pressing questions in environmental children’s health
2024-04-10 13:00 - 14:00
Penn-CHOP ECHO: Applying causal inference methods to address pressing questions in environmental children’s health
Key Takeaways:

Exposures during early life can set the stage for lifelong health outcomes and well-being.
A variety of environmental factors—including macro-physical environmental factors (e.g., greenspace, pollution, water quality), macro-social environmental factors (e.g., discrimination, income, education), and micro-environmental factors (e.g., diet, physical activity, sleep)—can interact to influence maternal and child health outcomes.
Causal inference methodologies can empower researchers to tackle solution-oriented questions about the influence of both macro- and micro-environmental factors on health outcomes.
Causal inference methodologies have the potential to help ECHO researchers uncover actionable insights, guiding interventions that can improve maternal and child health outcomes.

Dr. Sunni Mumford, PhD
Professor of Epidemiology and Ob/Gyn Deputy Director of the Division of Epidemiology
Co-Director of the Women’s Health Clinical Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania

Speaker Bio:

Sunni Mumford, PhD is a Professor of Epidemiology and Ob/Gyn, Deputy Director of the Division of Epidemiology, and Co-Director of the Women’s Health Clinical Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania. She received a BS in Statistics from the University of Utah, a SM in Biostatistics from Harvard University, and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Link to Presentation Slides (Duke-affiliated access only)

Dr. Elena Colicino: Cross-Cohort Mixture Analysis: A Data Integration Approach with Applications on Child Health Outcomes
2024-03-13 13:00 - 14:00
Cross-Cohort Mixture Analysis: A Data Integration Approach with Applications on Child Health Outcomes
Key Takeaways:

Integrating data across multiple studies can enhance the statistical power of analyses and help researchers better understand the association between a mixture of chemical exposures and health outcomes.
It can be challenging to combine data from multiple studies, especially when there are variations in data collection practices.
The Bayesian Weighted Quantile Sum statistical approach allows researchers to aggregate data from multiple ECHO Cohort study sites to calculate an overall mixture index that identifies the most harmful exposure(s) across sites.
This statistical approach also provides researchers with site-specific associations between chemical mixtures and health outcomes.

Speaker:

Dr. Elena Colicino, PhD, MSc
Associate Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Speaker Bio:
Elena is an Associate Professor at the Icahn School Medicine at Mount Sinai. She develops and applies novel statistical methods and machine learning approaches to environmental health data in order to assess the effect of multiple toxic chemicals on human health throughout life-course. Her research focuses on cardiometabolic and immunological impacts of multiple exposures, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable subgroups. In her spare time, she promotes gender diversity amongst the R-software community by promoting and participating in R-ladies events and meet-ups.
Link to Dr. Colicino Slides (Duke-affiliated access only)

Dr. Petrick: Untargeted Analysis of Microsamplers: The Utility of Dried Capillary Blood Spots for Exposome Research
2024-02-14 13:00 - 14:00
Untargeted Analysis of Microsamplers: The Utility of Dried Capillary Blood Spots for Exposome Research
Key Takeaways:

Researchers use blood samples to measure the levels of various chemicals and metabolites related to environmental exposures and track those exposures over time. However, it can be logistically and technically challenging to continuously collect venous blood samples over critical developmental time periods, such as early childhood.
Dried blood microsamplers (DBMs) can be collected easily at home or in the clinic using a finger prick, providing researchers with new opportunities for direct and continuous monitoring of environmental exposures in young children and other vulnerable populations.
A technique called untargeted liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) can be used to accurately measure a broad range of chemicals and metabolites in dried blood microsamplers.
A few recent pilot programs are demonstrating how DBMs can be used to capture and track environmental exposures in children and other vulnerable populations.

Speaker:

Dr. Lauren Petrick
Associate Professor at Icahn School of Medicine
Director of the Center of Metabolomics and Molecular Phenotyping at Sheba Medical Center

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Lauren Petrick is an Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY and the Director of the Center for Metabolomics and Molecular Phenotyping at the Sheba Medical Center, Israel. She is an analytical chemist and exposure biologist, who did her postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley. Dr. Petrick leads the Laboratory of Precision Metabolomics and Exposomics (PRIME) where her research group develops untargeted chemical assays using high resolution mass spectrometry and applies them to discover biomarkers across disease contexts. She is the Principal Investigator (PI) of several NIH grants focused on discovery of early-life causal risk factors of autism and testicular cancer.

