ECHO

Diana Pacyga, M.S., PhD: Does adherence to U.S. dietary guidelines during pregnancy reduce exposure to over 50 contemporary and understudied chemicals?
2025-06-11 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Does adherence to U.S. dietary guidelines during pregnancy reduce exposure to over 50 contemporary and understudied chemicals?
Key Takeaways: Diet is an important source of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which are linked to adverse maternal and child health outcomes. Aside from consuming fresh foods or restricting processed/packaged food intake, there are no comprehensive recommendations for reducing dietary EDC exposures during pregnancy. Current U.S. dietary guidelines for pregnancy, which promote healthy diets to support fetal development, do not factor in the presence of EDCs in foods. In this ECHO-wide study, we aimed to evaluate whether better adherence to dietary guidelines reduces exposure to over 50 contemporary and understudied EDCs, including phthalates and their replacements, pesticides, phenols, organophosphate esters, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Diana Pacyga, M.S., PhD
T32 Postdoctoral Trainee, Department of Epidemiology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Speaker Biography:
Diana Pacyga is a T32 Postdoctoral Trainee in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her current research focuses on two areas: investigating diet as a source of chemical exposure and evaluating the neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal and early life chemical exposures.
She previously earned a dual Ph.D. in Human Nutrition and Environmental Toxicology from Michigan State University, where she was part of a multidisciplinary program spanning the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Environmental and Integrative Toxicological Sciences program.
Diana is trained in environmental, molecular, nutritional, and perinatal epidemiology, and has experience studying how chemical and non-chemical stressors during critical life stages—like pregnancy, infancy, and midlife—can affect maternal and child health.
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Dr. Maxwell Mansolf - Predictors of Child Eating and Parent Feeding in the ECHO Cohort
2025-08-13 13:00 - 14:00
Predictors of Child Eating and Parent Feeding in the ECHO Cohort
Key Takeaways: Dr. Mansolf will present findings from a study using data from over 3,500 children in the ECHO cohort to examine the complex relationships between child eating behaviors and parental feeding practices. Using machine learning approaches such as random forests and regression trees, the research identified key predictors of these behaviors, revealing both independent and interdependent patterns. Results showed that caregiver and child age were the strongest predictors, followed by caregiver stress, child BMI, and social support. These findings highlight potential intervention opportunities and provide new insights into the multifaceted nature of family food dynamics and their implications for child nutritional health.

Maxwell Mansolf, PhD
Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences
Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine
Co-PI, ECHO Measurement Core
Speaker Biography:
Dr. Maxwell Mansolf is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. His research focuses on psychometric methods and child health outcomes, with expertise in classical test theory, item response theory, and computerized adaptive testing. Dr. Mansolf serves as a data scientist on large-scale longitudinal studies, including the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort, where he manages and analyzes harmonized data from 69 cohorts to advance understanding of child health and development. His recent work includes developing assessment tools such as the NIH Baby Toolbox neurodevelopmental assessment system and contributing to psychometric research published in venues including Multivariate Behavioral Research and the Handbook of Structural Equation Modeling. He is proficient in R statistical programming and recently published the AlignLV package to CRAN. Dr. Mansolf is also author of an upcoming Cambridge University Press textbook on MATLAB programming for non-technical audiences.
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Chang Liu, Ph.D: Early Childhood BMI Trajectories and Weight Status Lability: Leveraging ECHO's Longitudinal Data to Identify Critical Developmental Patterns
2025-09-10 13:00 - 14:00
Early Childhood BMI Trajectories and Weight Status Lability: Leveraging ECHO’s Longitudinal Data to Identify Critical Developmental Patterns
Key Takeaways: Dr. Liu will present findings from three studies using data from thousands of children in the ECHO cohort to examine early childhood BMI development and its implications for future health risks.

Distinct BMI Trajectory Patterns: About 10% of children show rapid increases in BMI starting at age 3.5, reaching an average BMI exceeding the 99th percentile by age 9.
BMI Z-score Lability: This new risk indicator highlights factors like breastfeeding and neighborhood resources that influence weight status fluctuations.
Developmental outcomes: The third study explored how early BMI z-score lability patterns predict developmental outcomes in middle childhood.

These findings provide new insights into early childhood development and potential intervention opportunities.

Chang Liu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology
Washington State University
Co-I of ECHO Cohorts 12101/12102/12103
Speaker Biography:
Dr. Chang Liu, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Washington State University studies how developmental processes and mechanisms shape resilience vs. maladjustment in children and mothers. Her work integrates multiple levels of analysis, including prenatal adversities, genetic influences, and early parental. This has led to three lines of social-emotional development research focused on children’s regulation vs. maladjustment: characterizing dynamic change and how parents and children co-regulate emotions, the relationship between genes, pre- and post- natal environment influences, and the impact of different contexts of development on risk and resilience in children and mothers. Recently she began examining childhood obesity, using innovative longitudinal methodologies and concepts like body mass index (BMI) z-score lability.
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Christine Loftus, MS, MPH, Ph.D: Where there’s smoke… there’s action? What ECHO can do to protect children from wildfire smoke
2025-10-08 13:00 - 14:00
Where there’s smoke… there’s action? What ECHO can do to protect children from wildfire smoke
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Key Takeaways:
Wildfire smoke exposure is a growing public health crisis, causing significant harm to children nationwide. In 2025 alone, an estimated 12,000 ECHO participants have experienced at least one serious smoke event. Dr. Loftus’s presentation will describe wildfire smoke research in progress across the ECHO Program, including a new study collecting time-sensitive data after smoke events, aiming to characterize short-term health impacts and parents’ efforts to reduce child smoke exposure. Dr. Loftus will also discuss potential future research directions for the program, focusing on solution-oriented studies that leverage key strengths of the ECHO Cohort.

