Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Laura Caulfield, PhD, researches nutrition problems affecting maternal, infant, and child health in the United States and globally.
Contact Info
Research Interests
international health; nutrition, pregnancy; maternal perinatal, neonatal and child health; nutritional epidemiology; child feeding; child growth and development; program evaluation; early origins of adult disease
Experiences & Accomplishments
My research interests are in the area of maternal and infant nutrition and health.
Specific interests include:
1. epidemiology of poor pregnancy outcomes (e.g., miscarriage, low birth weight, preterm delivery, complications of labor and delivery), especially the role of maternal and fetal nutritional status in influencing parturition; 2. identification and evaluation of indicators of high-risk mothers and newborns; 3. short- and long-term consequences of poor prenatal and postnatal growth and development; breastfeeding and complementary feeding; 4. evaluation of nutrition interventions; 5. nutrition and health surveillance/information systems.
Honors & Awards
2014 Outstanding Alumna, College of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO. 2005 The Ruth Pike Lectureship, Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 2000 The Avanelle Kirksey Lectureship, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. 1993 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
Select Publications
These are 5 papers that I care about.
Caulfield LE, Bennett WL, Gross SM, Hurley KM, Ogunwole SM, Venkataramani V, Lerman J, Zhang A, Sharma R, Bass EB. Maternal and child outcomes associated with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); AHRQ Comparative Reviews; Report No. 22-EHC019, April 2022.
Rhee DK, Ji Y, Hong X, Wang X, Caulfield LE. Mediterranean diet during pregnancy and birth outcomes in an urban, low-income and multiethnic US population. Nutrients 2021; 13(4), 1188; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041188.
The MAL-ED Investigators. The relationship between growth and illness, enteropathogens and dietary intakes: findings from the MAL-ED birth cohort study. BMJ Global Health 2017; Dec 28 2:e000370. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000370.
Ducharme-Smith K, Gross SM, Resnick A, Rosenblum N, Dilloway C, Orta Aleman D, Augustyn MC, Silbert-Flagg J, Caulfield LE. Exposure to baby-friendly hospital practices and breastfeeding outcomes of WIC participants in Maryland. J Hum Lactation 2021 Feb 16:890334421993771. doi: 10.1177/089033442199377.
Caulfield LE, Zavaleta N, Chen P, Putnick D, DiPietro JA, Bornstein M. Maternal zinc supplementation during pregnancy affects autonomic function in Peruvian children at 4 ½ years of age. J Nutr 2011; 141(2):327-32. PMID:21178078.