Hannah Laue

Hannah Laue

rhymes with banana Maui
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology

Environmental epidemiology; molecular epidemiology, children’s health, microbiome

I am an environmental epidemiologist dedicated to understanding how toxicants influence health across the lifespan. Because many chronic diseases have their roots in early life (the developmental origins of health and disease or DOHaD hypothesis), I have focused my work on childhood and adolescence. My research leverages ‘omics technologies to explore the pathways that link environmental factors to health outcomes. I am particularly interested in how our microbiomes – the microorganisms that reside in and on our bodies – and their metabolites act as mediators and modifiers of health processes like neurobehavioral development. I have researched trace elements (“metals”) like lead and arsenic as well as organic compounds, including triclosan and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Notably, humans are not exposed to these toxicants in isolation, but rather as a mixture, making the use of chemical mixtures methods like Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) essential. 

Education

  • Postdoctoral, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
  • ScD, Harvard University, 2019
  • SM, Harvard University, 2015
  • BA, American University, 2011

Key Publications

Laue HE, Bonham KS, Coker MO, Moroishi Y, Pathmasiri W, McRitchie S, Sumner S, Hoen AG, Karagas MR, Klepac-Ceraj V, Madan J. The developing infant/toddler microbiome and risk of autistic behaviors: An ECHO-wide analysis. Molecular Autism. 2024 15(1):21. PMCID: PMC11101342. 

Laue HE, Bauer JA, Pathmasiri W, Sumner SCJ, McRitchie S, Palys TJ, Hoen AG, Madan JC, Karagas MR. Patterns of infant fecal metabolite concentrations and social behavioral development in toddlers. Pediatric Research. 2024. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38509226.

Laue HE, Lanphear BP, Calafat AM, Cecil KM, Chen A, Xu Y, Kalkwarf H, Madan JC, Karagas MR, Yolton K, Fleisch AF, Braun JM. Time-varying associations between triclosan and pubertal and adrenarchal outcomes in early adolescence. Environmental Epidemiology. 2024 8(2):p e305. PMCID: PMC11008648.

Laue HE, Moroishi Y, Palys TJ, Christensen BC, Criswell R, Peterson LA, Huset CA, Baker ER, Karagas MR, Madan JC, Romano ME. Early-life exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and infant gut microbial composition. Environmental Epidemiology. 2023 7(1):e238. PMCID: PMC9916123.

Laue HE, Moroishi Y, Jackson BP, Palys TJ, Madan JC, Karagas MR. Contribution of gut bacteria to arsenic metabolism in the first year of life in a prospective birth cohort. Environmental Research. 2022 214(4), 114099. PMID: 35998698