T32 TRAINING PROGRAM IN PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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T-32 TRAINING PROGRAM IN PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

• Nigel Paneth MD MPH
• Professor of Epidemiology and Pediatrics
• Program Director
• Information in this presentation has been
• updated to 9-13-06

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Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training
Grants (T32)

• The T32 program is NIHs primary means of
  supporting graduate and postdoctoral research
  training.
• Only institutions with strong and high-quality
  research programs and that have requisite staff
  and facilities may apply for T32 grants
• The primary objective is to prepare individuals
  for careers that have a significant impact on the
  health-related research needs of the nation.
• The program supports both predoctoral (PhD level)
  and postdoctoral training.
• Trainees are required to pursue full-time
  research training.
• Trainees must be citizens of the US or green card
  holders

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Stipends for FY 2006

• Predoctoral 20,772
• Postdoctoral, by years of experience
• 0 36,996
• 1 38,976 
• 2 41,796 
• 3 43,428 
• 4 45,048 
• 5 46,992 
• 6 48,852 
• 7 or more 51,036

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OTHER BENEFITS AT MSU

• Health insurance for trainee and dependents
• All Tuition and Fees
• Funds sufficient to purchase a computer (which
  becomes MSU property on completion of the
  fellowship)
• At least 500 in travel support to attend a
  scientific meeting. (often matched by the
  graduate school for degree candidates)
• Use of all MSU facilities (pool, gym, etc)

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PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY

• A discipline that uses epidemiologic approaches
  to investigate human health phenomena occurring
  during pregnancy and infancy either as outcomes
  of interest or as exposures that may lead to
  adverse health states in later life.

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TRAINING IN PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY AT MSU

• Program funded by NICHD in May 2005
• The only T-32 training program in the nation
  focused solely on perinatal epidemiology
• We have two post-doctoral and one pre-doctoral
  positions per year
• Support is for two years
• Two training programs funded by NICHD in 2006 for
  reproductive, perinatal and pediatric
  epidemiology.
• Emory University Carol Hogue
• University of Washington Michelle Williams
• These two programs were initially intended for
  pre-doctoral training only, but one post-doctoral
  position has been added to each program

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GOALS AND PHILOSOPHY OF OUR TRAINING PROGRAM AT
MSU

• Trainees are expected to develop their own
  independent research focus, not merely extend the
  research of the faculty.
• Strong emphasis on personal mentoring from
  committed faculty.
• Our aim is to produce top-notch investigators in
  perinatal epidemiology.
• Special educational modules supplement academic
  and research efforts.

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COURSE WORK

• Pre-doctoral students must be enrolled in the PhD
  in epidemiology
• Post-doctoral trainees may or may not take a
  degree program
• Required courses (first two usually taken in year
  1)
• EPI 816 Perinatal Epidemiology
• EPI 935 Scientific Proposal Development
• EPI 945 Molecular Epidemiology
• EPI 827 The Practice of Scientific Integrity (or
  equivalent)

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TRAINING MODULES

• Modules are 20-40 hour supervised experiences
  providing a fuller overview of the scope of
  perinatal epidemiology and/or providing important
  research skills
• Biomedical Research Informatics
• Laboratory Genetics
• Maternal and Child Public Health
• Perinatal Clinical Experiences
• Scholarly Communication

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EXTERNAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

• Alan Leviton MD, Harvard Medical School and
  Boston Childrens Hospital
• David Savitz PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• John Sinclair MD, McMaster and Yale Universities

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DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
James Anthony PhD, Chair

• Program since 1989, Department since 1997.
• 14 FTE faculty (6 biostatisticians, 3 of whom
  lead epidemiologic research)
• Epidemiologic fields represented cancer,
  cardiovascular, clinical, environmental,
  infectious diseases, neurologic, perinatal,
  psychiatric.
• 4-5M in annual external funds
• MSc since 1994 PhD since 2001. 86 MSc and 2 PhD
  theses defended so far
• Current enrollment MSc candidates - 43 PhD
  candidates - 15

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OUR EIGHT TRAINING FACULTY

• Gretchen Birbeck MD (U of Chicago), MPH (UCLA)
• Naomi Breslau PhD (Case-Western Reserve)
• H. Dele Davies MD MSc (Toronto)
• Claudia Holzman DVM (MSU), MPH (U Minn), PhD (U
  of Michigan)
• Nigel Paneth MD (Harvard), MPH (Columbia)
• James Pivarnik PhD (Indiana), MSc (MSU)
• Hossein Rahbar PhD (MSU)
• Ellen Velie PhD (Berkeley)

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GRETCHEN BIRBECK MD MPH THE INTERNATIONAL
NEUROLOGICAL AND PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY PROGRAM
(INPEP)

• Neurologic and psychiatric disorders are
  important global burdens, especially in
  developing countries, where clinical expertise
  and research capacity are lacking. INPEP uses
  epidemiologic methods to study the
  neuro-developmental disabilities, epilepsy,
  central nervous system infections, schizophrenia,
  bipolar disorder, depression and stroke in
  developing countries. Multidisciplinary training
  and collaborations undertaken by INPEP strives to
  place the diseases under study in the appropriate
  social and geopolitical context
• .

