An emerging body of evidence suggests that environmental exposures before conception could impact the health of offspring. These effects may be transmitted via epigenetic pathways in the oocyte or sperm to subsequent generations. However, few studies have systematically investigated the potential for pre-conception endocrine disrupting chemical exposures to influence children's health.
In this webinar Dr. Joseph Braun, Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, reviewed animal and epidemiological studies showing effects of pre-conception exposures on offspring health, as well as studies investigating potential mechanisms. Then, he introduced the Preconception Environmental exposures And Childhood health Effects (PEACE) Study, a prospective cohort study designed to investigate the role of maternal and paternal preconception exposures in childhood neurodevelopmental disorders and cardiometabolic disease. Dr. Braun closed by presenting recent findings from this cohort.
Featured Speaker
Joseph Braun, PhD, MSPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health. He was formerly a school nurse in Milwaukee, WI before receiving his master's and doctoral degrees in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Braun is interested in studying the patterns, determinants, and health consequences of early life environmental chemical exposures in pregnant women, infants, and children. He has a special interest in studying obesity and neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and autism. He is also interested in identifying modifiable sources of environmental chemical exposures in pregnant women and children. Dr. Braun works with studies of pregnant women and children from the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This webinar is one in a monthly series sponsored by the Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s EDC Strategies Partnership. The CHE EDC Strategies Partnership is chaired by Carol Kwiatkowski and Katie Pelch (TEDX), Sharyle Patton (Commonweal Biomonitoring Resource Center), Jerry Heindel (Commonweal Program on Endocrine Disruption Strategies), and Genon Jensen (HEAL) and coordinated by Maria Williams (Collaborative on Health and the Environment, a Commonweal program). To see a full list of past calls and webinars related to EDCs and listen to or view recordings, please visit our partnership page.
This webinar was moderated by Carol Kwiatkowski, PhD, Executive Director of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange. It lasted for 30 minutes and was recorded for our call and webinar archive.