University of Pittsburgh Department of Epidemiology
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University of Pittsburgh Department of Epidemiology
About
Faculty Bio

Lisa M. Bodnar, PhD, MPH, RD

Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology
A742 Crabtree Hall
130 DeSoto Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Phone: 412.624.9032
Fax: 412.624.7397
E-mail: bodnar@edc.pitt.edu



Research Interests
  • Maternal nutritional status and birth outcomes
  • Nutritional psychiatry in the perinatal period
  • Reproductive consequences of obesity
  • Nutritional epidemiology
  • Causal modeling and longitudinal data analysis in reproductive epidemiology
Research Support

Principal Investigator
  • Perinatal Depression and Maternal Nutritional Status (2006-2010), NIH/NIMH
Co-Investigator
  • Nutrition and the Genetics of Prematurity (2006-2011), NIH/NICHD (PI: H Simhan)
Education & Training
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, BSPH (Honors), 1998
  • University of North Carolina Hospitals, Dietetic internship, 1998
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MPH, 1999
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, PhD (nutritional epidemiology), 2002
  • Magee-Womens Research Institute and University of Pittsburgh, Postdoctoral fellowship (reproductive biology), 2002-2004
Professional Credentials
  • Registered Dietitian. American Dietetic Association, 2000

  • Licensed Dietitian-Nutritionist. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2003
Honors and Awards
  • Abraham Lilienfeld Student Prize. Society for Epidemiologic Research (2002).


  • Irene McLenahan Young Investigator Award. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh (2004).


  • Paul M. Rike, MD Fellowship Award. Magee Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2004).


  • Dannon Institute Nutrition Leadership Institute participant. Dannon Institute (2005).


  • NCDEU (New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit) New Investigator Award. National Institute of Mental Health (2006).


  • Young Investigator Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (2006).


  • Member of Institute of Medicine Committee to Reevaluate IOM Weight Guidelines during Pregnancy (2007-2009).

Selected Publications

Bodnar LM, Scanlon KS, Freedman DS, Siega-Riz AM, Cogswell ME. High prevalence of postpartum anemia among low-income women in the United States. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2001;185(2):438-443.

Siega-Riz AM, Bodnar LM, Savtiz D. What are pregnant women eating? Nutrient and food group differences by race. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2002; 186(3):480-486.

Bodnar LM, Cogswell ME, Scanlon KS. Low-income postpartum women are at risk of iron deficiency. Journal of Nutrition 2002(8);132:2298-2302.

Bodnar LM, Siega-Riz AM, Miller WC, Cogswell ME, McDonald T. Who should be screened for postpartum anemia? An evaluation of current recommendations. American Journal of Epidemiology 2002:156(10):903-912.

Bodnar LM, Siega-Riz AM. A Diet Quality Index for Pregnancy captures variation in diet and differences in sociodemographic characteristics. Public Health Nutrition 2002; 5(6): 801-809.

Roberts JM, Balk J, Bodnar LM, Belizan JM, Bergel E, Martinez A. Nutrient involvement in preeclampsia. Journal of Nutrition 2003;133(5 Suppl 2):1684S-1692S.

Bodnar LM, Kaufman JS. Body mass index and preeclampsia [letter]. Epidemiology 2004;15(2):252-253.

Hubel CA, Bodnar LM, Many A, Harger G, Ness RB, Roberts JM. Non-glycosylated ferritin predominates in the circulation of women with preeclampsia but not intrauterine growth restriction. Clinical Chemistry 2004;50(5):948-951.

Bodnar LM, Davidian M, Siega-Riz AM, Tsiatis AA. Marginal structural models for analyzing causal effects of time-dependent treatments: an application in perinatal epidemiology. American Journal of Epidemiology 2004;159(10);926-934.

Bodnar LM, Siega-Riz AM, Cogswell ME. High prepregnancy BMI increases the risk of postpartum anemia. Obesity Research 2004(6);12:941-948.

Bodnar LM, Nelson MC. Maternal nutrition and fetal growth: bias introduced by an inappropriate statistical modeling strategy may explain null findings [letter]. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2004;80(2):525-526.

Bodnar LM, Siega-Riz AM, Arab L, Chantala K, McDonald T. Predictors of pregnancy and postpartum haemoglobin concentration in low-income women. Public Health Nutrition 2004;7(6):701-711.

Bodnar LM, Siega-Riz AM, Cogswell ME. Response: Prepregnancy BMI and the risk of postpartum anemia: what does information on adverse delivery events add? [letter]. Obesity Research 2004;12(11):1904-1905.

Bodnar LM, Cogswell ME, McDonald T. Have we forgotten the significance of postpartum iron deficiency? American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2005;193: 36-44.

Bodnar LM, Ness RB, Markovic N, Roberts JM. The risk of preeclampsia rises with increasing prepregnancy body mass index. Annals of Epidemiology 2005;15:475-482.

