- April 15, 2025
Early-Life Exposure to Air and Light Pollution Linked to Increased Risk of Pediatric Thyroid Cancer
- April 14, 2025
Laboring for Change: Reimagining Black Maternal Health Equity
- March 24, 2025
Data Scientists Discuss Digital Health Equity at Yale Conference
- November 21, 2024Source: Nature Biotechnology
Lab-grown breast milk
Maternal and Child Health
Yale School of Public Health scientists are researching a range of maternal and child health conditions and behaviors to promote healthier outcomes for mothers and their newborns. This work includes genetic susceptibilities and nutritional and environmental exposures during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
Additionally, YSPH focuses on the impacts that mental health, poverty and other disparities have on maternal and child health. This research is implemented through prospective birth cohorts, pre-conception cohorts, randomized controlled trials and mass spectrometry analysis.
Our research areas include:
- Miscarriage risks
- Air pollution exposure and fetal growth
- Obesity and how it affects gestational diabetes on childhood metabolic health
- Genetic pathways associated with pre-eclampsia and childhood asthma
- Breastfeeding promotion and policy
- Maternal mental health outcomes
- Housing access and health equity
Focus Magazine - Spring 2022
A Call to Action for Maternal & Child Health
Recent Publications
- Examining the Role of Posttraumatic Stress and Depressive Symptoms in HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Motivation Among Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.Phillips KA, Kernshaw T, Alexander KA, Sharpless L, Katague M, Willie TC. AIDS Behav. 2025 Feb; 2024 Nov 25. PMID: 39581904.
- Empowering Global Health Systems to Protect, Promote and Support Optimal Breastfeeding.Zhu DT, Gupta T, Pérez-Escamilla R. Matern Child Nutr. 2025 Jan; 2024 Oct 31. PMID: 39482833.
- Impact of COVID-19 on women living with HIV who are survivors of intimate partner violence.Zhang X, Price CR, Pope AS, Sullivan TP, Meyer JP. BMC Public Health. 2024 May 20; 2024 May 20. PMID: 38769576.
- Developing Researchers with Expertise in Sex as a Biological Variable through SCORE Career Enhancement Core Center Programs.Zakiniaeiz Y, Peltier MR, Mineur YS, Gueorguieva R, Picciotto MR, Petrakis I, Cosgrove KP, McKee SA. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2023 Aug. PMID: 37585509.
- Birth weight, adult body size, and risk of colorectal cancer.Su L, Hendryx M, Li M, Pichardo MS, Jung SY, Lane DS, Chlebowski R, Sun Y, Li C, Luo J. Cancer Epidemiol. 2023 Aug; 2023 Jul 4. PMID: 37413805.
- Preexposure Prophylaxis Implementation in a Reproductive Health Setting: Perspectives From Planned Parenthood Providers and Leaders.Wilbourn B, Ogburn DF, Safon CB, Galvao RW, Kershaw TS, Willie TC, Taggart T, Caldwell A, Kaplan C, Phillips N, Calabrese SK. Health Promot Pract. 2023 Jul; 2022 Apr 12. PMID: 35414273.
- Adherence to the American Cancer Society Guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention and obesity-related cancer risk and mortality in Black and Latina Women's Health Initiative participants.Pichardo MS, Esserman D, Ferrucci LM, Molina Y, Chlebowski RT, Pan K, Garcia DO, Lane DS, Shadyab AH, Lopez-Pentecost M, Luo J, Kato I, Springfield S, Rosal MC, Bea JW, Cespedes Feliciano EM, Qi L, Nassir R, Snetselaar L, Manson J, Bird C, Irwin ML. Cancer. 2022 Oct; 2022 Aug 23. PMID: 35996861.
- Features and Impact of Trust-Based Relationships Between Community Health Workers and Low-Resource Perinatal Women with Chronic Health Conditions.Boyd LM, Mehra R, Thomas J, Lewis JB, Cunningham SD. Matern Child Health J. 2021 Dec; 2021 Oct 21. PMID: 34674101.
