Research

Overview

MCH faculty are committed to increasing scientific knowledge of health issues faced by mothers, children and families, and are active in research and dissemination of new knowledge including:

Health inequities stemming from structural systems including: racism, colorism, and sexism
Epidemiology including: social, reproductive and perinatal, lifecourse, genetic, and nutritional and behavioral epidemiology
Nutrition including: adolescent nutrition, child nutrition, maternal nutrition, weight status during pregnancy, eating disorders, and obesity
Cardiovascular disease including: biometry, etiology, and developmental determinants

–Learn more about MCH Program faculty members’ research

Research by MCH Faculty and Students:

Research by Center Faculty

The following faculty receive salary support through the Center’s HRSA funding. To learn more about each, click on their names to be taken to their faculty page.

Zobeida Bonilla employs qualitative research approaches to address health inequities based on community assets and knowledge. Her research in the Latino community looks at the role of culture and language in the provision of health care. Drs. Bonilla and Jamie Stang are also using a positive deviance approach to determining protective factors for childhood obesity risk in ethnically-diverse communities.

Rachel Hardeman’s research is in the area of racial aspects of birthing. She is active locally and nationally with organizations that seek to achieve health equity through research. Dr. Hardeman leverages the frameworks of critical race theory and reproductive justice to inform her equity-centered work which aims to build the empirical evidence of racism’s impact on health particularly for Black birthing people and their babies. Her research includes a partnership with Roots Community Birth Center, one of five Black-owned freestanding birth centers in the US.

Rebecca Shlafer’s research focuses on understanding the developmental outcomes of children and families with multiple risk factors. She is particularly interested in children with incarcerated parents, as well as the programs and policies that impact families affected by incarceration. Dr. Shlafer is an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, a LEAH core faculty member, and an affiliated faculty member at the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at the UMN’s Law School. Find resources on incarceration here.

Jaime Slaughter-Acey’s research focuses on understanding the social meaning of race and skin color and how they intersect with other aspects of social identity to affect health. She is also interested in how skin tone affects pre-pregnancy cardiometabolic health. Dr. Slaughter-Acey utilizes the knowledge gained from her research to apprise the development of novel and interdisciplinary community-based solutions focused on building healthier and more equitable communities that help achieve MCH equity for all.

Jamie Stang’s research focuses on improving maternal-fetal health outcomes through reducing rates of pre-pregnancy obesity and Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Drs. Stang and Bonilla are also using a positive deviance approach to determining protective factors for childhood obesity risk in ethnically-diverse communities. Dr. Stang was a founding faculty member of the HRSA-funded UMN LEND Program, and previously served as a faculty member on the LEAH Program (also HRSA-funded).

-To see the full list of MCH Program faculty
-To see the full list of Epidemiology and Community Health faculty

Community-engaged Research

Our program has a strong focus on community-engaged research methods, preparing students to complete projects that are conducted with the assistance of, rather than just within, communities.

Drs. Bonilla and Stang have developed the Bright Spots Qualitative Research Methods Mini-Lab, designed to enhance qualitative research skills among students and community partners, particularly those in state agencies. This fosters research and evaluation collaborations that use qualitative approaches to find solutions to MCH public health needs by identifying and employing culturally-responsive, asset-based strategies rooted in the perspectives and experiences of individuals, families, and communities.

Rebecca Shlafer shares her vast policy and research expertise through several courses in a PHI course Parental Incarceration and Child Welfare (PubH 7200), which explores the complex intersection between parental incarceration and child welfare. Her Incarceration and Health (HSEM 2719) course is offered to undergraduate honors and graduate students, and covers populations at particularly high risk for poor health outcomes. MCH and other graduate students lead different parts of the course, facilitate class discussion, and help develop and teach a 12-week health literacy curriculum to women at MN’s Women’s Correctional Facility.
–Learn more about Dr. Shlafer’s courses and students’ experiences in these interactive classes

Faculty Spotlights

MCH Faculty Spotlights are short interviews with faculty members who teach, support and advise our students. Spotlights offer a glimpse into faculty members’ personal and professional paths.

Susan Mason’s Faculty Spotlight covers how she got interested in public health, what research she is currently doing, her hobbies and her advice for MCH students.

Student Research

Our faculty provide students with didactic and experiential training that leads to a graduate degree. Students are offered a curriculum that addresses critical MCH perspectives including life course theory; a comprehensive historical, legislative, and public health knowledge base regarding Title V and related programs; cultural competence and humility; and emerging MCH public health issues (among others).

All students complete at least one research project under faculty guidance, often in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) or agencies serving MCH populations. Final project abstracts are available here.

Students may also present their research projects at meetings such as the School of Public Health Research Day, the Minnesota Public Health Association (MPHA) annual meeting, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) annual meeting, the MCH Bureau’s (MCHB) Making Lifelong Connections, and many others.

MCH Student Research Highlights

Lactation Practices in Minnesota and Illinois Jails: Implications for health of justice-involved mothers and their children (Ally Timm)

Many MCH students receive paid deployed to agencies and non-profits. Read about students’ experiences on our Spotlight page.
Our National MCH Trainee Blog is student-led and helps connect MCH students from all thirteen HRSA-funded COEs and nine Catalyst Programs by providing an outlet for them to share their research and community engagement experiences. Monthly posts are written by students on one of the 12 MCH competencies.

Recent Publications

Wilhelm, A. K., McRee, A.-L., Bonilla, Z. E., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2018). Mental health in Somali youth in the United States: The role of protective factors in preventing depressive symptoms, suicidality, and self-injury. Ethnicity & Health, 0(0), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2018.1514451

Calvert, C. M., Brady, S. S., & Jones-Webb, R. (2020). Perceptions of Violent Encounters between Police and Young Black Men across Stakeholder Groups. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 97(2), 279–295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-019-00417-6

Khandker, M., Brady, S. S., Rydell, S. A., Turner, R. M., Schreiner, P. J., & Harlow, B. L. (2019). Early-life Chronic Stressors, Rumination, and the Onset of Vulvodynia. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 16(6), 880–890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.03.010

Eisenberg, M. E., Kelly, E. D., McRee, A.-L., Brady, S. S., & Barnes, A. J. (2019). Homelessness experiences and gender identity in a population-based sample of adolescents. Preventive Medicine Reports, 16, 100986. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100986

Brady, S. S., Connor, J. J., Chaisson, N., Sharif Mohamed, F., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2019). Female Genital Cutting and Deinfibulation: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Research and Practice. Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1427-4

Scheurer, J. M., Zhang, L., Plummer, E. A., Hultgren, S. A., Demerath, E. W., & Ramel, S. E. (2018). Body Composition Changes from Infancy to 4 Years and Associations with Early Childhood Cognition in Preterm and Full-Term Children. Neonatology, 114(2), 169–176. https://doi.org/10.1159/000487915

Scheurer, J. M., Zhang, L., Gray, H. L., Weir, K., Demerath, E. W., & Ramel, S. E. (2017). Body Composition Trajectories From Infancy to Preschool in Children Born Premature Versus Full-term. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 64(6), e147–e153. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000001494

Jones-Webb, R., Calvert, C., & Brady, S. S. (2018). Preventing Violent Encounters Between Police and Young Black Men: A Comparative Case Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 55(5 Suppl 1), S88–S94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.05.016

Jones-Webb, R., McKee, P., Joshi, S., Erickson, D., Toomey, T., & Nelson, T. (2018). Is Restricting Sales of Malt Liquor Beverages Effective in Reducing Crime in Urban Areas? Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 79(6), 826–834.

Kwaan, M. R., & Jones-Webb, R. (2018). Colorectal Cancer Screening in Black Men: Recommendations for Best Practices. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 55(5 Suppl 1), S95–S102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.05.008

Jones-Webb, R., Karriker-Jaffe, K. J., Zemore, S. E., & Mulia, N. (2016). Effects of Economic Disruptions on Alcohol Use and Problems: Why Do African Americans Fare Worse? Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 77(2), 261–271. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2016.77.261

Yoon, C., Mason, S. M., Hooper, L., Eisenberg, M. E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2020). Disordered Eating Behaviors and 15-year Trajectories in Body Mass Index: Findings From Project Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults (EAT). The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 66(2), 181–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.08.012

Blaes, A., Vogel, R. I., Nagler, R. H., Allen, A., Mason, S., Teoh, D., Talley, K., Raymond, N. C., & Wyman, J. F. (2019). Breast Cancer Screening Practices for High-Risk Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Primary Care Providers. Journal of Women’s Health (2002). https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2018.7463

Mason, S. M., Schnitzer, P. G., Danilack, V. A., Elston, B., & Savitz, D. A. (2018). Risk factors for maltreatment-related infant hospitalizations in New York City, 1995-2004. Annals of Epidemiology, 28(9), 590–596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2018.05.010

Piran, N., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2020). Yoga and the experience of embodiment: A discussion of possible links. Eating Disorders, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2019.1701350

Larson, N., Laska, M. N., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2019). Do young adults value sustainable diet practices? Continuity in values from adolescence to adulthood and linkages to dietary behaviour. Public Health Nutrition, 22(14), 2598–2608. https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898001900096X

Fulkerson, J. A., Telke, S., Larson, N., Berge, J., Sherwood, N. E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2019). A healthful home food environment: Is it possible amidst household chaos and parental stress? Appetite, 142, 104391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.104391

Neumark-Sztainer, D., Wall, M. M., Chen, C., Larson, N. I., Christoph, M. J., & Sherwood, N. E. (2018). Eating, Activity, and Weight-related Problems From Adolescence to Adulthood. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 55(2), 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.04.032

Neumark-Sztainer, D., Watts, A. W., & Rydell, S. (2018). Yoga and body image: How do young adults practicing yoga describe its impact on their body image? Body Image, 27, 156–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.09.001

