Upcoming Events
The 12th Annual Global Health Day Symposium: Women's Health
Fri., April 14, 12 to 4 P.M., Farber G26
Air Pollution and Women’s Health: Exposure Vulnerability and Biological Susceptibility
Junfeng Zhang, PhD
Duke University
Junfeng Zhang is professor of global and environmental health and chair of the Environmental Science and Policy Division in the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University. He has integrated clinical research, exposure science, toxicology, and epidemiology to examine health effects and underlying biological mechanisms of air pollution exposure. His work has involved collaborators from China, India, Thailand, Mongolia, UK, Denmark, and Mexico.
Zhang has co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed articles in medical journals and environmental science journals. He received a BS in applied chemistry and a MS in atmospheric chemistry from Peking University, an MS degree in environmental sciences and a PhD in environmental sciences and public health from Rutgers University.
Zhang is an officially recognized contributor to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the IPCC. In 2012, he received the Jerome Wesolowski Award, the highest honor of the International Society of Exposure Science. In 2013, he was named an AAAS Fellow.
Global Implication of PFAS exposure and Perinatal Health: What we know, what we don't know and what are we learning
Erin M. Bell, PhD
University at Albany
Erin Bell, PhD, is a professor in the departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Environmental Health in the School of Public Health, and the interim assistant vice president for research compliance, University at Albany. She joined the faculty at the University at Albany after completing her postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute, Bureau of Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology. Her research studies focus on environmental exposures as they relate to reproductive and child outcomes. Bell is currently the co-principal investigator of two cohort studies: the Upstate KIDS study, which follows over 6,000 children to identify potential risk factors for developmental health effects and the Health Study of New York State Communities Exposed to PFAS Contaminated Drinking Water, funded by ATSDR as one of seven sites participating in the national Multi-Site PFAS Health Study. She has served on several National Academy of Medicine committees, including the Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides and the Committee on Guidance on PFAS Testing and Health Outcomes. Bell received her MS in epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her PhD in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Oxidative stress: a mechanism underlying preterm birth?
Robert Taylor, MD, PhD
Professor of obstetrics and gynecology and assistant dean, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Robert N Taylor MD, PhD, is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Assistant Dean for Student and Academic Affairs, Director of MD-PhD Program, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo.
Dr Taylor is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive endocrinologist widely published in the areas of endometriosis, endometrial vascularization, embryonic implantation, preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications. His laboratory has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1987 and his team investigates the molecular and cell biology of the human uterus and placenta, with an emphasis on endocrine and paracrine regulation of chemokines, cytokines and neuroangiogenic growth factors in endometriosis.
Dr Taylor has served as principal investigator on many clinical and translational grants and also on influential international, national and state executive committees including the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NIH Reproductive Scientist Development Program and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He was recognized with the ASRM Distinguished Researcher Award in 2007 and shared the 2015 Harry Reich Award for pioneering work in the science and treatment of endometriosis from the Endometriosis Foundation of America with the late Ronald Batt MD.
Dr. Taylor previously held positions as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah, Wake Forest and Emory Universities and Director of the Center for Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Maternal Mortality Crisis in the U.S.
LeAnne Brown
CEO, Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network
LuAnne Brown is CEO of the Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network, one of 16 Comprehensive Networks established by New York State in 1987. BPPN’s focus is to improve pregnancy outcomes, promote better maternal and infant /child health care, establish better linkages between existing programs and ensure that families have access to the full range of preventative and primary health care, social support and educational resources in Erie County. The agency currently houses the Healthy Families homebased parenting program; the Maternal Infant Child Health Care Collaborative Community Health Worker Program; and the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative
LuAnne holds a BS in Nursing and a MS in Nursing Administration, and currently serves on several Boards including St. Mary’s High School, Plymouth Crossroads, GLIN and WNYCOSH. Previous to her role at Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network, LuAnne was in various Nursing Administrative positions at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, part of the Kaleida Health System, including Director of Maternal/Neonatal Nursing, Director of Surgical Services and Chief Nursing Officer.
Dietary pulse consumption during childhood is associated with improved nutrient outcomes in the first two years of life
Divya Choudhary
PhD student in exercise and nutrition sciences
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
Greetings! I'm Divya Choudhary, a Ph.D. student in Nutrition Science at the University of Buffalo. My academic background includes an MS in Nutrition Science and a B.Tech + M.Tech in Food Technology. My research interests focus on the role of maternal nutrition in the health outcomes of mothers and their children, particularly during early childhood. Currently, I'm working as a Research Project Assistant, where I'm investigating the association between child bean consumption, diet quality, and nutrient outcomes during early childhood using the WIC-ITFPS data. Through my work, I discovered the positive impact of dried beans and chili on the nutrient intake in infants. In addition to my current position, I've had the privilege of serving as a Teaching Assistant, Research Aide, and Junior Research Associate. I've authored several peer-reviewed manuscripts and received scholarships and awards for my research work, which has instilled in me a deep appreciation for the power of scientific inquiry. My expertise includes data analysis using statistical tools such as SAS and SPSS, and I'm experienced in animal nutrition. In addition to my academic and research pursuits, I enjoy hiking, cooking, and painting.
Breast cancer: more than just reproductive risk factors
Sarah Lima
PhD student in epidemiology and environmental health
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
Sarah Lima is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University at Buffalo. She holds a BS in Biology and an MPH in Epidemiology. Following her MPH, Sarah worked as a research coordinator for a breast cancer cohort study at Columbia University and as a data analyst at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she conducted research on reproductive factors and breast cancer. She currently conducts research with her advisors, Dr. Heather Ochs-Balcom and Dr. Tia Palermo, on breast and ovarian cancer and health effects of social policy, respectively. Her dissertation research focuses on the effects of historic redlining on cancer outcomes and disparities
Dietary Pattern and Periodontal Disease among Postmenopausal Women
Yihua Yue
PhD student in epidemiology and environmental health
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
Yihua Yue is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at UB, with interests in nutritional epidemiology, women's health, and mental health. She is working on her dissertation investigating the association between dietary pattern, oral microbiome, and oral diseases.
Identity Erasure through Routine Healthcare: 18-26 year-old LGBTQ+ Experiences of Abortion in the United States
Elizabeth Bartelt, PhD, MPH
Clinical assistant professor
Department of Community Health and Health Behavior
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University at Buffalo
Elizabeth Bartelt, MPH, PhD, (she/her) is a health educator whose research focuses on sexual and gender minority (i.e., commonly known as LGBTQ+) reproductive health access and experiences.
She received the highly competitive Society for Family Planning Emerging Fellows research grant to complete her dissertation work. Dr. Bartelt worked for many years in the field of public health before obtaining her PhD including serving as an Americorps*VISTA member and working as a sexuality educator for Planned Parenthood.
Dr. Bartelt completed her PhD in Health Behavior from Indiana University, School of Public Health - Bloomington, before joining faculty at UB, where she now teaches courses in SPHHP's undergraduate public health program.