Funded Programs

Global Research Network Focusing on Early Life and Long-term Human Function

Emory's Rollins School of Public Health is partnering with the CDC's Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and the Peking University Health Sciences Center in China (PUHSC) to conduct collaborative research using data collected during large-scale cohort studies in China.

The studies include a randomized trial of daily folic acid supplementation during pregnancy that was carred out in China from 1991 to 1996, during which time more than 247,000 women participated. This study demonstrated that folic acid supplementation around conception leads to dramatic reductions in the incidence of neural tube defects. Emory and its partners will establish a three-generational family cohort study to determine the long-term effects folic acid supplementation during pregnancy has on the health of three generations of families. This could provide valuable information regarding its potential benefits in preventing and/or treating a number of diseases. The multidisciplinary and multi-organizational research network will conduct collaborative analyses of existing data and seek opportunities for student and faculty exchanges among the partner organizations.

For more information, contact:
Reynaldo Martorell, PhD
Robert W. Woodruff Professor of International Nutrition, Hubert Department of Global Health
Rollins School of Public Health
rmart77@sph.emory.edu