Lyden, G. R., Barrett, E. S., Sathyanarayana, S., Bush, N. R., Swan, S. H., & Nguyen, R. H. N. (2020). Pregnancy intention and phthalate metabolites among pregnant women in The Infant Development and Environment Study cohort. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppe.12674

Sieben, A., Lust, K., Crose, A., Renner, L. M., & Nguyen, R. H. N. (2019). Race and sex differences in adverse childhood experiences among Asian/Pacific Islander college students. Journal of American College Health: J of ACH, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1677671

Ferguson, K. K., Rosen, E. M., Barrett, E. S., Nguyen, R. H. N., Bush, N., McElrath, T. F., Swan, S. H., & Sathyanarayana, S. (2019). Joint impact of phthalate exposure and stressful life events in pregnancy on preterm birth. Environment International, 133(Pt B), 105254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.105254

Whitaker, R. C., Dearth-Wesley, T., Herman, A. N., Oakes, J. M., & Owens, J. A. (2019). A quasi-experimental study of the impact of school start time changes on adolescents’ mood, self-regulation, safety, and health. Sleep Health, 5(5), 466–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2019.06.011

Rydell, S. A., Turner, R. M., Lasswell, T. A., French, S. A., Oakes, J. M., Elbel, B., & Harnack, L. J. (2018). Participant Satisfaction with a Food Benefit Program with Restrictions and Incentives. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 118(2), 294–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.08.010

Osypuk, T. L., Joshi, S., Schmidt, N. M., Glymour, M. M., & Nelson, T. F. (2019). Effects of a federal housing voucher experiment on adolescent binge drinking: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 114(1), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14379

Osypuk, T. L., Schmidt, N. M., Kehm, R. D., Tchetgen Tchetgen, E. J., & Glymour, M. M. (2019). The price of admission: Does moving to a low-poverty neighborhood increase discriminatory experiences and influence mental health? Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 54(2), 181–190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-018-1592-0

Noelke, C., Chen, Y.-H., Osypuk, T. L., & Acevedo-Garcia, D. (2019). Economic Downturns and Inequities in Birth Outcomes: Evidence From 149 Million US Births. American Journal of Epidemiology, 188(6), 1092–1100. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwz042

Wright, M. M., Schreiner, P., Rosser, B. R. S., Polter, E. J., Mitteldorf, D., West, W., & Ross, M. W. (2019). The Influence of Companion Animals on Quality of Life of Gay and Bisexual Men Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16224457

Forrester, S., Jacobs, D., Zmora, R., Schreiner, P., Roger, V., & Kiefe, C. I. (2019). Racial differences in weathering and its associations with psychosocial stress: The CARDIA study. SSM – Population Health, 7, 003–003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.11.003

Slaughter-Acey, J. C., & Saintil, S. (2020). Hospitalization rates of children by developmental disability, maternal nativity, and Indigenous status: The complexity of intersectionality. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 62(4), 409. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.14374

Slaughter-Acey, J. C., Talley, L. M., Stevenson, H. C., & Misra, D. P. (2019). Personal Versus Group Experiences of Racism and Risk of Delivering a Small-for-Gestational Age Infant in African American Women: A Life Course Perspective. Journal of Urban Health : Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 96(2), 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-018-0291-1

Slaughter-Acey, J. C., Sneed, D., Parker, L., Keith, V. M., Lee, N. L., & Misra, D. P. (2019). Skin Tone Matters: Racial Microaggressions and Delayed Prenatal Care. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 57(3), 321–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.04.014

Rosenboom, L. M., Shlafer, R. J., Stang, J. L., & Harnack, L. J. (2018). Evaluation of the Nutritional Quality of Commissary Foods Offered in American Women’s Prisons. Journal of Correctional Health Care: The Official Journal of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, 24(3), 264–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078345818782474

Shlafer, R. J., Stang, J., Dallaire, D., Forestell, C. A., & Hellerstedt, W. (2017). Best Practices for Nutrition Care of Pregnant Women in Prison. Journal of Correctional Health Care: The Official Journal of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, 23(3), 297–304. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078345817716567

Stang, J., & Bonilla, Z. (2018). Factors Affecting Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviors of Hispanic Families With Young Children: Implications for Obesity Policies and Programs. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 50(10), 959–967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2017.08.005

Technical Assistance

Staff and faculty at Centers of Excellence in MCH Programs provide TA/consultation and subject matter expertise to the MCH field.

–Learn more about our TA

-Visit our TA Corner

Looking for MCH Research outside of the U?

This MCH Data Resource Guide provides a variety of relevant MCH data sources for US, state and local level data.
The MCH Digital Library is an online database of reports, documents, selected data and historical documents, and health promotion posters from the MCH Bureau.
The MCH Navigator is a resource hub for maternal and child public health professionals. The MCH Navigator provides trainings and resources about core public health and maternal and child health professional competencies and training spotlights about specific MCH populations.