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Ondine S. von Ehrenstein

Associate Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences

Departments

DepartmentsType of Faculty
Community Health SciencesFull Time
EpidemiologyJoint Appointment
Expertise: 
Maternal and Child Health
Reproductive Health
Environmental effects on health
Environmental Epidemiology
Epidemiology
Global Health
Reproductive Health
Contact Information
Phone: 
310.206.5324
Fax: 
310.794.1805
Email: 
ovehren@ucla.edu

41-269A, CHS

Areas of Interest: 

Global health; reproductive, perinatal and child health and development; environmental and lifestyle factors; life-course and reproductive epidemiology; child health disparities; biomarkers in population research; policy impacts.  

I specialise in global reproductive, perinatal and child health, including birth outcomes, neurodevelopment, autism, cognition, and asthma. My work emphasizes the life-course approach, focusing on the early life period as it sets the stage for life long health. My research involves large population studies to examine linkages between prenatal and early life environmental, lifestyle and community factors, and reproductive, childhood and population health. My current research takes place internationally and in California. The overarching aim of my work is creating population based evidence that can impact policies and translate into community based prevention. 

Center(s): 
California Center for Population Research
Education: 
PhD Public Health / Epidemiology
MPH Epidemiology
MSc Biology
This faculty member is available to serve as: 
Doctoral Advisor
Masters Advisor
PhD Committee Member
DrPH Committee Member
MS Thesis Committee Member
MS Report Committee Member

Please check with the faculty member or their office about availability to serve during current academic period.

Selected Courses: 
CHS 200 Global Health Problems
CHS 240 Child and Reproductive Health in Communities – a Global Environmental Perspective
Selected Publications: 
  1. von Ehrenstein OS, Aralis H, Cockburn M, Ritz B. In utero exposure to ambient air toxics and risks for autism in children. Epidemiology, 2014; 25: 851–858. 
  2. Becerra T, von Ehrenstein OS, Heck J, Olsen J, Onyebuchi AA, Jeste S, Rodriguez M, Ritz B.Autism and maternal race/ethnicity and nativity in populations in Los Angeles. Pediatrics, 2014;134(1):e63-71.
  3. von Ehrenstein OS, Wilhelm M, Wang A, Ritz B. Preterm birth and prenatal maternal occupation: The role of Hispanic ethnicity and nativity in a population based sample in Los Angeles, California. American Journal of Public Health, 2014; 104: S65-S72. 
  4. Lindert J, von Ehrenstein OS, Grashow R, Gal G, Braehler E, Weisskopf MG. Sexual and physical abuse in childhood is associated with depression and anxiety over the life course: systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Public Health, 2013, Oct 12 [Epub ahead of print]
  5. von Ehrenstein OS, Wilhelm M, Ritz B. Maternal occupational exposure and term-low birth weight in a population with high proportion of Latinas in Los Angeles, CA. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2013; 55 (9): 1046-51.
  6. Smith AH, Yunus M, Khan AF, Ercumen A, Yuan Y, Smith MH, Liaw J, Balmes J, von Ehrenstein OS, Raqib R, Kalman D, Alam D, Streatfield K, Steinmaus C. Chronic respiratory symptoms in children following in utero and early life exposure to arsenic in drinking water in Bangladesh. International Journal of Epidemiology 2013; 42:1077–1086.
  7. Ohlander J, Huber S, Schuhmacher M, Heumann C, Schierl R, Michaelke B, Jenni O, Caflisch J, Moraga D, von Ehrenstein OS, Radon K. Risk factors of mercury exposure of children in a rural mining town in northern Chile. PLOSone, 2013; 8 (11): e79756
  8. von Ehrenstein OS, Neta G, Andrews W, Goldenberg R, Goepfert A, Zhang J. Child intellectual development related to cytokine levels in umbilical cord blood. American Journal of Epidemiology 2012; 175(11):1191–99.
  9. Basu A, Mitra S, Chung J, Mazumder DN, Ghosh N, Kalman D, von Ehrenstein OS, Steinmaus C, Liaw J, Smith AH. Creatinine, diet, micronutrients, and arsenic methylation in West Bengal, India. Environmental Health Perspectives 2011; 119(9):1308-13.
  10. Neta G, von Ehrenstein OS, Goldman LR, Lum K, Sundaram R, Andrews W, Zhang J. Umbilical cord serum cytokine levels and risks of small-for-gestational-age and preterm birth. American Jouranl of Epidemiology, 2010; 171: 859-67. 
  11. von Ehrenstein OS, Fenton S, Kato K, Kuklenyik Z, Calafat AM, Hines E. Perfluoroalkyls in the milk and serum of breastfeeding women. Reproductive Toxicolgy, 2009; 29:239-46.
  12. Lindert J, von Ehrenstein OS, Priebe S, Mielck A, Braehler E. Depression and anxiety disorders in migrants and refugees: systematic review and meta-analysis. Social Science in Medicine, 2009; 69(2): 246-57. 
  13. von Ehrenstein, OS, Mikolaijczk RT, Zhang J. Timing and trajectories of fetal growth related to cognitive development in childhood. American Journal Epidemiology, 2009; 170(11):1388-95. 
  14. von Ehrenstein OS, Poddar S, Yuan Y, Guha Mazumder, Eskenazi B, Basu A, Hira- Smith M, Ghosh N, Lahiri S, Haque R, Ghosh A, Kalman D, Das S, Liaw J, Smith. AH. Children’s intellectual function tests and arsenic exposure in West Bengal, India. Epidemiology, 2007; 18:44-51
  15. von Ehrenstein OS, Smith KR, Basu A, Jenny A, Hira-Smith M, Smith AH. Capacity building in environmental health research in India and Nepal. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2006; 12:300-306
  16. von Ehrenstein OS, Guha Mazumder DN, Hira-Smith M, Ghosh N, Yuan Y, Windham G, Lahiri S, Haque R, Ghosh A, Kalman D, Das S, Smith. AH. Pregnancy outcomes, infant mortality and arsenic in drinking water in West Bengal, India. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2006; 163(7): 662-9.
  17. von Ehrenstein OS, Guha Mazumder DN, Yuan Y, Balmes J, Sil A, Ghosh N, Hira-Smith M, Haque R, Purushothamam R, Lahiri S, Das S, Smith. AH. Decrements in lung function are related to arsenic in drinking water in West Bengal, India. American Journal Epidemiology, 2005;162: 533-541.