Christine Loftus, MS, MPH, Ph.D
Clinical Associate Professor
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
University of Washington
Project Director within Cohort 306
Award PI: ECHO Opportunities and Innovation Fund (OIF)
Co-chair: ECHO Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke Interest Group
Speaker Biography:
Dr. Christine Loftus is a Clinical Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington. Her research program focuses on environmental exposures and child health, including through applications of advanced study designs and statistical methods, community-engaged methods for remote and rural settings, and intervention research. She served as the science director of the PATHWAYS Consortium in ECHO Cycle 1 and is currently the project director of a new ECHO site in the Yakima Valley, recruiting new pregnancies. She’s the co-chair of the ECHO Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke Interest Group and is principal investigator of an ECHO Opportunities and Innovation Fund award in progress, The Development and Evaluation of a Wildfire Smoke Protocol for Rapid Response (WiSPRR).
Keywords: Wildfires, smoke, interventions, disaster response
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Ricardo Bertolla, PhD: Paternal effects on child health and development: where are we now, where do we need to be?
2025-11-12 13:00 - 14:00
Paternal effects on child health and development: where are we now, where do we need to be?
Key Takeaways: For this talk, Dr. Bertolla will focus on what is currently known about paternal effects on obstetric outcomes that could impact child health and development, and on direct paternal effects that have been shown to impact child health and development. Dr. Bertolla will focus on both animal and human studies. He will also present information of these outcomes in infertility cohorts, where paternal effects have been particularly important in child health and development.

Ricardo Bertolla, PhD
Associate Professor
C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Wayne State University, School of Medicine
Speaker Biography: Dr. Bertolla is an Associate Professor at the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development at Wayne State University. His research is focused on cellular and molecular mechanisms of male infertility.
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Allan C. Just, PhD: Air pollution and temperature as spatial factors impacting child health
2025-12-10 13:00 - 14:00
Air pollution and temperature as spatial factors impacting child health
Key Takeaways: For this talk, Dr. Just explores how air pollution and temperature act as spatial factors impacting child health, with a focus on advanced exposure modeling using satellite data and machine learning. It highlights unique opportunities within the ECHO program to build spatiotemporal exposure models, integrate diverse data sources, and improve the accuracy of environmental health studies. Dr. Just also discusses technical challenges, model comparisons, and the importance of analyzing short-term exposures and humidity’s role in heat-related health outcomes.

Allan C. Just, PhD
Nazareth-Ferguson Family University Associate Professor
of Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology and
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society
Speaker Biography: Allan C. Just, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology and the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society at Brown University. Dr. Just specializes in environmental exposure modeling and epidemiology, leveraging satellite data and earth observations to enhance exposure assessment for large health registries and cohort studies. Dr. Just is recognized for advancing methodologies in air pollution and temperature modeling to support child health research.
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Jean Kerver, PhD, MSc, RD: Incorporating Early Life Micronutrient Status in ECHO studies of Neurodevelopment
2026-01-14 13:00 - 14:00
Incorporating Early Life Micronutrient Status in ECHO studies of Neurodevelopment
Key Takeaways:
It is known that early life nutrition, including pregnancy diet and infant feeding, is critical for brain development, yet the impact of the suboptimal micronutrient status of the US population is unknown. In this presentation, Dr. Kerver discusses micronutrient status, highlighting biomarkers rather than dietary intake, and its impact on neurodevelopment. She reviews often overlooked interactions between nutrients and environmental toxicants. Dr. Kerver suggests areas where ECHO can better leverage existing knowledge about nutrition’s impact on neurodevelopment. She advocates for greater integration of these interactions in ECHO analyses.

Jean Kerver, PhD, MSc, RD
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
College of Human Medicine, Traverse City Campus
Michigan State University
Contact Principal Investigator of ECHO Award 129
Speaker Biography:
Jean Kerver, PhD, MSC, RD, is the contact Principal Investigator of ECHO Award 129 at Michigan State University. An epidemiologist and registered dietitian, Dr. Kerver investigates perinatal causes of childhood disorders and develops strategies to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors among families experiencing poverty or other challenges. Based in Traverse City, Dr. Kerver supports MSU’s College of Human Medicine rural research network initiative. Her primary research focuses on micronutrients and neurodevelopment, with an emphasis on biomarkers and exposures.
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Courtney K Blackwell, PhD, MEd: The kids are(n’t) alright: The role of social media in youth mental health
2026-02-11 13:00 - 14:00
The kids are(n’t) alright: The role of social media in youth mental health
Key Takeaways: The parallel rise of youth mental health problems and social media use has led to speculations that the latter is a key contributor to the former. The US Surgeon General’s Advisory bolstered such speculations with a recent report detailing the potential harmful effects of social media use on youth mental health. However, others suggest engaging in social media can have positive psychological influences by increasing social connectedness and providing opportunities for creative self-expression and identity exploration. Dr. Blackwell will explore this duality by reviewing what we know about youth social media use and mental health outcomes, highlighting recent and on-going ECHO studies on this topic. She will also provide insight into the ECHO media use data more broadly to inspire future work leveraging the ECHO Cohort.