Shibata E, Rajakumar A, Powers RW, Larkin RW, Gilmour C, Bodnar LM, Ness RB, Crombleholme WR, Roberts JM. Soluble fms-like Tyrosine Kinase 1 is Increased in Preeclampsia but not in Normotensive Pregnancies with Small For Gestational Age Neonates: Relationship to Circulating Placental Growth Factor. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2005;90(8):4895-903.

Bodnar LM, Wisner KL. Nutrition and depression: implications for improving mental health among childbearing-aged women. Biological Psychiatry 2005;58(9):679-685.

Roberts JM, Bodnar LM, Lain KY, Hubel CA, Markovic N, Ness RB, Powers RW. Uric acid is as important as proteinuria in identifying fetal risk in women with gestational hypertension. Hypertension 2005;46:1263-1269.

Bodnar LM, Ness RB, Harger GF, Roberts JM. Inflammation and triglycerides partially mediate the effect of prepregnancy body mass index on the risk of preeclampsia. American Journal of Epidemiology 2005;162:1198-1206.

Powers RW, Bodnar LM, Ness RB, Cooper KM, Gallaher MJ, Frank MP, Daftary AR, Roberts JM. Uric acid concentrations are increased throughout pregnancy among preeclamptic women with gestational hyperuricemia at delivery. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2006;194(1):160-166.

Simhan HN, Bodnar LM. Prepregnancy body mass index, vaginal inflammation, and the racial disparity in preterm birth. American Journal of Epidemiology 2006;163(5):459-466.

Bodnar LM, Sunder KR, Wisner KL. Treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy: deceleration of weight gain because of depression or drug? American Journal of Psychiatry 2006;163(6):986-91.

Bodnar LM, Tang G, Ness RB, Harger G, Roberts JM. Periconceptional multivitamin use reduces the risk of preeclampsia. American Journal of Epidemiology 2006;164:470-477.

Bodnar LM, Daftary A, Markovic N, Schatzman CL, Roberts JM. Seasonal variation in gestational blood pressure. Hypertension in Pregnancy 2006;25(3):271-83.

Bodnar LM, Simhan HN, Powers RW, Frank MP, Cooperstein E, Roberts JM. High prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in black and white pregnant women residing in the northern United States and their neonates. Journal of Nutrition 2007;137:445-452.

Bodnar LM, Catov JM, Klebanoff MA, Ness RB, Roberts JM. Prepregnancy body mass index and the occurrence of severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Epidemiology 2007; 18(2):234-9.

Bodnar LM, Catov JM, Roberts JM. Racial/ethnic differences in the monthly variation of preeclampsia incidence. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2007;196:324.e1-e5.

Laraia BL, Bodnar LM, Siega-Riz AM. Pregravid body mass index is negatively associated with diet quality during pregnancy. Public Health Nutrition 2007;10(9):920-6.

Bodnar LM, Simhan HN, Powers RW, Frank MP, Cooperstein E, Roberts JM. High prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in black and white pregnant women residing in the northern United States and their neonates. Journal of Nutrition 2007;137:445-452.

Catov JM, Bodnar LM, Ness RB, Markovic N, Roberts JM. Association of periconceptional multivitamin use and risk of preterm or small-for-gestational-age births. American Journal of Epidemiology 2007;166(3):296-303.

Bodnar LM, Catov JM, Simhan HN, Holick MF, Powers RW, Roberts JM. Maternal vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of preeclampsia. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2007;92:3517-22.

Bodnar LM, Catov JM, Roberts JM, Simhan HN. Prepregnancy obesity predicts poor vitamin D status in mothers and their neonates. Journal of Nutrition 2007;137(11):2437-2442.

Simhan HN, Bodnar LM, Krohn MJ. Paternal race and bacterial vaginosis during the first trimester of pregnancy. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2008; 198(2):196.e1-4.

Catov JM, Bodnar LM, Kip KE, Hubel CA, Ness RB, Harger G, Roberts JM. Early pregnancy lipid concentrations and spontaneous preterm birth. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2007;197(6):610.e1-7.

Powers RW, Catov JM, Bodnar LM, Gallaher MJ, Lain KY, Roberts JM. Evidence of endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia and risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. Reproductive Sciences 2008;15(4):374-81.

Bodnar LM, Simhan HN. The prevalence of preterm birth and season of the last menstrual period. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology (in press).

Millen AE, Bodnar LM. Vitamin D assessment in population-based studies: a review of the issues. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008;87(4):1102S-5S.

Bodnar LM, Catov JM, Wisner KL, Klebanoff MA. Racial and seasonal differences in 25-hydroxyvitamin D detected in maternal sera frozen for over 40 years. British Journal of Nutrition (in press).


University of Pittsburgh Department of Epidemiology