Bio
Dr. Bengtson is a perinatal epidemiologist focused on improving perinatal, women's health, and pediatric health outcomes in two main areas. First, her work explores the impact of HIV and its treatment with antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy, postpartum, and childhood. She has a particular interest in understanding how HIV and its treatment influence cardiometabolic risk for women during pregnancy and postpartum, and on mental health comorbidities, including perinatal depression. Second, Dr. Bengtson's work addresses cardiometabolic complications, such as gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders, during pregnancy and postpartum. Dr. Bengtson's research portfolio includes both global (Malawi, South Africa) and domestic (American Samoa and Atlanta) projects.
Areas of Interest
- Cardiometabolic Diseases
- HIV/AIDS Prevention
- Maternal and Child Health
- Women’s Health
- Global Health
- Diabetes
Education
- PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- MA, University of Denver
Courses Taught
- EPI 744 - Pediatric& Perintl Epi
Affiliations
Affiliations
- Emory Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics (secondary appointment)
- Emory Center for AIDS Research
- Emory Global Diabetes Research Center
In The News
New & Notable
Syphilis in Newborns is a Growing Concern
Syphilis cases have seen the most rapid rise of all STIs in recent years. Most concerning is the dramatic increase in cases of congenital syphilis (when a fetus is infected with syphilis during pregnancy), which has increased ten-fold over the past decade. Rollins experts weigh in on how we got here ad what we can do about it.