Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology

This area focuses on the determinants of health throughout the lifecourse, including those related to reproductive health, the perinatal period, childhood, and adolescence/young adulthood.

Reproductive topics include pubertal development, menstruation, gynecologic health (e.g., endometriosis, dyspareunia), sexually transmitted infections, contraception, reproductive cancers, and menopause.  
 
Perinatal topics include pregnancy intention, fertility, assisted reproductive technologies, abortion, pregnancy complications (e.g., preeclampsia), and pregnancy outcomes (e.g., preterm birth, birth defects, neonatal mortality, postpartum depression).  

Methodological issues are a strong emphasis, as is a focus on health inequities—including among sexual and gender minority populations. Several faculty have expertise in global issues, and many focus on exposures—including environmental—that are salient throughout the lifecourse. 

Within the Department of Epidemiology, there are two key courses for students interested in Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology (RPE). The first focuses on topics essential to the field, while the second focuses on advanced methods that are particularly relevant to RPE epidemiology. Other departments offer courses that cover a broad range of topics, such reproductive justice; adolescent health; and gender and health.

Highlights from the program include:

• The core RPE faculty provide expertise in a similarly broad array of topics, as well as active mentorship and research opportunities for students
• Many faculty are primarily based at Harvard-affiliated institutions (i.e. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital), allowing for meaningful collaboration with clinical experts and access to clinical data
• These research experiences offer students the opportunity to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and can provide opportunities for primary data collection.  

Learn more about our faculty below: