SPER’s Executive Committee is comprised of 11 officers and includes a President, a President-Elect, an Immediate Past-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, four Members-at-Large, an International Representative, and a Trainee Representative. The 2024 Elections will include voting for the following positions:

President-Elect, Member-at-Large, and Trainee Representative.

2024 Members of SPER are entitled to one vote per category. Learn more about the candidates below.

Voting will conclude on May 13, 2024.

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President-Elect

Monique Hedderson (She/Her)

Senior Research Scientist and Associate Director, Women and Children’s Health Section Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

Candidate Statement

I am delighted to run for President of SPER. My career has benefited greatly from the SPER community, and I am grateful for the scientific ideas and collaborations fostered at SPER over the past 20 years. I have enjoyed serving on the program planning committee and I would welcome the opportunity to give back to the organization. Read more

Dawn P. Misra

Chair and Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Michigan State University

Candidate Statement

Each year I look forward to the SPER meeting as the one place where I know I will find colleagues committed to the study of pediatric and perinatal epidemiology and who are open to new questions, new ideas, and new methods. Read more

I began attending in the 1990s just after my PhD and only a broken bone or serious illness can keep me away! I agree with our past presidents that this is a welcoming and stimulating society and sharing this experience with trainees is a priority for me. This is a society that truly values ideas over your position so that graduate students are treated with the same respect as a senior scientist. I was Secretary 2005-2007 and have participated in student prize paper reviews, abstract reviews, and as a moderator of oral presentations. Most recently I have been a member of the SPER Equity Board. As part of this effort, I collaborated on the creation and rollout of the Welcoming Peers program that matches newer attendees with our more experienced members at the Annual Meeting.

I am a professor and the chair for the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. I received my BA and MHS (Maternal and Child Health) from the Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in Epidemiology from Columbia University. I was profoundly influenced by studying with Mervyn Susser and I find his mix of perinatal and social epidemiology continues to guide my work. Following completion of my doctorate, I was a visiting assistant professor at the City College of New York after which I joined the faculty of the Maternal and Child Health Department at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to my appointment at Wayne State, I was a faculty member as well as the Director of the Reproductive and Women’s Health Interdepartmental Concentration at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Prior to my becoming chair at MSU in 2020, I was a professor and associate chair for research at Wayne State University in Detroit. My work continues to focus on birth outcomes of Black women in metro Detroit and beyond.

I have three broad areas of interest: studying perinatal health disparities with a focus on racism, especially across a woman’s life course and across the history of the U.S.; studying the role of the placenta in perinatal and pediatric outcomes; and developing and applying new approaches to the study of fetal origins of disease. My primary aim is to understand the causes of adverse outcomes, but with an eye towards implementing changes in the world that will reduce infant mortality and its racial and social disparities. The fundamental role of racism in producing disparities is my major focus at present.

I value the traditions of SPER and wish to continue them. I have been very impressed with the energy and teamwork of our Equity Board and am invested in continuing that work. I also have ideas broadly about how we can do more to support our student and junior faculty members. Many of our students and junior faculty SPER members are at institutions where the kind of expertise of senior SPER members is in short supply. Many professional research societies have created mentoring programs. In addition, there may be needs of mid-career and senior faculty that should be considered. As President, I would continue discussion with our membership about the goals and activities of our society in the coming years. Knowing our members, there are certain to be many ideas!

Member-at-Large

Kari Weber

Assistant Professor, Epidemiology
Fay W Boozman College of Public Health
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Candidate Statement

I am honored to run for the SPER Member-at-Large. I became a member of SPER as a postdoc, 8 years ago, when I attended my first meeting in Miami. While this would be my first time serving, I have attended almost every year since becoming a member and presented multiple times. Read more

Asma Ahmed

Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Prevention
Division of Public Health Sciences
Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Candidate Statement

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. I am a perinatal/pediatric epidemiologist with a strong methodological background and a trained physician with clinical experience in pediatrics. Read more

Teresa Janevic

Associate Professor
Department of Epidemiology
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Candidate Statement

It is with my pleasure I express my candidacy for Member-at-Large in the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research.Read more

I am a perinatal epidemiologist with an interest in the influence of social and structural exposures, such as policy, neighborhood environment, racism, migration, and stress, on perinatal and reproductive health outcomes, and the role of quality of health care in these relationships. I am Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, where I lead the environmental Influences on Birth Equity (VIBE) Research Lab.

