Cincinnati Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program
Meet the Team

Meet the Team

Director

Frank Biro, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Adolescent Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Email: frank.biro@cchmc.org
Phone: 513-636-8602 

Recognized nationally as a clinician, educator and investigator in the field of adolescent medicine. His research interests focus on the impact of pubertal development on health and illness. Current work includes studies to evaluate bone development during puberty, the mechanisms responsible for pubertal changes from exposure to chemicals and other endocrine disruptors, and how physical maturation and activity impact the development of risk factors for adult medical problems such as cancer and heart disease.

Co-investigators

Susan Pinney, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati
Email: pinneysm@ucmail.uc.edu
Phone: 513-558-0684
BCERP role: Co-investigator
 
Conducts research that investigates how environmental chemical and metal exposures affect the process of puberty.   She collaborates on designing methods for data and specimen collections, including interview questionnaire development and interview procedures.  She and her staff perform statistical analyses that address the effects of environmental exposures, and she provides upper-level data management for the BCERP Coordinating Center (for the puberty studies at all three of the program locations).
Heidi Kalkwarf, PhD, RD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Adolescent Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Email: heidi.kalkwarf@cchmc.org
Phone: 513-636-7027
BCERP role: Co-investigator
 
Research involves studying the development of dietary recommendations to optimize health, particularly bone health.  She has conducted research on dietary calcium requirements of lactating women and the changes in bone density and in calcium metabolism that occur during lactation and after weaning.
Bin Huang, PhD
Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Email: bin.huang@cchmc.org
Phone: 513-636-6712
BCERP role: Co-investigator and Statistician
 
Works with the BCERP’s data manager and provides consultation regarding data cleaning, descriptive statistics and data transformations.  She consults with the investigators on data analysis, interpretation of results and collaborates on writing manuscripts.

Study Staff

Anita Southwick, MPA
Email: anita.southwick@cchmc.org
BCERP role: Clinical research supervisor 

Has a master’s degree in Executive Leadership and Organizational change and is a Certified Clinical Research Professional.  She is responsible for assisting the research coordinators and Principal Investigator in project planning and aids in overall study coordination including training of new staff members and attending clinic as needed. She is also responsible for IRB and regulatory compliance.  

Christine Mosbaugh, MPH
Email: christine.mosbaugh@cchmc.org
BCERP role: Clinical research coordinator 

Coordinates most aspects of the study.  Clinic duties mostly include anthropometrics, collecting urine and front desk duties.  She is also a member of the Growing Up Female Retention Committee and Advisory Board.

Anna Heeman, BS
Email: Anna.Heeman@cchmc.org
BCERP role: Clinical research coordinator

Responsible for maintaining biospecimens, coding and scanning data to the coordinating center and performing anthropometric measures at clinic sessions.  

Veronica Ratliff
Research Associate
Department of Environmental Health, the University of Cincinnati, and Clinical Research Coordinator, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center 
Email: veronica.ratliff@cchmc.org
BCERP role: Administrator assistant

Assists in all aspects of the study, responsible for scheduling clinic visit, check and check out window at clinic visits, member of the community outreach and translational core, member of the parent advisory committee.  Oversight for bi-annual newsletter. 

Susan Meierjohan, NP

Trained in maturation assessment (Tanner staging).  She performs maturation assessments for the study.

Brandy Henry
BCERP Role: Medical assistant

Responsible for urine collection at clinic visits.

Justin Bates, MA
BCERP role: Data manager

Day-to-day data management, cleaning data, creating summary variables and performing general statistics.  

Community Outreach Translation Core

Gail Greenburg, RN, and Peggy Monroe
BCERP role: Advocate collaborators of COTC
 
Monroe (a breast cancer survivor) and Greenburg serve as contacts for breast cancer advocates and community.  They represent BCERP at local, regional and national meetings with Frank Biro, MD, or when he is unavailable.  They participate on national committees and in a variety of COTC activities.  They also work with the team’s science writer to publish  findings in lay terms.

 

Lora Arduser, PhD
 BCERP role: Science writer
 
Works with the scientific team and the members of the COTC on writing and publishing research findings in venues for the general public.

 

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