Elizabeth  Goehring

Elizabeth Kennedy, PhD is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, under the dual mentorship of Drs. Carmen Marsit, PhD and Usha Ramakrishnan, PhD. Dr. Kennedy is a human geneticist and an expert in epigenomics. She employs sophisticated analytical approaches to cutting edge -omics data techniques in population studies. Her doctoral work described the role of site-specific DNA methylation in gene expression across the human genome. Her postdoctoral research, funded by a competitive NICHD K99/R00, has focused on molecular patterns in placenta that associate with infant outcomes, early childhood growth and maternal factors, like BMI. The long-term goal of her research is to describe the genetic and epigenetic characteristics that underlie early development, childhood health and disease, and to determine how maternal health modifies those characteristics. She is particularly interested in the first 1,000 days that span the critical window from conception to a child’s second birthday, in which maternal health is communicated to offspring - first through the placenta and then through breastmilk. By understanding how maternal-child exposures and lifestyle influence children’s health, we can inform recommendations, guidelines and early interventions - reducing disease risk and advancing our understanding of the developmental origins of health and disease.

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