Dr. Petrick’s Slides (Duke-affiliated access only)

Dr. Romano: Using Knowledge-Driven AI to Predict and Explain Environmental Health Outcomes in Mothers and Children
2024-01-10 13:00 - 14:00
Using Knowledge-Driven AI to Predict and Explain Environmental Health Outcomes in Mothers and Children
Key Takeaways:
As increasingly rich and complex environmental health data are collected for secondary analysis, new methods are needed to translate these data into clinically actionable knowledge. The recent explosion in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications hold great promise for this task, provided that an appropriate tool set is available to translate knowledge between the data sources and the AI models being used. In this talk, we introduce ComptoxAI – a major new data infrastructure that supports AI research in environmental toxicology – and its applications to discovering mechanisms underlying maternal and child environmental health outcomes. Beyond discussing recent and upcoming projects in the Romano Lab at Penn, we also cover the fundamentals of biomedical AI and provide resources to ECHO researchers who would like to apply AI in their own research.
Speaker:

Joseph D. Romano, PhD, MPhil, MA
Assistant Professor of Informatics, University of Pennsylvania

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Romano’s research focuses on using biomedical data science and artificial intelligence to make critical discoveries about toxicology and environmental health. His lab leads the development of new data infrastructures that integrate diverse biomedical knowledge from public data sources into knowledge graphs (link is external), as well as data-driven analyses on those knowledge graphs that both predict and explain outcomes of toxic exposures. He is a member of the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, and is affiliated with the Penn Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBI) and the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET).

Dr. Akhgar Ghassabian: Prenatal Air Pollution Exposure and Risk of Autism: New Insight from ECHO Cohorts
2023-12-13 13:00 - 14:00
Prenatal Air Pollution Exposure and Risk of Autism: New Insight from ECHO Cohorts
Key Takeaways:

In the past decade, air pollution has substantially declined in the US because of policies informed by environmental monitoring and research.
A recent analysis of EPA data shows a reversal of trends, confirming that a national decade-long trend toward better air quality might be reversing.
Concerns are increasing regarding adverse health outcomes of low-level air pollution.
Given the emerging evidence that shows the potential role of environmental chemical exposures in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the need to identify air pollution exposure as a modifiable risk factor of ASD is warranted.

Speaker:

Akhgar Ghassabian, MD PhD
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
NYU Langone’s Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Ghassabian obtained her medical degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and completed a master’s and a PhD in epidemiology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She was the Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) fellow at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Currently, she is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Dr. Wei Perng: Understanding the natural history of cardiovascular health across early-life
2023-11-08 13:00 - 14:00
Dr. Wei Perng: Understanding the natural history of cardiovascular health across early-life
Key Takeaways:
This talk describes cohort-specific findings regarding the natural history of cardiovascular health in children and adolescents, presents objectives of a related ECHO-wide analysis, and provides an overview of pursuits for extramural funding to identify targets for primordial prevention of CVD through optimization of early-life cardiovascular health among U.S. youth.
Speakers:

Wei Perng, PhD MPH
Colorado School of Public Health
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Speaker Bio:
Wei Perng, PhD MPH, is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health and Associate Director of Research Training and Education at the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She is a lifecourse and ‘omics epidemiologist interested in the developmental pathways of excess adiposity and cardiometabolic risk among youth.

Presentation Link (will be inactive until day of the presentation)
https://duke.zoom.us/j/91562266720?pwd=[REDACTED]

Dr. Claudia Thompson: Identifying and Responding to Climate Change as an Emerging Children’s Health Issue
2023-10-11 13:00 - 14:00
Dr. Claudia Thompson: Identifying and Responding to Climate Change as an Emerging Children’s Health Issue
Key Takeaways:
Dr. Claudia Thompson’s presentation will focus on the following topics:

Overview of the NIH Climate Change and Human Health Initiative
Overview of climate change on children’s health broadly
Examples of climate change impacts on respiratory and neurodevelopment outcomes
Intersection of climate change, social determinants of health contributing to health disparities
Opportunities and resources

Speakers:

Claudia Thompson, Ph.D. (she, her, hers)
Chief, Population Health Branch
Program Director, Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Speaker Bio:
Claudia Thompson, PhD is Chief of the Population Health Branch (PHB) in the Division of Extramural and Training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and her PhD in Biochemistry and Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the Program Director for the Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers and co-director of the Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource. She represents NIEHS on the NIH-wide steering committee for the NIH Climate Change and Health InitiativeClaudia Thompson, PhD is Chief of the Population Health Branch (PHB) in the Division of Extramural and Training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and her PhD in Biochemistry and Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the Program Director for the Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers and co-director of the Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource. She represents NIEHS on the NIH-wide steering committee for the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative

Presentation Link
https://duke.zoom.us/j/91562266720?pwd=[REDACTED]
Dr. Claudia Thompson’s Slides

Drs. Young and Devlin: Opportunities to ACT NOW for Infants with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal
2023-09-13 13:00 - 14:00
Drs. Young and Devlin: Opportunities to ACT NOW for Infants with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome
Key Takeaways:

The opioid crisis has increased the number of infants who are exposed to opioids during pregnancy. Opioid-exposed newborns may develop symptoms of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), which includes tremors, excessive crying and irritability, and problems with sleeping and feeding.

The care provided to infants with NOWS varies across hospitals, which is due in part to a lack of evidence to support a standard approach to care. A recent clinical trial provides evidence to support the use of the Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) care approach, which provides a function-based assessment of withdrawal severity centered around how well an infant can eat, sleep, and be consoled. ESC prioritizes and emphasizes non-pharmacologic care, including increased family presence, holding, swaddling, and rocking in low-stimulus environments, as first-line treatment.

