I’m an epidemiologist with more than 35 years of experience in clinical and translational research. Since 2011, I’ve served as director of the Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Cincinnati Children’s. I’m associate director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST) at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, where I am also director of the Research Expertise and Methods Component and serve on the executive committee.

Prior to joining Cincinnati Children’s, I was a professor of epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I also served as a distinguished consultant and branch chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During my time at the CDC and other institutions, I’ve taught epidemiological research methods to dozens of graduate students, research fellows, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty members. I’ve also had the privilege of collaborating with clinical researchers, basic scientists and behavioral and social scientists representing academic institutions and government agencies on four continents.

Throughout my career in biomedical and public health research, I’ve passionately and rigorously applied the scientific method to the design and analysis of epidemiologic studies and clinical trials. My research interests are the epidemiology of cancer and infectious diseases; the health effects of sexual, reproductive and contraceptive behaviors; the acceptability, efficacy and safety of contraceptive technology; the efficacy and safety of assisted reproductive technology; public health surveillance systems, occupational epidemiology; and immunology.

As principal investigator or co-investigator on many research initiatives, I’ve received more than $40 million in research funding. This funding includes awards from federal agencies and non-profit organizations, and industry-sponsored grants.

In the past few years, I have provided leadership for the coordination and management of infrastructure and programs in support of clinical and translational research. In October 2019, The National Institutes of Health awarded to Cincinnati Children’s the Data Management and Coordinating Center (DMCC) for the Rare Diseases Clinic Research Network (RDCRN). As co-principal investigator (PI) for the DMCC, I help manage the shared resources and data from RDCRN research studies across 23 research consortia comprising more than 200 sites in the U.S. and across the globe. Our goal is to advance the methods and practice of rare disease research across the RDCRN and to the broader rare disease community.

I also serve as co-PI of the Biobank and Biomarker Discovery Center for the Food Allergy Research and Education Foundation (FARE) Discovery Centers of Excellence, and as the director of the Methodology Core of the Pediatric Musculoskeletal and Rheumatology Innovation Core Center.

I have published more than 220 articles in respected journals, such as JAMA, Epidemiology, The American Journal of Epidemiology, Toxicology, and the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. My current h-index is 43. I’m a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology and an associate editor of the Annals of Epidemiology.