Harvard Catalyst Profiles

The goal of this project is to investigate the impact of exposure to a "mixture" of heavy metals and trace elements during pregnancy and at 3 years postpartum on women’s mid-life cardiometabolic health. Additionally, it examines how adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors (i.e., healthy diet, physical activity, avoiding smoking, and adequate sleep) may mitigate the adverse effects of heavy metals. Participants are from Project Viva, a prospective pregnancy cohort initiated in 1999-2002 to study how environmental and lifestyle factors affect the long-term health of women and their children (https://www.projectviva.org/). Students will have the opportunity to lead research projects, conduct data management and analysis, present at scientific conferences, and author peer-reviewed manuscripts. This research opportunity is based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with close collaboration with the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. This project is funded by the American Heart Association.

The goal of this project is to understand the impacts of pregnancy exposure to a mixture of toxic metals (Pb, Hg, Cd) and trace elements (Mn, Se) on diabetes risks across the reproductive lifespan of Black and Hispanic women, from gestational diabetes (GDM) during pregnancy to type 2 diabetes (T2D) in mid-life. The project also aims to uncover how metals could be an underrecognized source of racial and ethnic disparities in the progression from GDM to incident T2D. Participants are from the Boston Birth Cohort, a large, long-standing (over 20 years of follow-up), prospective U.S. cohort that comprises predominantly urban, low-income, and minority women. Students will have the opportunity to lead research projects, conduct data management and analysis, present at scientific conferences, and author peer-reviewed manuscripts. This research opportunity is based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with close collaboration with the Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease at Johns Hopkins University. This project is funded by the American Diabetes Association.