Past Maternal and Child Health Conferences

Megan Witsoe, Creighton University School of Medicine

Candidate of medicine

BS in honors physiology with minor in maternal and infant development

This study aims to examine the effect of environmental discrimination, specifically related to ozone pollution on birth weight. The research will highlight the importance of considering both individual and environmental factors in assessing low birthweight risk.

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Nancy Jackson, Arizona State University
Doctoral candidate in behavioral health
MS in cognitive psychology 

Our bodies are sensitive to chemicals that we come in contact with early in life, such as during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Many of those chemicals, called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), are commonly found in some sources of drinking water and food, as a result of pesticides, while others are found in everyday consumer products and consequently in breast milk. EDCs have been correlated with cognitive, emotional and reproductive behaviors, including abnormal development of hormones in pregnant mothers and their developing fetuses. There is a correlation between EDCs and various specific physical and mental health conditions among pregnant mothers and their developing children, including infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, preterm birth, poor sleep health, fetal neurodevelopment, as well as with early puberty, neurodegeneration and depression. EDCs are especially harmful for fetuses and children because their bodies are still developing and very sensitive to small amounts of these chemicals. Exposure to EDCs can also lead to other health problems with mental health implications, i.e., diabetes, obesity and thyroid disease. Research also indicates increased negative effects of these chemicals in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units population, and in the general population since the COVID-19 pandemic. Join this session to discuss how this pervasive problem is affecting humans in new ways, and find ways to prevent it.

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Allison Hays, Arizona State University
Doctoral candidate in neuroscience
BS in neuroscience and psychological sciences

Using a monozygotic twin model, we investigated if chronic pain in children is associated with epigenetic markers of three key immune genes, TNF, IL-6, and CRP. These three genes are markers of inflammation and have been associated with chronic stress and chronic illness. Using a twin model allows the assessment of environmental influences while controlling for genetic confounds. 

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Adam Thompson, University of Arizona
Candidate of medicine
MS in health care delivery

The purpose of this research is to understand the prevalence of farm to school programs in low socioeconomic status schools after the passage of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act as well as looking at how prevalence changes with various school-level factors. We also want to understand what is being done at the local, state and federal levels to combat lack of access to nutritious foods in schools.

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Samantha Harker, Arizona State University
Doctoral candidate in neuroscience
BA in medical humanities and English

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental and social communication disorder affecting over 75 million individuals worldwide. Recent research evidence suggests that middle-age adults and older adults with ASD are more likely to be diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease compared to neurotypical adults. Autistic adults have a 2.6 times higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease compared to those without ASD and by 2030, there will be roughly 700,000 older adults diagnosed with ASD in the U.S. To study cognitive aging and ASD, estimates of an individual’s genetic susceptibility to a trait or disease, polygenic risk scores are calculated according to their genotype profile and results from a relevant genome-wide association study. Previous findings found that ASD PRS is related to decreased temporal cortex thickness in neurotypical children.

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