- Trauma Exposure and Intimate Partner Violence Among Young Pregnant Women in Liberia.Sileo KM, Kershaw TS, Gilliam S, Taylor E, Kommajosula A, Callands TA. J Interpers Violence. 2021 Nov; 2019 Oct 18. PMID: 31625468.
- Associations Between Reproductive Coercion, Partner Violence, and Mental Health Symptoms Among Young Black Women in Baltimore, Maryland.Alexander KA, Willie TC, McDonald-Mosley R, Campbell JC, Miller E, Decker MR. J Interpers Violence. 2021 Sep; 2019 Jul 11. PMID: 31296104.
- Patterns of recommended vaccine receipt among women ages 24-45 years: a cross-sectional analysis.Ellingson MK, Oliveira CR, Sheth SS, Sullivan EL, Torres A, Shapiro ED, Niccolai LM. BMC Public Health. 2021 Jul 1; 2021 Jul 1. PMID: 34193100.
- Associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Sexual Risk among Postpartum Women.Thomas JL, Lewis JB, Ickovics JR, Cunningham SD. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 6; 2021 Apr 6. PMID: 33917634.
- Association between coarse particulate matter and inflammatory and hemostatic markers in a cohort of midlife women.Davis E, Malig B, Broadwin R, Ebisu K, Basu R, Gold EB, Qi L, Derby CA, Park SK, Wu XM. Environ Health. 2020 Nov 5; 2020 Nov 5. PMID: 33153486.
- Preparing to introduce new maternal immunizations in low- and lower-middle-income countries: A report from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation convening "Allies in Maternal and Newborn Care"; May 3-4, 2018.Sobanjo-Ter Meulen A, Liljestrand J, Lawn JE, Hombach J, Smith J, Dickson KE, Munoz FM, Omer SB, Williams BA, Klugman KP. Vaccine. 2020 Jun 9; 2020 May 14. PMID: 32418791.
- Applying concepts of life course theory and life course epidemiology to the study of bladder health and lower urinary tract symptoms among girls and women.Brady SS, Berry A, Camenga DR, Fitzgerald CM, Gahagan S, Hardacker CT, Harlow BL, Hebert-Beirne J, LaCoursiere DY, Lewis JB, Low LK, Lowder JL, Markland AD, McGwin G, Newman DK, Palmer MH, Shoham DA, Smith AL, Stapleton A, Williams BR, Sutcliffe S. Neurourol Urodyn. 2020 Apr; 2020 Mar 2. PMID: 32119156.
- The power of peers: an effectiveness evaluation of a cluster-controlled trial of group antenatal care in rural Nepal.Thapa P, Bangura AH, Nirola I, Citrin D, Belbase B, Bogati B, Nirmala BK, Khadka S, Kunwar L, Halliday S, Choudhury N, Ozonoff A, Tenpa J, Schwarz R, Adhikari M, Kalaunee SP, Rising S, Maru D, Maru S. Reprod Health. 2019 Oct 22; 2019 Oct 22. PMID: 31640770.
- The role of epigenetic aging in education and racial/ethnic mortality disparities among older U.S. Women.Liu Z, Chen BH, Assimes TL, Ferrucci L, Horvath S, Levine ME. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019 Jun; 2019 Feb 6. PMID: 30784901.
- The effect of a community health worker intervention on public satisfaction: evidence from an unregistered outcome in a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.Larson E, Geldsetzer P, Mboggo E, Lema IA, Sando D, Ekström AM, Fawzi W, Foster DW, Kilewo C, Li N, Machumi L, Magesa L, Mujinja P, Mungure E, Mwanyika-Sando M, Naburi H, Siril H, Spiegelman D, Ulenga N, Bärnighausen T. Hum Resour Health. 2019 Mar 29; 2019 Mar 29. PMID: 30922341.
- A case-control study of exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and risk of thyroid cancer in women.Deziel NC, Yi H, Stapleton HM, Huang H, Zhao N, Zhang Y. BMC Cancer. 2018 Jun 5; 2018 Jun 5. PMID: 29871608.