Newborns cared for with ESC were medically ready for discharge approximately 6.7 days earlier on average, and they were 63% less likely to receive medication as part of their treatment when compared to newborns given the usual care.

This research was made possible because the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative brought together two existing networks of many institutions that specialize in pediatric research:

ECHO’s Institutional Development Award (IDeA) States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN)
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network

Speakers:

Leslie W. Young, MD
University of Vermont
Larner College of Medicine

Speaker Bio:
Leslie Young, MD is a practicing neonatologist at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Dr. Young’s research is currently focused on optimizing the care provided to infants following in-utero opioid exposure and on improving long-term outcomes for these infants and their families. She is involved in NIH HEAL Initiative®-sponsored research programs including the Advancing Clinical Trials in Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Collaborative, a collaboration between ECHO ISPCTN and the NICHD Neonatal Research Network. Dr. Young is a principal investigator for Improving Pediatric Access to Clinical Trials in Vermont, Vermont’s ISPCTN site, where she works to increase the representation of rural and underserved populations in clinical trials. Dr. Young completed her undergraduate studies in psychology at Creighton University before receiving her medical degree at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont.

Lori Devlin, DO, MHA, MS
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Lori Devlin is a practicing neonatologist with the Norton Children’s Medical Group and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Her research is focused on NOWS, and she is currently a lead study investigator for two NIH HEAL Initiative®-supported multicenter randomized controlled trials. She is a Multiple Principal Investigator at the Kentucky ECHO IDeA States Pediatrics Clinical Trial Network site and at the HEAL Evaluation of Limited Pharmacotherapies for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome Consortium.
Date: Wednesday, September 13th, 1 to 2pm ET
Join Zoom Meeting- https://duke.zoom.us/j/91562266720?pwd=[REDACTED]
Drs. Young and Devlin’s Slides

Dr. Matthew Gillman: Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) A Nationwide Resource for Child Health Research
2023-08-09 13:00 - 14:00
Dr. Matthew Gillman: Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) A Nationwide Resource for Child Health Research
Speakers:

Matthew W. Gillman, MD, SM
National Institutes of Health
Director, Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program

Key Takeaways:

Founded in 2016, the ECHO Program has brought together over 100,000 participants and hundreds of researchers who have collaborated to conduct research that can inform programs, policies, and practices.
ECHO research findings reflect the collaborative work of the ECHO Cohorts and the ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) across five child health areas: pre-, peri- and postnatal health, upper and lower airways, obesity, neurodevelopment, and positive health. ECHO research also reflects cross-cutting themes, including diversity, equity and inclusion; team science; solution-oriented research; and stakeholder engagement.
During this presentation, Dr. Gillman reviewed some key ECHO research results and reflected on the unique strengths of the ECHO Program, including its dual focus on observational and intervention research. On the observational side, the ECHO Cohorts boast a large, diverse, nationwide sample of children and their families. On the intervention side, the ISPCTN features access to state-of-the-art clinical trials in rural or underserved communities.
Moving into the future, ECHO will continue to build on its achievements and lessons learned to conduct research that will enhance the health of children for generations to come.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Gillman joined the National Institutes of Health in 2016 as the inaugural director of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Dr. Gillman came to NIH from Harvard Medical School, where he was a professor of population medicine and director of the Obesity Prevention Program, and Harvard School of Public Health, where he was a professor of nutrition. With background in the fields of internal medicine, pediatrics, and epidemiology, he has led cohort studies and randomized controlled trials and published widely in prevention of chronic disease across the life course. Dr. Gillman won mentoring awards at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, and has served in several national and international leadership positions, including on the United States Preventive Services Task Force and for the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, from which he won the David Barker Medal in 2017. His clinical experience includes primary care for children and adults, and preventive cardiology among children.
Date: Wednesday, August 9th, 1 to 2pm ET
Dr. Gillman’s Slides

Liang & Lewis: DNA methylation of myelinating genes measured in peripheral samples predicts brain white matter volume in a healthy pediatric cohort and Effects of prenatal exposure to Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure on maternal and newborn metabolome and fetal growth: the PFAS Exposures And Child Health (PEACH) Study
2023-07-12 13:00 - 14:00
Liang: Effects of prenatal exposure to Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure on maternal and newborn metabolome and fetal growth: the PFAS Exposures And Child Health (PEACH) Study.
Lewis: DNA methylation of myelinating genes measured in peripheral samples predicts brain white matter volume in a healthy pediatric cohort
Key Takeaways:
Donghai Liang, PhD, MPH (Emory University)
Effects of prenatal exposure to Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on maternal and newborn metabolome and fetal growth: the PFAS Exposures and Child Health (PEACH) Study

Exposure to PFAS is very prevalent in the U.S. through everyday products like food packaging, non-stick cookware, and stain-resistant fabrics. Many studies have already demonstrated how PFAS exposure can be linked to poor birth outcomes, such as lower birth weights, but there is little information on why this relationship exists.
ECHO researchers evaluated levels of PFAS in the blood of mothers and newborns, finding that during gestation many newborns were exposed to PFAS which may have disrupted the balance of certain chemical processes in their bodies. In the future, early detection of PFAS in maternal blood samples during pregnancy could help researchers and clinicians identify individuals at risk for preterm birth, which is linked to a variety of negative health outcomes in infancy and childhood.

