Presented by Ruby Nguyen, PhD
Associate Professor
Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Public Health

For nearly a decade The Infant Development and the Environment Study (TIDES) has explored how multiple environmental stressors may perturb fetal development and result in alterations of both genital and brain development. In our ongoing multi-center pregnancy cohort study, the only birth cohort study designed to examine reproductive tract development in relation to prenatal endocrine disrupting exposures, we have confirmed our earlier finding that prenatal phthalate exposure is significantly and inversely associated with anogenital distance in boys. We have recently extended our methodology in several novel directions in order to achieve our overarching goal of identifying the effects of pre- and postnatal phthalate exposure on genital and neurobehavioral development. We have completed clinical visits for children 6 years of age, and are now preparing for 8 year old visits. Since age 4, we have conducted a physical exam, including anthropometric measurements, urine collection for the measurement of phthalates, and assessment of the child’s attention, hyperactivity, social responsiveness and cognitive development. Findings from this large, robust, multi-site prospective study will be discussed in this seminar.

All faculty, staff, and students welcome! Light refreshments will be served.