- Examining Material Hardship in Mothers: Associations of Diaper Need and Food Insufficiency with Maternal Depressive Symptoms.Austin AE, Smith MV. Health Equity. 2017; 2017 Sep 1. PMID: 29082357.
- Maternal Medical Complexity: Impact on Prenatal Health Care Spending among Women at Low Risk for Cesarean Section.Cunningham SD, Herrera C, Udo IE, Kozhimannil KB, Barrette E, Magriples U, Ickovics JR. Womens Health Issues. 2017 Sep-Oct; 2017 Apr 15. PMID: 28420558.
- Post-diagnosis body mass index and mortality among women diagnosed with endometrial cancer: Results from the Women's Health Initiative.Arem H, Pfeiffer RM, Moore SC, Irwin ML, LaMonte MJ, Sarto GE, Nassir R, Luo J, Chlebowski RT, Brinton LA, Matthews CE. PLoS One. 2017; 2017 Feb 2. PMID: 28152055.
- Patient Perception of Enough Time Spent With Provider Is a Mechanism for Improving Women Veterans' Experiences With VA Outpatient Health Care.Trentalange M, Bielawski M, Murphy TE, Lessard K, Brandt C, Bean-Mayberry B, Maisel NC, Wright SM, Allore H, Skanderson M, Reyes-Harvey E, Gaetano V, Haskell S, Bastian LA. Eval Health Prof. 2016 Dec; 2016 Feb 22. PMID: 26908572.
- Gene-based analysis identified the gene ZNF248 is associated with late-onset asthma in African Americans.Wang L, Salinas YD, DeWan AT. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016 Jul; 2016 May 27. PMID: 27238579.
- Multiethnic genome-wide association study identifies ethnic-specific associations with body mass index in Hispanics and African Americans.Salinas YD, Wang L, DeWan AT. BMC Genet. 2016 Jun 13; 2016 Jun 13. PMID: 27296613.
- Annual Women's Issue.Krumholz HM. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2016 Feb. PMID: 26908853.
- Genetic variants associated with longer telomere length are associated with increased lung cancer risk among never-smoking women in Asia: a report from the female lung cancer consortium in Asia.Machiela MJ, Hsiung CA, Shu XO, Seow WJ, Wang Z, Matsuo K, Hong YC, Seow A, Wu C, Hosgood HD 3rd, Chen K, Wang JC, Wen W, Cawthon R, Chatterjee N, Hu W, Caporaso NE, Park JY, Chen CJ, Kim YH, Kim YT, Landi MT, Shen H, Lawrence C, Burdett L, Yeager M, Chang IS, Mitsudomi T, Kim HN, Chang GC, Bassig BA, Tucker M, Wei F, Yin Z, An SJ, Qian B, Lee VH, Lu D, Liu J, Jeon HS, Hsiao CF, Sung JS, Kim JH, Gao YT, Tsai YH, Jung YJ, Guo H, Hu Z, Hutchinson A, Wang WC, Klein RJ, Chung CC, Oh IJ, Chen KY, Berndt SI, Wu W, Chang J, Zhang XC, Huang MS, Zheng H, Wang J, Zhao X, Li Y, Choi JE, Su WC, Park KH, Sung SW, Chen YM, Liu L, Kang CH, Hu L, Chen CH, Pao W, Kim YC, Yang TY, Xu J, Guan P, Tan W, Su J, Wang CL, Li H, Sihoe AD, Zhao Z, Chen Y, Choi YY, Hung JY, Kim JS, Yoon HI, Cai Q, Lin CC, Park IK, Xu P, Dong J, Kim C, He Q, Perng RP, Kohno T, Kweon SS, Chen CY, Vermeulen RC, Wu J, Lim WY, Chen KC, Chow WH, Ji BT, Chan JK, Chu M, Li YJ, Yokota J, Li J, Chen H, Xiang YB, Yu CJ, Kunitoh H, Wu G, Jin L, Lo YL, Shiraishi K, Chen YH, Lin HC, Wu T, Wong MP, Wu YL, Yang PC, Zhou B, Shin MH, Fraumeni JF Jr, Zheng W, Lin D, Chanock SJ, Rothman N, Lan Q. Int J Cancer. 2015 Jul 15; 2014 Dec 29. PMID: 25516442.
