Pregnancy as a window into health throughout life

Jean Andrews Distinguished Lecture 2022

The Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin presents The Jean Andrews Centennial Visiting Professor Lecture with:

Emily Oken, MD, MPH

Dr. Emily Oken received a M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1996 followed by an internship and residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the Harvard Combined Program.  She earned a MPH in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2003. She is currently a Professor in the Departments of Nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Population Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.  Within the Department of Population Medicine, she is Vice-Chair, Director of Faculty Development, and site director for the Harvard General Medicine fellowship. 

Dr. Oken’s ground-breaking research examines the role of nutrition, toxicants, and other modifiable factors on pregnancy, early childhood, and long-term maternal and child health. Her work addressing the risks and benefits associated with fish consumption during pregnancy has shaped the current approach to national guidelines that consider both the healthy and unhealthy consequences of specific types of nutrient intake during pregnancy.  Dr. Oken has also conducted numerous studies analyzing the long-term health effects of breastfeeding, maternal weight gain and gestational diabetes in the peripartum period, and how modifiable behaviors during pregnancy influence risk for obesity among mother and child.