Candace Lewis, PhD (University of Arizona)
DNA methylation of myelinating genes measured in peripheral samples predicts brain white matter volume in healthy pediatric cohort

Understanding how epigenetic patterns—changes in the ways genes are expressed—in the brain are influenced by environmental factors is important to help researchers better analyze the role of environmental factors on mental health. However, it can be difficult to evaluate these patterns because brain tissue is difficult to collect.
Recent ECHO research indicates that peripheral biosamples, such as blood or saliva, can be used in combination with neuroimaging data to assess how epigenetic patterns and brain structure may be influenced by environmental factors. Future studies could use this technique to evaluate the relationship between environmental factors, epigenetic patterns that shape brain structure and function, and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

Speakers:

Donghai Liang, PhD
Emory University
Rollins School of Public Health

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Donghai Liang is an Assistant Professor at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, where he holds a primary appointment in Environmental Health and a secondary appointment in Epidemiology. Dr. Liang is broadly trained in exposure science and molecular epidemiology with strong expertise and publication record of over 65 peer-reviewed articles in exposure assessment and health research, high-throughput data analysis, and omics-based technologies. His research focuses on measuring multi-dimensional exposures and elucidating the molecular mechanisms that account for the complex health responses to environmental mixtures, including ambient and traffic-related air pollution, as well as persistent organic pollutants. More recently, Dr. Liang has shifted the majority of his effort towards incorporating high throughput omics technologies, especially the high-resolution metabolomics and multi-omics integration, into investigations on the molecular mechanisms and disease etiology associated with ubiquitous environmental exposures.

Candace Lewis, PhD
University of Arizona
School of Life Sciences and Dept. Of Psychology

Speaker Bio: Dr. Candace Lewis, MC, PhD is an assistant professor at Arizona State University with a joint position between the Biology and Psychology departments. Dr. Lewis leads The BEAR Lab (Brain, Epigenetics, & Altered states Research) with a focus on how psychological experiences shape neurobiology underlying mental health. Specifically, the lab studies how social experiences can alter epigenetic regulation in mental-health related gene systems, and alternatively, how psychedelic-assisted therapy may reduce symptoms through similar processes.
Date: Wednesday, July 12th, 1 to 2pm ET
Dr. Liang’s Slides
Dr. Lewis’s Slides

Aris & Smith: Neighborhood Opportunities and Disparities in Child Health Outcomes & Lung Function Measured by Oscillometry in the Healthy Start and PETALS Cohorts
2023-06-14 13:00 - 14:00
Aris: Neighborhood Opportunities and Disparities in Child health Outcomes
Smith: Lung Function Measured by Oscillometry in the Healthy Start and PETALS Cohorts
Key Takeaways:
Izzuddin M. Aris, PhD (Harvard Medical School)
Neighborhood Opportunities and Disparities in Child Health Outcomes

Many studies that examine disparities in child health outcomes focus on individual socioeconomic factors that contribute to neighborhood disadvantage (e.g., high poverty rates), but these analyses may not adequately capture the totality of early-life social experiences.
ECHO research found that children who lived in neighborhoods with higher levels of opportunity during early life were at less risk for developing obesity and had lower asthma incidence, highlighting the importance of community-level interventions that can address the structures that consistently compromise the health of marginalized communities and promote overall health equity.

Kate Hamlington Smith, PhD (Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus)
Lung Function Measured by Oscillometry in the Healthy Start and Pregnancy Environment and Lifestyle Study (PETALS) Cohorts

Oscillometry—a technique for measuring lung function and respiratory health—can be easily used with young children in a variety of settings, helping researchers measure and evaluate the role of maternal health in childhood lung function.
By studying early life exposures and measuring lung function in childhood, researchers can identify the exposures that may be modified to protect lung health and decrease the risk of developing respiratory diseases.

Speakers:
Izzuddin M. Aris, PhD
Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute

Speaker Bio: Dr. Aris is an epidemiologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. He earned his BSc in Biomedical Sciences in 2010, and PhD in Epidemiology in 2015, both from the National University of Singapore.

