Find a Health Care Professional / Researcher

Heidi J. Kalkwarf, PhD

Appointment

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Email

heidi.kalkwarf@cchmc.org

Phone

513-636-3803

Fax

513-636-4402

Bio

Heidi Kalkwarf, PhD, RD, is a nutritional epidemiologist whose research interest is in the development of dietary recommendations to optimize health, particularly bone health.

She has conducted research, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), focusing on dietary calcium requirements of lactating women and the changes in bone density and in calcium metabolism that occur during lactation and after weaning. Dr. Kalkwarf's research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and was used by the Institute of Medicine to establish the new dietary calcium intake recommendations for lactating women.

Dr. Kalkwarf also is investigating the normal patterns of bone growth and development in children and adolescents. The goals of this work are to identify the short term and long term consequences of low bone density in childhood, identify children who are at risk for osteoporosis later in life and to identify interventions to reduce this risk.

Dr. Kalkwarf came to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center as a postdoctoral fellow in 1990 and joined the faculty in 1993. She earned her master's and doctoral degrees in Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Credentials

PhD: Cornell University; Ithaca, N.Y., 1991.

Postdoctoral Fellowship: Division of Neonatology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1990-1993.

MNS: Clinical Nutrition, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1983.

BS: Foods, Nutrition and Institution Management, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 1980.

Certification: Registered Dietitian, 1983.

Research

Nutrition and bone health in children

Research Grants and Contracts

Principal investigator, NIH/NICHD, N01-HD-3329, "Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study." Project period: 10/01/01 - 05/31/09.

Co-investigator (PI/PD: Boat T / Heubi J), NIH/NCRR, R08084, "General Clinical Research Center." Project period: 12/01/01 - 11/30/10

Co-investigator (PI: Dorn L), NIH/NIDA, R01DA1640202, "Smoking and Metabolic Consequences in Adolescent Girls." Project period: 05/01/03 - 04/30/08.

Co-investigator (PI: Specker B, South Dakota State University; subcontract PI: Lanphear B), NIH/HH, HHSN 275200603416C/403321, "Vanguard Center for the National Children's Study - Brookings, Yellow Medicine, Pipestone & Lincoln Counties." Project period: 11/01/05 - 10/31/10.

Co-investigator (PI: Viskochil D, University of Utah; CCHMC subcontract PI: Schorry E), NIH/NINDS, R01-NS050569-01A1, "Spinal Abnormalities in Neurofibromatosis Type 1." Project period: 01/01/06 - 12/31/10.

Publications, Most Recent

Lewiecki EM, Gordon CM, Baim S, Leonard MB, Bishop NJ, Bianchi M-L, Kalkwarf HJ, Langman CB, Plotkin H, Rauch F, Zemel BS, Binkley N, Bilezikian JP, Kendler DL, Hans DB, Silverman S. International Society for Clinical Densitometry 2007 Adult and Pediatric Official Positions. Bone in press Epub ahead of print

Dorn LD, Susman EJ, Pabst S, Huang B, Kalkwarf H, Grimes S. The association of depressive symptoms and anxiety with bone health in ever smoking and never smoking adolescent girls. Arch Pediatr Adol Med in press

Wosje KS, Khoury PR, Claytor RP, Copeland KA, Kalkwarf HJ, Daniels SR. Adiposity is related to less bone accrual in young children.J Peds in press Epub ahead of print

Lewiecki EM, Gordon CM, Baim S, Binkley N, Bilezikian JP, Kendler DL, Hans DB, Silverman S, Bishop NJ, Leonard MB, Bianchi M-L, Kalkwarf H, Langman C, Plotkin H, Rauch F, Zemel BS. Special report on the 2007 Adult and Pediatric Position Development Conferences of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Osteoporosis International in press Epub ahead of print

Gordon CM, Baim S, Bianchi M-L, Bishop NJ, Hans DB, Kalkwarf H, Langman C, Leonard MB, Plotkin H, Rauch F, Zemel BS. Special report on the 2007 Pediatrc Position Development Conference of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Southern Med J in press Epub ahead of print

Baim S, Leonard MB, Bianchi M-L, Hans DB, Kalkwarf HJ, Langman CB, Rauch F. Official positions of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry and executive summary of the 2007 ISCD Pediatric Position Development Conference.J Clin Densitometry 2008;11(1):6-21.

Gordon CM, Bachrach LK, Carpenter TO, Crabtree N, Fuleihan GE-H, Kutilek S, Lorenc RS, Tosi LL, Ward KA, Ward LM, Kalkwarf HJ. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry interpretation and reporting in children and adolescents: the 2007 pediatric official positions. J Clin Densitometry 2008;11(1):43-58.

Kalkwarf KJ, Zemel BS, Gilsanz V, Lappe JM, Horlick M, Oberfield S, Mahboubi S, Fan B, Frederick MM, Winer K, Shepherd JA. The Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study (BMDCS): bone mineral content and density according to age, sex and race.J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007; 92(6): 2087-2099.

Wosje KS, Kalkwarf HJ. Bone density in relation to alcohol intake among men and
women in the United States.Osteoporos Int 2007;18:391-400.

Kalkwarf HJ. Breaking news: forearm fractures in children and adolescents. Nutrition Today 2006;41:171-7.