Courtney K Blackwell, PhD, MEd
she/her/hers
Associate Professor
Department of Medical Social Sciences (Outcome and Measurement Science)
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
MPI, ECHO Measurement Core
Biography:
Courtney Blackwell, PhD, MEd, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is the MPI of the ECHO Measurement Core and has expertise in the development, validation, and implementation of patient-reported outcome measures and population health surveys for use across the lifespan, general and clinical populations, and health domains. Her research on pediatric mental health and well-being emphasizes promotive and protective factors of children’s positive psychological health. With a background in communication studies and the effects of digital media on child development, Dr. Blackwell has spent the past 10 years collaborating with such organizations as Common Sense Media, Sesame Workshop, PBS, Google, and Code.org on national surveys of children’s media use, the development and evaluation of educational media products, and investigations of the effects of digital media on children’s learning and development. She is also a Faculty Affiliate with the Northwestern University Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences (“DevSci”) and the Northwestern Institute for Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being.
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Alicia Peterson, PhD: Early-Life PFAS Exposure and Child Health: Evidence from the NIH ECHO Cohort
2026-03-11 13:00 - 14:00
Early Life PFAS Exposure and Child Health: Evidence from the NIH ECHO Cohort
Key Takeaways: The widespread presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment has raised concerns about their potential impacts on child health. This presentation will explore the current state of knowledge by reviewing PFAS exposure and child health research within the ECHO Program. The talk will highlight the PFAS data available through ECHO, summarize key findings from ECHO-supported studies, and examine evidence linking prenatal and early life PFAS exposure to a range of health outcomes. It will also discuss the strengths of the ECHO platform, identify remaining research gaps, and consider future directions to advance understanding and prevention of PFAS-related health impacts in children.

Alicia Peterson, PhD
Staff Scientist
Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Division of Research
Women’s and Children’s Health Section

Biography:
Alicia Peterson, PhD, is a Staff Scientist in the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. A perinatal and environmental epidemiologist by training, her research focuses on sensitive windows of exposure across the preconception, prenatal, and early-life periods. She examines environmental contaminants and metabolic exposures that may influence in utero programming and shape later growth, metabolic health, and pubertal development.
Dr. Peterson has been involved in ECHO since 2017, initially completing her dissertation within the Cycle 1 MADRES Cohort. She now serves as a Co-Investigator in the Kaiser Permanente pregnancy and pediatric cohorts. She previously served as Co-Chair of the ECHO PFAS Special Interest Group and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Chemical and Physical Exposures Working Group. She is also the recipient of an ECHO Cycle 2, Round 1 Opportunities and Innovation Fund (OIF) award examining early-life air pollution exposure and pubertal development.
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Elissa Z Faro, PhD: Participant Experience in Longitudinal Research
2026-04-08 13:00 - 14:00
Participant Experience in Longitudinal Research
Key Takeaways:
During this presentation, Dr. Faro will provide an overview of the current research on participant experience in longitudinal research. She will also present the analysis and results of the “Characterizing Participant Experience in Longitudinal Research: How and Why Engagement Matters in the ECHO Program” research. Positive experiences in research are multidimensional. Respectful, family-centered interpersonal relationships with staff, as well as practical aspects such as efficient scheduling, manageable survey lengths, and clear communication, are equally crucial for maintaining engagement and satisfaction. Finally, Dr. Faro will reflect on how the current participant engagement work in ECHO Cycle 2 reflects and attends to these principles.

Elissa Z Faro, PhD
Elissa Z Faro, PhD
Manager, Associate Member
Center for Discovery & Innovation @ Hackensack Meridian Health
Associate Professor | Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Biography:
Dr. Elissa Zoe Faro is a medical anthropologist and implementation scientist at the Center for Discovery and Innovation, where her research focuses on improving healthcare delivery and outcomes for underserved populations in the U.S. and globally. She applies ethnographic and mixed‑methods research to understand contextual factors influencing real‑world practice and to bridge the gap between evidence‑based interventions and their implementation in clinical, public health, and community settings. Her work spans diverse areas, including pediatric emergency care, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health implementation, and health equity. In addition to her Participant Engagement and Evaluation work on ECHO, Dr. Faro currently serves as the contact Principal Investigator for an NIMH‑funded R01 three-variable hybrid implementation-effectiveness-context trial and as a Senior Implementation Scientist for the NIH IMPROVE initiative, both focused on improving maternal health outcomes. She has held academic appointments at institutions including the University of Iowa, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dartmouth College, and Brown University.
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