Kate Hamlington Smith, PhD
Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine
Children’s Hospital Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Speaker Bio: Dr. Hamlington Smith is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado, where she studies the progression of asthma and complex respiratory diseases in early childhood. She received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University, followed by post-doctoral study in lung physiology at the University of Vermont.
Date: Wednesday, June 14th, 1 to 2pm ET|
Dr. Aris’s Slides
Dr. Smith’s Slides

Alison E. Hipwell: What Can the Preconception Period Tell Us About Maternal and Child Health?
2023-05-10 13:00 - 14:00
Alison E. Hipwell: What Can the Preconception Period Tell Us About Maternal and Child Health?
Key Takeaways:

Previous research shows that maternal stress and distress during pregnancy can be linked to infant and child health outcomes, but researchers need more specific information about this relationship to design effective mental health screening and intervention strategies.
Studies that look at stress exposures over the course of the extended preconception period (the period before a person becomes pregnant, extending back to their own childhood) have shown that the type, timing, and duration of stress a mother experiences may be related to their child’s ultimate health and well-being.
Assessing mental health during childhood and adolescence could help identify individuals who are at high risk for mood disorders (e.g., depression) later during pregnancy, enabling mental health interventions before pregnancy that may prevent or reduce negative health outcomes for both mother and child.
Understanding the pathways through which exposures during the extended preconception period affect future pregnancy and childhood health is essential to help researchers and clinicians design appropriate, well-timed interventions that can disrupt cross-generational health disparities.

Speaker:
Alison E. Hipwell, PhD, ClinPsyD
Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology
University of Pittsburgh, PA

Speaker Bio:
Dr Alison Hipwell is a Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. She obtained a PhD in developmental psychopathology from the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London and a clinical psychology doctorate from the University of East Anglia in the UK. Her program of research uses life course models to understand reproductive mental health and intergenerational models of stress. As part of the investigative team of the longitudinal Pittsburgh Girls Study for the past 22 years, Dr. Hipwell has been testing hypotheses focused on risk and protective pathways and stress regulation mechanisms for peripartum health, modifiable buffers of negative effects and prospective associations with social, emotional and behavioral outcomes in infants and children.
Date: Wednesday, May 10th, 1 to 2pm ET

Thomas G. O'Connor: Prenatal Origins of Child Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: From Exposures to Mechanisms
2023-04-12 13:00 - 14:00
Thomas G. O’Connor: Prenatal Origins of Child Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: From Exposures to Mechanisms
Key Takeaways:

Many common exposures during pregnancy have been linked with neurodevelopmental outcomes in children.
It’s important to expand the evaluation of prenatal exposures beyond traditional chemical exposures (e.g., lead, tobacco) to include the effects of stress, mood disorders, and illness on childhood cognitive development.
Broadening this focus allows researchers to expand their understanding of what defines a “healthy pregnancy” and identify the biological mechanisms underpinning the complex relationship between prenatal exposures and childhood cognitive development.
Understanding these mechanisms will help researchers and clinicians develop assessments and screening tools that facilitate early interventions or treatments.

Speaker:
Thomas G. O’Connor, PhD
Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Neuroscience, and Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Rochester Medical Center, NY

Speaker Bio:
Dr. O’Connor is the Wynne Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Neuroscience, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester. He is a clinical psychologist with 20 years of clinical research experience studying the mechanisms of pre- and post-natal influences on child behavioral and physical health outcomes.
Date: Wednesday, April 12th, 1 to 2pm ET
Slides

Claudia Lugo-Candelas: Perinatal Sleep Health and Offspring Neurodevelopment
2023-03-08 13:00 - 14:00
Claudia Lugo-Candelas: Perinatal Sleep Health and Offspring Neurodevelopment
Key Takeaways:

Many pregnant people struggle with disrupted sleep and assume that it is a normal part of pregnancy, but there are interventions that can help pregnant people sleep better.
Prior research demonstrates a relationship between prenatal sleep and birth outcomes, and new data suggests prenatal sleep disruptions may increase childhood risk for neurodevelopmental conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep problems.
Discrimination-related disparities may affect prenatal sleep in minority communities, potentially contributing to disparities in birth outcomes and child neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Speaker:
Claudia Lugo-Candelas, PhD
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Columbia University Medical Center
New York State Psychiatric Institute

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Lugo-Candelas is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the perinatal programming of risk and resilience for neurodevelopmental disorders. She obtained a B.A. from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Columbia University in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division. She is now the Bender-Fishbein Scholar in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University, where her lab focuses on better understand the early development of inhibitory control difficulties, particularly within developmental disorders such as ADHD. The Lugo Lab is particularly committed to understanding the exposures and experiences that are most relevant to communities that are minoritized, underserved, and underrepresented and particularly interested in examining sleep health in the perinatal period as a mechanism of intergenerational transmission of adversity.
Date: Wednesday, March 8th, 1 to 2pm ET
Slides

Nicole Bush: Social Exposures and Intergenerational Health: Maternal Exposure to Stress and Children’s Development
2023-02-08 13:00 - 14:00
Nicole Bush: Social Exposures and Intergenerational Health: Maternal Exposure to Stress and Children’s Development
Key Takeaways:

Childhood adversity and pregnancy stress can have lasting effects on children’s health and wellbeing.
New research suggests intergenerational effects of maternal stress on child health outcomes and identified buffers in the child’s environment that may enhance their resilience to stress exposures.
These findings highlight the importance of screening pregnant people for signs of stress and other mental health challenges and providing them with resources to reduce their stress and improve their mental health.
Social support from the surrounding community can help families build resilience factors that protect children from the intergenerational effects of adversity and stress.

