Faculty advisor:  Dr. Xiaozhong Wen

Students can assist with any of three projects:

• The first study examines the dynamic changes in maternal e-cigarette/cigarette use around the time of pregnancy (before, during, and after), the determinants of these changes, and their associations with maternal and infant health. We use existing data from two large U.S. national studies with complementary data: 1) the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and 2) the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study.
• A second study examines the extent to which maternal and child consumption of pulse foods influences pregnancy/birth outcomes, cardio-metabolic health, physical growth, and obesity up to perimenopause (mother) or adolescence (child).
• A third study examines how maternal consumption of eggs during pregnancy and postpartum influences health in both the mother and the child. Maternal outcomes include pregnancy and delivery complications, weight change, obesity, and metabolic health up to 6 y postpartum. Child outcomes include birth weight, physical growth, obesity, and egg allergy up to 6 y of age. We will consider effect modification by maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, child sex, and breastfeeding. Research assistants can work on various tasks, including literature review, data cleaning and management, data analysis, and drafting manuscripts. Specific tasks depend on the interests and availability of each research assistant.

Time commitment: 3-6 credits