Lisa Chasan-Taber

Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology

Reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist and an internationally recognized expert on physical activity during pregnancy. She has spent the past 20 years actively leading national research teams in the conduct of lifestyle interventions among high-risk, ethnically diverse pregnant women.

Her research focuses on the impact of prenatal exposures on gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, gestational weight gain, low birth weight, preterm birth. She also conducts research on the 'Fetal Origins Hypothesis,' which proposes that coronary heart disease and diabetes may be developmentally programmed early in life in response to the food the mother eats, the exercise she gets, and the stress she experiences both during and prior to pregnancy. Such healthy lifestyle modifications during pregnancy show promising potential to protect both women and their offspring against subsequent obesity and type 2 (adult onset) diabetes.

Learn more at: people.umass.edu/lisact/

Academic Background

University of Pennsylvania B.A. 1987
University of Massachusetts, Amherst M.P.H. 1990
Harvard University Sc.D. 1995

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Publications

*Backley S, Knee A, Pekow P, Markenson G, White K, Schoen C, Chasan-Taber L. Prenatal Depression and Risk of Short Interpregnancy Interval in a Predominantly Puerto Rican Population. J Women’s Health 2020 May 29. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2019.8201. PMID: 32471325 [PMC in progress].

Burkart S, Marcus BH, Pekow P, Rosal M, Manson JE, Braun B, Chasan-Taber L. The Impact of a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Lifestyle Intervention on Postpartum Physical Activity among At-Risk Hispanic Women: Estudio PARTO. PLoS One 2020 Jul 24;15(7):e0236408. PMCID: PMC7380594.

*Velez M, Chasan-Taber L, Goldwater E, VanKim NA. Physical Activity and Risk of Diagnosed and Undiagnosed Prediabetes among Males and Females in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2014. J Diabetes Res 2020.

Chasan-Taber L , Kini N, Harvey M, Pekow P, Dole N. The Association between Acculturation and Prenatal Psychosocial Stress among Latinas. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health J Immigr Minor Health. 2019 Jun 15.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=chasan-taber%20kini

Gubrium A, Leckenby D, Rosal M, Marcus B, Harvey M, Chasan-Taber L. Perspectives of Health Educators and Interviewers in a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Postpartum Diabetes Prevention Program for Latinas. BMC Health Services Research BMC Health Serv Res. 2019 Jun 6;19(1):357.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=chasan-taber%20gubrium

Hawkins M, Marcus BH, Pekow P, Rosal M., Tucker K., Spencer R., Chasan-Taber L. Physical Activity and Sleep Quality and Duration among Hispanic Postpartum Women: Estudio PARTO. Sleep Health Sleep Health. 2019 Jun 3. pii: S2352-7218(19)30076-2. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2019.04.003. [Epub ahead of print]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31171492

Russo LM, Ward Harvey ME, Pekow P, Chasan-Taber L. Physical Activity and Risk of Cesarean Delivery in Hispanic Women. J Phys Act Health. J Phys Act Health. 2019 Feb 1;16(2):116-124.

Hawkins M, Marcus BH, Pekow P, Rosal M, Tucker K, Spencer R, Chasan-Taber L. Physical Activity and Sleep Quality and Duration During Pregnancy Among Hispanic Women: Estudio PARTO. Behav Sleep Med. 2018 Sep 25:1-14.

Chasan-Taber, L., Marcus, B. H., Milagros, R. C., Tucker, K. L., Hartman, S. J., Pekow, P., Braun, B., Moore Simas, T. A., Solomon, C. G., Manson, J. E., & Markenson, G. (2014). Estudio Parto: Postpartum diabetes prevention program for Hispanic women with abnormal glucose tolerance in pregnancy: A randomized controlled trial-study protocol. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 14(1), 100. doi:10.1186/1471-2393-14-100.

Hawkins, M., Chasan-Taber, L., Marcus, B. H., Stanek, E., Braun, B., Ciccolo, J. & Markenson, G. (2014). The impact of an exercise intervention on physical activity during pregnancy: The Behaviors Affecting Baby and You (B.A.B.Y.) Study. American Journal of Public Health, 104(10), 74-81.

Chasan-Taber L. Lifestyle Interventions to Reduce Risk of Diabetes among Women with Prior Gestational Diabetes [Review]. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2015 Jan;29(1):110-22. PMID:25220104

Nobles C, Marcus BH, Stanek E, Braun B, Whitcomb B, Solomon CG, Manson J, Markenson G, Chasan-Taber L. Effect of an Exercise Intervention on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Obstet Gynecol 2015 May;125(5):1195-204.

Lindsey M. Russo LM, Carrie Nobles, Karen A. Ertel, Lisa Chasan-Taber, Brian W. Whitcomb. Physical Activity Interventions in Pregnancy and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 2015 Mar;125(3):576-82. PMID: 25730218

Lisa Chasan-Taber

Institute for Applied Life Sciences