Zambian-based RAAZ team
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NAOMI BRESLAU PhD

• Psychiatric epidemiologist trained in sociology
• Major fields of research
• Post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders
  and migraine
• Tobacco dependence.
• Long-term effects of low birthweight on
  intelligence, neuropsychological tests, attention
  and other psychiatric disturbances
• Current major grants
• Collaborative Genetic Study of Nicotine
  Dependence (NCI)
• Epidemiology of Insomnia and Mental Illness in
  Adolescence (NIMH)
• Neuropsychiatric Sequelae of Low Birthweight A
  Follow-up (NIMH)
• ISI highly-cited researcher - among the top
  0.5 most-cited investigators in psychology and
  psychiatry

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Studies of Perinatal Group B Streptococcal
Infections
H. DELE DAVIES, MD, MS (epidemiology)

• Large cohort, case-control and population based
  studies of GBS
• Rich population-based database of GBS infections
  from Alberta, Canada
• Molecular epidemiology of GBS virulence factors
• Investigation of potential vaccine candidates
  such as the streptococcal immunogenic protein
  (SIP)
• Microbial ecology of vaginal tract and relation
  to GBS
• Investigation of the dynamics of GBS colonization
  among pregnant women
• Identification of persistent and transient
  sequence types
• Impact of certain risk factors on colonization

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CLAUDIA HOLZMAN, DVM, MPH, PhD. Preterm
Delivery Vaginal Microbial Ecology Maternal
Mental Health
Part of the POUCH Study Team
Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH)
Study
Research team expertise in epidemiology,
obstetrics, genetics, psychology, sociology,
biostatistics, psychiatry, immunology, pathology,
and microbiology through cross-campus, national
and international collaborations Major goals
identify psychosocial and biologic factors within
pathways to preterm delivery Funding NICHD,
NINR, March of Dimes, Thrasher Research
Foundation, CDC Study sample 3,019 women
enrolled at 15-27 weeks of pregnancy from 52
clinics in 5 Michigan Communities Data
collected maternal interviews and biologic
samples (e.g. maternal blood, urine, hair,
vaginal fluid, salivary cortisol, maternal and
fetal DNA, placentas) Maternal follow-up 2-6
years post-delivery assessments of mental health
trajectories
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NIGEL PANETH MD MPH

• CURRENTLY FUNDED STUDIES
• ELGAN molecular antecedents of brain damage in
  extremely preterm infants. (NIH)
• THOP Phase I/II trial to establish dose of
  thyroid hormone in extremely preterm infants.
  (NIH)
• Conductive education trial Comparison of new and
  conventional approaches to the amelioration of
  cerebral palsy (State of MI)
• PERINATAL BIOTRUST systematic collection of
  biological specimens in pregnancy and at delivery
  for later nested case-control studies (MSU)

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JIM PIVARNIK PhD (kinesiology), MSc
(epidemiology)

• Maternal physical activity and birth weight,
  chronic disease risk factors of offspring
• Maternal and postpartum physical activity and
  obesity prevention
• Pediatric physical activity and chronic disease
  risk factors

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M. HOSSEIN RAHBAR PhD

• ONGOING FUNDED STUDIES
• DCC for Autism and other Developmental
  Disabilities. (funded by CDC, Role PI)
• THOP Phase I/II trial to establish dose of
  thyroid hormone in extremely preterm infants.
  (NIH, Co-I Biostatistician)
• POUCH Etiologic Heterogeneity in Preterm
  Delivery
• (NICHD, Role Statistician)
• Use of Regression Models in Cost-effectiveness
  Analysis
• (AHRQ, Role Co-Investigator)

• Autism Project Team
• Left to right
• Mark Kuhn, Ali Artaman,
• James Siebert, Hossein Rahbar, Joe Bonner,
  Stephen Sharp, Tracey Holland, Patrick Thompson,
  Ken Marable

