This application for a K23 Mentored Career Development Award incorporates a focused course of study, detailed research plan, and structured mentoring environment intended to train Emily Oken, MD, for a career in patient-oriented research. Dr. Oken, who is currently a General Internal Medicine research fellow, will draw upon her previous experience performing epidemiologic research focused upon nutrition and health risk behaviors, as well as clinical expertise in internal medicine, women's health, and pediatrics. A woman's nutrition during pregnancy helps determine the outcome of her pregnancy and the lifelong health of herself and her child. The proposed study will examine the effects of the ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids consumed by a woman during pregnancy upon fetal growth, length of gestation, and child cognition through age 3 years. Additionally, characteristics of women who consume a low dietary ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids will be identified, to help those making dietary choices and recommendations. Data for this proposal are being collected through Project Viva, an ongoing NIH-funded longitudinal prospective cohort study of approximately 2700 pregnant women and their children. The prospective design, large sample size, and breadth of available covariate information in Project Viva provide an ideal foundation for the proposed analyses. Dr. Matthew Gillman, the Principal Investigator for Project Viva, will serve as the primary mentor for Dr. Oken's research. Additionally, an Advisory Committee comprised of experts in nutritional epidemiology, the effects of prenatal fatty acids, epidemiologic methods, and biostatistics will assist Dr. Oken with issues of study design and analysis, as well as career development. Dr. Oken wilt also take courses at the Harvard School of Public Health to develop advanced knowledge of nutritional epidemiology, in particular the health effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and epidemiologic methods necessary for the implementation of this project, such as the case-cohort study design and analysis of longitudinal data.
| van Rossem, Lenie; Taveras, Elsie M; Gillman, Matthew W et al. (2011) Is the association of breastfeeding with child obesity explained by infant weight change? Int J Pediatr Obes 6:e415-22 |
| Donahue, Sara M A; Rifas-Shiman, Sheryl L; Gold, Diane R et al. (2011) Prenatal fatty acid status and child adiposity at age 3 y: results from a US pregnancy cohort. Am J Clin Nutr 93:780-8 |
| Oken, Emily (2010) Fish intake and mercury levels: only part of the picture. J Pediatr 157:10-2 |
| Donahue, Sara M A; Kleinman, Ken P; Gillman, Matthew W et al. (2010) Trends in birth weight and gestational length among singleton term births in the United States: 1990-2005. Obstet Gynecol 115:357-64 |
| Oken, Emily (2009) Excess gestational weight gain amplifies risks among obese mothers. Epidemiology 20:82-3 |
| Oken, Emily; Braverman, Lewis E; Platek, Deborah et al. (2009) Neonatal thyroxine, maternal thyroid function, and child cognition. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94:497-503 |
| Oken, Emily (2009) Maternal and child obesity: the causal link. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 36:361-77, ix-x |
| Oken, Emily; Kleinman, Ken P; Belfort, Mandy B et al. (2009) Associations of gestational weight gain with short- and longer-term maternal and child health outcomes. Am J Epidemiol 170:173-80 |
| Donahue, S M A; Rifas-Shiman, S L; Olsen, S F et al. (2009) Associations of maternal prenatal dietary intake of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids with maternal and umbilical cord blood levels. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 80:289-96 |
| Schmidt, Marie Evans; Rich, Michael; Rifas-Shiman, Sheryl L et al. (2009) Television viewing in infancy and child cognition at 3 years of age in a US cohort. Pediatrics 123:e370-5 |
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