Wosje, KS, Knipstein, BL, Kalkwarf. Measurement error of DXA: interpretation of fat and lean mass changes in obese children. J Clin Densitometry 2006;9:335-40.

Stark LJ, McGrath A, Janicke DM, Mackner LM, Hommel KA, Bean J, Lovell D, Kalkwarf H, Heubi J. A randomized clinical trial of dietary calcium to improve bone accretion in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. J Peds 2006;148:501-7.

Book Chapters, Most Recent

Kalkwarf HJ. Childhood and Adolescent milk intake and adult bone health.Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis, Lausanne, Switzerland, 4-6 May, 2006:39-49.

Abstracts, Most Recent

Zemel B, Kalkwarf H, Gilsanz V, Lappe J, Oberfield S, Shepherd J, Mahboubi S, Frederick M, Winer K. A clinical tool for adjusting BD z-scores for body size and growing children.J Bone Mineral Res 2008; S1.

Copeland K, Sherman S, Kalkwarf H, Saelens B. Physical activity in childcare: perceptions of playgrounds and policies. The International Conference on Physical Activity and Obesity in Children, Toronto, Canada, June, 2007.

Copeland K, Sherman S, Saelens B, Kalkwarf H. Benefits and barriers to physical activity in child care: staff perceptions. The International Conference on Physical Activity and Obesity in Children, Toronto, Canada, June, 2007.

Zemel B, Kalkwarf, H, Mahboubi S, Gilsanz V, Shepherd J, Oberfield S, Lappe J, Frederick M, Winer K. Effect of bone age on bone density Z-scores in childhood. Results from the Bone Mineral Density in Childhood study.Bone 2007:40(6) Suppl 1:S88.

Shepherd JA, Zhao S, Fan B, Zemel B, Kalkwarf H, Lappe J, Wang L, Gilsanz V, Wren TA, Winer K, Lu Y. “P-Score” to estimate fracture risk in children.Fourth International Conference on Children’s Bone Health, Montreal, Canada, June 21-24, 2007; Bone 2007:40(6)(suppl 1):S78.

Leonard MB, Jean-Pierre DK, Foster B, Zemel B, Kalkwarf H. Assessment of cortical bone structure and strength in children on chronic dialysis.Pediatric Academic Societies / Society of Pediatric Research, Toronto, Canada, May, 2007.

Buckley DB, Dosani R, Uetrecht G,Wosje K, Kalkwarf H. What do forearm ultrasound and DXA measure in children? Interpretation relative to peripheral QCT (pQCT).J Bone Mineral Res 2006:21(suppl 1):S84.

Lappe J, Gilsanz V, Kalkwarf H, Mahboubi S, Oberfield S, Shepherd J, Zemel B, Frederick M, Winer K, Haynatzki G. Physical activity and bone density in a large cohort of U.S. children. J Bone Mineral Res 2006:21(suppl 1):S104.

Zemel B, Mahboubi S, Kalkwarf H, Gilsanz V, Shepherd J, Oberfield S, Lappe J, Frederick M, Winer K. Bone age deviates from chronological age in contemporary U.S. children. J Bone Mineral Res 2006:21(suppl 1):S21.

Shepherd JA, Lu Y, Zhao S, Gilsanz V, Kalkwarf H, Lappe J, Oberfield S, Zemel B, Fan B, Wren T, Frederick M, Winer K. Fracture risk is associated with race, height, and bone mineral density in healthy children.J Bone Mineral Res 2006;21(suppl 1);S20.

Kalkwarf H, Zemel B, Lappe J, Shepherd J, Oberfield S, Huang X, Frederick M, Winer K, Gilsanz V. Tracking of bone mass and density during growth and maturation.J Bone Mineral Res 2006; 21 (suppl 1):S124.

Presentations, Most Recent

“Assessment of bone status in children: progress and challenges”, Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, US Department of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock AR, November 13, 2008.

“Bone Density, Bone Geometry and Forearm Fractures in Healthy Children,” and “Summary of the 1st ISCD Pediatric Position Development Conference,” Wisconsin Bone Club 13th Annual Meeting, Green Lake, WI, April 26, 2008.

“Current recommendations for pediatric bone health assessment” 9th Annual Bone Day: Modern approaches to diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, University of Cincinnati, April 4, 2008

“Bone Density, Bone Geometry, and Forearm Fractures in Healthy Children,” International Society for Clinical Densitometry 14th Annual Meeting: Global Assessment of Skeletal Health, San Francisco, CA, March 15, 2008.

“Bone Density and Forearm Fracture in Healthy Children,” The Nutrition Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, October 31, 2007.

“Bone Density and Forearm Fractures in Children,” University of North Carolina Department of Nutrition, Greensboro, NC, October 1, 2007.

“Bone Health from Childhood through Adolescence into Adult Life,” University of Cincinnati,
Cincinnati OH, October 6, 2006.

“Risk Factors for Fractures and Injuries Among Children,” First Annual Conference for the National Children’s Study, BYPL Vanguard Center, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, July 12, 2006.

“Child and Adolescent Milk Intake and Adult Bone Health,” 6th International Symposium on
Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis, Lausanne, Switzerland, May 4, 2006.