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ELLEN VELIE PhDLifetime Nutrition/Social Factors
Cancer
Age First Birth Parity
Twinning Pre-eclampsia
Final Height
Lactation
Adiposity
Breast fed
Breast Cancer
Growth/ Puberty
In-utero Growth
Cessation Menses
HRT use
Birthweight
Age at Menarche
Age at Menopause
Maternal Pregnancy Conditions
In Utero Perinatal
Reproductive Years
Childhood
Postmenopausal
Old Age
Conception
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CURRENT TRAINEESand their appointment dates

• Pre-doctoral
• Steven J. Korzeniewski MA, MSc (2006-8)
• Sarah Nechuta MPH (2005-7)
• Post-doctoral
• Eric Kort MD (2006-8)
• Nazish Siddiqi MBBS, MPH (2006-8)
• Jean Kerver PhD (2005-7)

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STEVEN J. KORZENIEWSKI

• Education
• M Sc in Epidemiology, College of Human Medicine,
  MSU
• MA in Health Communication, College of
  Communication Arts Sciences, MSU
• Research Interests
• Cerebral Palsy, Neurodevelopment, Preterm
  Delivery, Neuroimaging
• Doctoral Research Project
• Investigating potential effect modifiers of the
  relationship between moderate levels of bilirubin
  (10 mg/dl) during the neonatal period and
  neurodevelopment to age 16 in Neonatal Brain
  Hemorrhage Study with Dr. Paneth
• Other Current Research Projects
• Tracking CP through 16 years of the NBH study
• 24 hour automated ambulatory blood pressure
  measurements during pregnancy- correlates and
  outcomes (POUCH study data) with Drs Holzman and
  Rahbar
• Master thesis Neuro-imaging for Cerebral Palsy
  A Systematic Review- with Drs. Paneth and Birbeck
  and radiology faculty

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SARAH NECHUTA MPH

• Sarah has an MPH in General Epidemiology with a
  concentration in Public Health Genetics from the
  University of Michigan (2005)
• MPH Thesis Investigation of the Interaction of
  Alcohol or Hormone Replacement Therapy with Known
  Breast Cancer Risk Factors on Breast Cancer Risk
• She is currently a pre-doctoral fellow in the
  perinatal epidemiology training program
• Doctoral Research Project Pregnancy and
  Offspring Birth Characteristics and Maternal
  Premenopausal Breast Cancer Risk - with Dr. Ellen
  Velie.
• We plan to conduct a population-based,
  case-control study using Michigan
  maternally-linked birth certificate data
  (1978-2003) and Michigan state-wide cancer
  registry data (1985-2005) among parous Black and
  White women 50 years of age or less to examine
  the relationships of interest.
• Other Research Kent County Pilot Study for the
  Michigan Alliance for the National Childrens
  Study with Dr. Paneth

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ERIC KORT, MD MSc

• Education and Training
• MSc, Epidemiology Michigan State University
• MD, Michigan State University
• Planned Research
• Molecular epidemiologic approaches to perinatal
  carcinogenesis
• Perinatal markers and determinants in childhood
  cancers
• E2F signaling in the perinatal period, and its
  relationship to normal development and to the
  pathogenesis of childhood cancers

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JEAN KERVER PhD

• Jean has a PhD in Human Nutrition from Michigan
  State University where she returned to school
  after spending 5 years as a Registered Dietitian
  in the Diabetes Research and Training Center at
  the University of Chicago. She is also currently
  enrolled in our Masters Program in Epidemiology.
  
• Jean is interested in the health effects of
  dietary patterns and has written a NIH K99/R00
  grant application whose research goal is to study
  the effects of a heart-healthy diet in pregnant
  women on preterm delivery. She plans to first
  analyze existing data and then to conduct a RCT
  by implementing a heart-healthy diet
  intervention in black and white pregnant women.
  She works principally with Dr. Velie.

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NAZISH SIDDIQI MBBS, MPH

• Education and Training
• MBBS (MD), University of Karachi, Pakistan
• Member (MCPS) and Fellow (FCPS), community
  medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons of
  Pakistan
• MPH, University of Karachi, Pakistan
• Dissertations and projects mainly in the area of
  Maternal and Child health
• Planned Research
• Cognitive and behavioral outcomes in neonatal
  brain hemorrhage (GM/IVH) survivors in NBH
  database

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LIFE IN THE LANSING AREA
Median single-family home price
2005 Boston/Cambridge/Quincy -
413.2K Lansing/East Lansing - 142.2K
Snow in January-February Lansing, MI 19
inches Worcester, MA 19 inches
Annual days over 90? Boston 13 Lansing 10
Annual days below 32? Worcester 141 Lansing 150
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The MSU campus is 8 square miles