Tormod Rogne, M.D., Ph.D., recently joined the Yale School of Public Health as an assistant professor in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology. His research focuses on perinatal, infectious disease and genetic epidemiology, with the former being at the core of his ongoing and future projects. He applies modern methods ranging from instrumental variable analyses and inverse-probability weighting to mediation and genome-wide association analyses, placing an emphasis on using high-quality data. He took some time out of her busy schedule to tell a little about herself.
Describe in general terms your area of expertise and what you are currently working on.
TR: My main research area is called “perinatal epidemiology,” which you can think of as any human population study related to pregnancy, ranging from reproductive function, to maternal, fetal and newborn complications, and finally, to the long-term consequences of events in pregnancy and early childhood.
While my Ph.D. was in perinatal epidemiology, my postdoc was focused on the genetic risk of infectious diseases. I am now combining these experiences to evaluate the genetic susceptibility to pregnancy and early childhood outcomes. In addition, I am conducting research on the long-term outcomes of assisted reproductive technology, environmental exposures during pregnancy and preterm birth.
What are your longer-term goals in public health?
TR: My goal is to provide robust research that has clinical and policy impact on the care of pregnant women and their offspring. This means identifying groups at particular risk of certain adverse outcomes, and highlighting how we may go about to reduce that risk. Hopefully, I may also help pull some things off the (increasingly long) list of “Do’s and Don’ts” in pregnancy and infant care, although that is often more challenging than putting things onto the list.
How did you first become interested in this field?
TR: The initial spark for perinatal epidemiology was lit early in med school when we learned how the attachment between infants or toddlers and their caregivers is developed, and I was curious about how early daycare may affect this attachment. We now have a toddler ourselves, and I guess I am still curious about that same thing.
How do you feel about joining the Yale School of Public Health?
TR: Overly excited! The opportunity to work with the excellent students, faculty and staff at the Yale School of Public Health is a big privilege, and I will do my part to contribute to the school and the community.
The opportunity to work with the excellent students, faculty and staff at the Yale School of Public Health is a big privilege.
Tormod Rogne
What is one word that describes you, and why?
TR: Curious. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have moved to another continent to pursue an arguably more unpredictable path than working as a physician back home in Norway.
What are some of your interests and activities beyond academia?
TR: I have always enjoyed doing revues and comedy acts, but there has been little of that after med school, unfortunately. And I’m a baritone in choirs, play squash and tennis, and I have grown into a better spectator than player of football.
Learn more about Dr. Tormod Rogne and his research here.
Read about other new YSPH faculty, Terika McCall, Victoria Perez and Ijeoma Opara.