Speaker:
Nicole Bush, PhD
Center for Health and Community
Division of Developmental Medicine
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Bush is the Lisa and John Pritzker Distinguished Professor of Developmental and Behavioral Health, and the Division Chief of the Division of Developmental Medicine, jointly appointed in the departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UCSF. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist, with fellowship training in stress biology, medicine, and epidemiology. She is an MPI of the ECHO PATHWAYS award (CANDLE, TIDES, and GAPPS cohorts) and a Center Director/Site PI for the NYU award (TIDES).
Date: Wednesday, February 8th, 1 to 2pm ET

Annemarie Stroustrup: Hospital-based Phthalate Exposure and Chronic Lung Disease of Prematurity
2023-01-11 13:00 - 14:00
Annemarie Stroustrup: Hospital-based Phthalate Exposure and Chronic Lung Disease of Prematurity
Key Takeaways:

Preterm infants are at an increased risk for a variety of adverse health outcomes, but these outcomes cannot be consistently predicted by factors like gestational age or birth weight.
Phthalates are found in many of the medical devices and products used in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) to care for preterm infants.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) is a developmental disease of preterm infants that occurs when the baby’s lungs are unable to develop correctly, often due to trauma caused by breathing support apparatuses.
The ECHO Developmental Impact of NICU Exposures (DINE) Study—a collaboration of four preterm birth cohorts—suggest that exposure to specific phthalate mixtures at certain susceptible points in preterm infant development are linked with BPD diagnosis, even when adjusting for the use of breathing support apparatuses.

Speaker:
Annemarie Stroustrup, MD, MPH
Cohen Children’s Medical Center
Northwell Health, NY

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Stroustrup is the System Chief of Neonatology, Vice President and Director of Neonatal Services for Northwell Health. She completed her undergraduate studies at Princeton University, medical school at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and public health training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In addition to providing clinical care and leadership, Dr. Stroustrup’s research focuses on reducing modifiable hospital-based environmental factors that impact the long-term health and development of preterm infants. When not working to make the NICU a safer place for small baby development, Dr. Stroustrup enjoys running half marathons and spending time with her four children and husband at their home in Harlem, New York City.
Date: Wednesday, January 11th, 1 to 2pm ET
Slides

Katherine Sauder: Supporting Healthy Children by Supporting Healthy Pregnancies: A Prebirth Nutrition Perspective
2022-12-14 13:00 - 14:00
Katherine Sauder: Supporting Healthy Children by Supporting Healthy Pregnancies: A Prebirth Nutrition Perspective
Discovery Summary
Key Takeaways:

In recent years, there has been a rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes cases among children at increasingly younger ages, indicating that factors during early infancy – and even during pregnancy and pre-conception – may play a role in the development of these conditions.
Maternal nutrition can influence the risk of neonatal adiposity, which is a predictor for overweight/obesity at 5 years.
In developed countries, a common prenatal risk factor is excessive intake of certain vitamins due to fortified foods and use of dietary supplements. Pregnant people in ECHO Cohorts were at risk for excessive intake of zinc, folic acid, and iron.
Programs that can help pregnant people eat well before and during pregnancy may improve infant health outcomes.

Speaker:
Katherine Sauder, PhD
Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center
Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Sauder received her PhD in biobehavioral Health from Penn State University in 2014 and completed her post-doctoral fellowship in Nutrition at the University of Colorado in 2016. She is now an ECHO Cohort Investigator (Dabelea Cohort), Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Nutrition, and Deputy Director of the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center at the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus.
Date: Wednesday, December 14th, 1 to 2pm ET
Slides

Andreas Neophytou: Bridging Differences Across Cohorts in the Relationship Between Prenatal Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Birth Weight: Transportability of Effect Estimates in the ECHO Consortium
2022-11-09 13:00 - 14:00
Andreas Neophytou: Bridging Differences Across Cohorts in the Relationship Between Prenatal Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Birth Weight: Transportability of Effect Estimates in the ECHO Consortium
Discovery Summary
Key Takeaways:

The transportability of effects framework is a method researchers can use to determine what research questions can be answered using a given dataset or technique.
A causal inference framework is a transportability of effects framework that attempts to determine if differences in a given effect can actually be attributed to differences between the cohorts (e.g., differences in sociodemographic characteristics).
Neophytou and his team used this method to find that the relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and birth weight is at least partially influenced by sociodemographic characteristics.

Speaker:
Andreas Neophytou, ScD
Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences
Colorado State University

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Andreas Neophytou is an Assistant Professor in Epidemiology at the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences at Colorado State University. He also holds an adjunct Assistant Professor appointment with the Department of Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health. Prior to these appointments, Dr. Neophytou earned a joint doctoral degree in Epidemiology and Environmental Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and completed postdoctoral training at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
Date: Wednesday, November 9th, 1 to 2pm ET
Slides

Julie Herbstman: Understanding Changes in Environmental Exposures Over Time in ECHO and Impacts on Children's Health
2022-10-12 13:00 - 14:00
Julie Herbstman: Understanding Changes in Environmental Exposures Over Time in ECHO and Impacts on Children’s Health
Discovery Summary
Key Takeaways:

Longitudinal studies, like those at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH), can look at exposures over time, which can be used to identify new research areas, inform new policies aimed at reducing these exposures, and help assess the effectiveness of those policy changes.
There are many opportunities within ECHO research to examine ongoing trends in environmental exposures that can inform programs, practices, and policies aimed at reducing exposures.
Because participants in ECHO have been recruited over time and across a large geographic area, researchers can leverage ECHO’s robust data to understand the potential impact of current and future policies and interventions on children’s health outcomes.

