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NCCBDRP Investigators

Dr. Andrew F. Olshan is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. He has an established research record covering genetic, occupational and environmental epidemiology focused specifically on reproduction, birth defects and cancer.  He has been a PI of the NCCBDRP since its inception in 2002. As Co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Olshan directs the NC Center’s research agenda and oversees all staff and study-related activities.

Tania A. Desrosiers, PhD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a core faculty member in the Reproductive, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology program. Dr. Desrosiers has 15 years of experience in birth defects research and has been co-Principal Investigator of the NCCBDRP since 2018. Her primary area of research focuses on potentially modifiable environmental and occupational exposures, behavioral factors, and social determinants that contribute to the occurrence of birth defects, with the ultimate goal of reducing childhood morbidity through clinical and public health translation. Dr. Desrosiers also has a strong commitment to training graduate students and supporting early career investigators in conducting collaborative research in birth defects epidemiology.

Mollie Wood, PhD is an epidemiologist whose expertise is situated at the intersection of reproductive/perinatal epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, and epidemiologic methods. Dr Wood’s research is focused on the safety of medication use during pregnancy, particularly for medications that treat chronic conditions such as depression, migraine, and diabetes.

NCCBDRP Study Team

Diana Urlaub, MPH, Project Director. She is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the NCCBDRP and leads study implementation for BD-STEPS in North Carolina.

 

Kim Ludwig, NCCBDRP programmer and data manager.

 

Marc Peterson, NCCBDRP programmer and data analyst.

 

Muge Gucsavas Calikoglu, MD, MPH, clinical geneticist for the NCCBDRP.

 

John Cotton, MD, pediatric cardiologist for the NCCBDRP.

NCCBDRP Key Collaborators

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chantel Martin, PhD
Rebecca Fry, PhD

NC DHSS State Center for Health Statistics

Nina Forestieri, MPH

NC Environmental Protection Agency

Tom Luben, PhD

Duke University

Amy Herring, ScD

NC State University

Nanette Nascone-Yoder, PhD

Columbia University

Jeanette Stingone, PhD