- Gender differences in the trajectory of recovery in health status among young patients with acute myocardial infarction: results from the variation in recovery: role of gender on outcomes of young AMI patients (VIRGO) study.Dreyer RP, Wang Y, Strait KM, Lorenze NP, D'Onofrio G, Bueno H, Lichtman JH, Spertus JA, Krumholz HM. Circulation. 2015 Jun 2; 2015 Apr 10. PMID: 25862743.
- Diet quality and survival after ovarian cancer: results from the Women's Health Initiative.Thomson CA, E Crane T, Wertheim BC, Neuhouser ML, Li W, Snetselaar LG, Basen-Engquist KM, Zhou Y, Irwin ML. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014 Nov; 2014 Oct 21. PMID: 25335480.
- Body mass index, physical activity, and mortality in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer: results from the Women's Health Initiative.Zhou Y, Chlebowski R, LaMonte MJ, Bea JW, Qi L, Wallace R, Lavasani S, Walsh BW, Anderson G, Vitolins M, Sarto G, Irwin ML. Gynecol Oncol. 2014 Apr. PMID: 24680584.
- Walking speed, physical activity, and breast cancer in postmenopausal women.Kwan K, Chlebowski RT, McTiernan A, Rodabough RJ, La Monte MJ, Martin LW, Bell C, Lane DS, Kaplan RC, Irwin ML. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2014 Jan. PMID: 23669264.
- Body mass index, physical activity, and survival after endometrial cancer diagnosis: results from the Women's Health Initiative.Arem H, Chlebowski R, Stefanick ML, Anderson G, Wactawski-Wende J, Sims S, Gunter MJ, Irwin ML. Gynecol Oncol. 2013 Feb; 2012 Nov 2. PMID: 23127972.
- Recent abuse from in-laws and associations with adverse experiences during the crisis among rural Ivorian women: extended families as part of the ecological model.Falb KL, Annan J, Hossain M, Topolska M, Kpebo D, Gupta J. Glob Public Health. 2013; 2013 Jul 4. PMID: 23826969.
- Physical activity and survival in postmenopausal women with breast cancer: results from the women's health initiative.Irwin ML, McTiernan A, Manson JE, Thomson CA, Sternfeld B, Stefanick ML, Wactawski-Wende J, Craft L, Lane D, Martin LW, Chlebowski R. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2011 Apr. PMID: 21464032.
Click here to download the full summary of YSPH 2023 research findings in publication.
for Faculty working in this area.
Centers and other resources
- Empower Neighborhoods and Relationships to Improve Community Health (ENRICH)ENRICH explores the impact of people and environments on individuals and communities, and in collaboration with communities, develops programs to improve community health.
- Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly (BBF): A Guide to Global Scale UpThis evidence-informed initiative is designed to help countries identify the strength of their breastfeeding-friendly environment and to improve breastfeeding policies and programs.
- Center for Perinatal, Pediatric and Environmental Epidemiology (CPPEE)CPPEE aims, through epidemiologic studies, to investigate the impact of environmental, genetic, and clinical factors on pregnancy, birth, and childhood.
- Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE)CARE promotes the prevention of chronic diseases by focusing on social, environmental, and behavioral risk factors.
- Caroline Johnson LabJohnson Lab explores sex-specific differences in metabolism that influence colorectal cancer etiology, progression, and response to therapeutics.
- Samoan Obesity, lifestyle and Genetic Adaptations Study Group (OLAGA)OLAGA study group aims to understand the origins of obesity among Samoans and other Pacific Islanders to develop relevant interventions to reduce obesity and obesity-related conditions.
- Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center (PRC)The PRC works with community partners to develop and implement community-based approaches to prevent and control chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.