Speaker:
Julie Herbstman, PhD, ScM
Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH)

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Herbstman is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and the director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH). Beginning 1998, the CCCEH is the home to three longitudinal birth cohort studies of children born in New York City, with the goal of understanding the impacts of early life urban environmental chemical and social exposures on child health. As an environmental and molecular epidemiologist, Dr. Herbstman studies the pathways between these urban exposures and health outcomes, with a particular focus on neurodevelopment. She also focuses on research translation, ensuring that the scientific gains are effectively communicated to and shared with both policymakers and communities.
Slides
Date: Wednesday, October 12th, 1 to 2pm ET

Braun/Boyle: Developmental Exposure to PFAS and Childhood/Adolescent Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk
2022-09-14 13:00 - 14:00
Braun/Boyle: Developmental Exposure to PFAS and Childhood/Adolescent Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk
Discovery Summary
Key Takeaways:

PFAS are long-lasting chemicals found in some consumer products—like certain types of packaging and cookware—that can contaminate food, water, and air.
Virtually all Americans have detectable levels of these substances in their blood with over 100 million Americans having levels above the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current advised limit.
Emerging evidence from ECHO research suggests that prenatal exposure to PFAS may increase a child’s long-term risk for developing obesity and related health conditions.
Going forward, these results can help to inform ongoing and future regulatory efforts aimed at defining exposure limits and safe drinking water standards.

Speakers:
Joseph Braun, PhD, MSPH, RN
Brown University, Providence, RI

Speaker Bio: Dr. Joseph Braun is an environmental epidemiologist and studies endocrine disrupting chemicals, toxic metals, obesity, cardiometabolic health, and pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders. Working with biostatisticians, exposure scientists, physicians, and engineers, he studies the health effects of environmental chemical mixtures to identify periods of heightened susceptibility in order to design interventions aimed at reducing exposure. Moreover, Dr. Braun is using untargeted metabolomics and DNA methylation to understand biological pathways underlying the potential effect of chemical exposures.

Kristen E. Boyle, PhD
University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus

Speaker Bio: Dr. Kristen Boyle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics Nutrition Section at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Co-Director of the Basic Sciences Research Core at the Colorado Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity & Diabetes (LEAD) Center. Dr. Boyle’s research program focuses on understanding how various gestational stress exposures, from metabolic disease to environmental toxins, may impact offspring obesity and diabetes risk using mesenchymal stem cells from infant umbilical cord tissue.
Slides

Ferrara/Hedderson/Avalos: Prenatal Mental Health and Lifestyle Exposures in Association With Child Growth and Neurodevelopment
2022-08-16 13:00 - 14:00 | WebEx
Ferrara/Hedderson/Avalos: Prenatal Mental Health and Lifestyle Exposures in Association With Child Growth and Neurodevelopment
Discovery Summary
Key Takeaways:

Infants born smaller or larger than average for their gestational age, as well as infants who gain weight rapidly after birth, are at increased risk for developing obesity later in life.
Previous research has found that diet during pregnancy affects fetal growth, but most studies focus on isolated foods or nutrients rather than overall diet quality.
Previous research has found a link between prenatal depression and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis in children, but those studies often leave out children who don’t meet the ASD-diagnosis criteria but still have autism-related social behaviors.
Recent ECHO research found an association between prenatal depression and autism-related traits in children with more severe prenatal depression being correlated with more autism-related traits.

Speakers:

Assiamira Ferrara, MD, PhD
Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC)

Speaker Bio:
Assiamira Ferrara is a Senior Research Scientist and Associate Director at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. Dr. Ferrara is internationally recognized for her expertise in gestational diabetes (GDM) and obesity during pregnancy, and her research interests focus on preventing the adverse effects of these conditions on women’s and children’s health. Her primary focus has been the epidemiology of and translational research related to diabetes and GDM. Dr. Ferrara and colleagues have adapted the National Diabetes Prevention Program to be delivered by telehealth in women with GDM as well as pregnant women with overweight or obesity during the prenatal and postpartum periods to achieve weight management and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Monique Hedderson, PhD, MPH
Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC)

Speaker Bio: Monique Hedderson is a research scientist III (equivalent to Full Professor) and epidemiologist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Division of Research. She completed a master’s degree in public health and a doctoral degree in epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health. She has more than 20 years research experience within the KPNC integrated health care system. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach at the interface of disease etiology and prevention strategies in women’s and children’s health across the lifespan. Specifically, her work has largely sought to understand how potentially modifiable factors before and during early pregnancy contribute to the risk of metabolic complications during pregnancy, postpartum and childhood.

Lyndsay Avalos, PhD, MPH
Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC)

Speaker Bio: Lyndsay A. Avalos, Research Scientist II (equivalent to an Associate Professor Rank) joined the Division of Research (DOR) at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. She received an MPH from Boston University and a PhD in epidemiology from UC Berkeley. Her research is primarily focused on informing and developing innovative interventions to improve the mental health and well-being of pregnant women, new moms and their children. A significant part of her research addresses maternal mental health and substance use with studies ranging from epidemiologic to intervention implementation into healthcare delivery.
Slides

Barry M. Lester: Newborn Neurobehavior Predicts 2 Year Developmental Outcome in Preterm Infants
2022-07-13 13:00 - 14:00 | WebEx
Barry M. Lester: Newborn Neurobehavior Predicts 2 Year Developmental Outcome in Preterm Infants
Discovery Summary
Key Takeaways:

Infants born prematurely are at higher risk for developmental and behavioral disorders, but early detection and treatment can prevent or reduce the severity of these disorders.
Doctors and researchers can perform neurobehavioral assessments on newborn infants that evaluate a variety of neurological and behavioral indicators (e.g., attention, movement, response to stress, excitability).
Neurobehavioral assessments conducted shortly after birth can identify which infants are most at risk for developmental disorders later in childhood.
These neurobehavioral assessments can be conducted before the infants are discharged from the hospital when their brains are still highly malleable.
This could give doctors and researchers a better chance to design effective interventions that can prevent developmental disorders later in childhood.

Speaker:
Barry M. Lester, PhD
Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics
Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Lester is the Founding Director of the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women and Infants. The Center includes research, diagnostic and treatment services and training across a range of at risk populations from birth through adolescence. Dr. Lester was trained as a developmental psychologist and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatrics. The focus of his research is on the interface of biological and social factors that shape developmental outcomes in children at risk.

Jessica Snowden: The Tip of the Iceberg: Understanding the Long-Term Impact of COVID-19
2022-06-08 13:00 - 14:00
Jessica Snowden: The Tip of the Iceberg: Understanding the Long-Term Impact of COVID-19
ECHO Discovery Summary
Key Takeaways:

Many people who develop COVID-19 experience long-term effects and ongoing health problems after their infection—a condition known as long COVID.
Researchers are still working to understand the best strategies to diagnose and treat long COVID, and these strategies may inform programs, policies, and practices.
ECHO cohorts and IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) sites across 14 different states in the United States, have enrolled children and their parents in the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) study—an NIH initiative to define long COVID, determine what causes it, and identify strategies to diagnose and manage it.
In an effort to improve vaccination uptake in children, the ISPCTN is starting the Improving COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Using mHEALTH Tools (MoVeUP) study that will explore methods for helping families make decisions about vaccinating their children.

Speaker:
Jessica Snowden, MD, MS, MHPTT
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Research Institute

Speaker Bio:
Jessica Snowden, MD, MS, MHPTT, is Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is the Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics and Associate Director of Clinical and Translational Research at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute. Dr. Snowden received her BS and MD at Texas A&M Health Sciences Center and her Masters degrees (MS Clinical Research; MHPTT Health Professions Teaching and Technology) from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Date: Wednesday, June 8th, 1 to 2pm ET
Slides

Peter James: Green Spaces and Health: Novel Metrics in Exposure and Outcome Assessment
2022-05-11 13:00 - 14:00
Peter James: Green Spaces and Health: Novel Metrics in Exposure and Outcome Assessment
ECHO Discovery Summary
On May 11, Peter James, ScD, MHS of Harvard presented for ECHO Discovery on the relationship between natural environments, like green spaces and parks, and overall health.
Recently, researchers have been able to study this relationship more closely using a combination of digital tools, including smartphone applications, wearable devices, and Google Street View. Researchers can use device GPS information to track the time a participant spends in natural environments. Additionally, they can use Google Street View to collect more detailed data on the kinds of natural elements the participant encounters.
The detailed data from these studies could help to inform future interventions that focus on increasing access to the natural elements that have the largest measurable effect on health. Dr. James noted that ensuring more equitable access to natural environments could increase overall health and well-being and may help to decrease socioeconomic health disparities.

Speaker:
Peter James, ScD, MHS
Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute; Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health

Speaker Bio:
Peter James, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, as well as in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. His research focuses on estimating the influence of spatial factors, including exposure to green space, the built environment, the food environment, air pollution, light pollution, noise, and socioeconomic factors, on health behaviors, mental health, and chronic disease. He has over a decade of experience working with large prospective cohort studies, including the Nurses’ Health Studies, the Framingham Heart Study, the Southern Community Cohort Study, and Project Viva, where he has aided in the creation of many spatial exposure metrics and linked them to health data. Most recently, he is creating novel metrics of spatial factors by applying Deep Learning algorithms to Google Street View imagery.
Slides
Date: Wednesday, May 11th, 1 to 2pm ET