I set off on my career as an epidemiologist with a passion for investigating social inequalities in health. After completing my MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics at UC Berkeley, I landed my first job as a SAS programmer for a perinatal epidemiologist, and an “outcome” was born. I later received my doctorate in epidemiology from Columbia University, and I have continued to pursue my passion in investigating social inequalities in perinatal health, both in the US and internationally. In the process I have had the opportunity to collaborate with diverse stakeholders in the field of maternal and child health, including public health departments, obstetricians, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, doulas, and community health workers. I also have developed and taught curriculum in perinatal epidemiology to MPH students and ob/gyn residents and fellows. Therefore, while epidemiology is my disciplinary home, I also value the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration to advance research on mothers and children.

SPER has been a steady source of professional insight and collaboration for me since I first became a member as a doctoral student. As a once-upon-a-time SPER student, I understand how critical it is that junior researchers have access to networking and career development through SPER. As a member-at-large of SPER, I look forward to growing SPER’s reach both in the US and globally among students, junior faculty, clinical researchers, and public health professionals. I will also strive to see SPER grow as a vibrant, forward-looking forum for research on the health of mothers and children. It is my desire to see SPER maintain its relevancy to epidemiologists across the span of their careers, while expanding its influence and scope across disciplines and borders.

Trainee Representative Candidates

Sara Stephens

Epidemiology Student
UTHealth School of Public Health

Candidate Statement

I am delighted to be nominated for the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research’s (SPER) 2024-2025 Trainee Representative position and would be honored to serve the SPER community. Read more

Since joining SPER, I have had the opportunity to be a part of the Student and Post-Doc Working Committee for the last three years, in addition to serving on the Program Planning Committee and as an abstract reviewer. As a Post-Doc Committee member, I remain active in ongoing discussions exploring avenues to engage trainee and young investigator members, leveraging online resources to connect young epidemiologists across institutions, and providing professional development opportunities for younger members. One such example of this is SPER’s 2024 inaugural virtual meeting to be held in April, where I will serve as moderator for a professional development session. Building off this experience in working with prior Trainee Representatives, as Trainee Representative myself, I aim to build on their work in spearheading Committee efforts including the continuation of SPER’s virtual meeting, coordinating opportunities for professional development, and planning the Advanced Methods workshop.

Additionally, as someone who has presented my own research at SPER’s annual meeting, I have personally benefitted from the networking opportunities available at the conference. If elected, I aim to ensure that these opportunities are both continued and strengthened for SPER members. I also hope to help improve institutional representation of centers in states with evolving legislation that impacts public health. Improving this representation, in turn, can help bring into the SPER forum opportunities to discuss ongoing and emerging public health needs that impact the clinical implications of our research.

To provide more background about myself, I am currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston. Scheduled to graduate with my PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics in May 2024, I have had the opportunity to train in the world’s largest medical center, where I have primarily worked at a large children’s hospital studying outcomes in children with congenital heart defects, including with Texas’ Department of State Health Services, Houston Fire Department, and other collaborating entities. My prior research has focused on health outcomes and risk biomarkers among children and families with cardiovascular and genetically-mediated cardiac disease. My research interests include pediatric outcomes and risk modifiers, maternal health, and social determinants of health. With respect to my long-term career goals as a pediatric epidemiologist, I am passionate about improving long-term outcomes among children with chronic disease. In serving as SPER Trainee Representative, I hope to utilize my more than 5 years’ of experience collaborating with partners in Texas and other states to build on SPER’s opportunities, work to expand representation in states like Texas, and cultivate a collaborative environment amongst students and trainees that offers them professional benefits and opportunity for input while strengthening potential for collaboration in ongoing research across SPER. Thank you for your consideration.

Lauren Tailor

Epidemiology Student
University of Toronto

Candidate Statement

As a new SPER member, I was privileged to present my research at the 2023 SPER Student & Post-Doc Research Talks webinar. I have learned so much from the SPER workshops and would like to be more involved in the coordination and planning of these events to further enhance SPER initiatives. Read more

In particular, I am excited to help plan the Advanced Methods Workshops and I hope to hold virtual and in-person networking events that connect trainees to SPER researchers in a mentorship capacity. I also hope to engage more international SPER researchers and expand SPER access across borders and organizations. I would love the opportunity to learn from other SPER researchers and help organize symposia, particularly at the annual conference.

A bit about me: I am a second-year Epidemiology PhD student at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH), as well as a practicing pharmacist and Doctor of Pharmacy graduate from the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy. Before my PhD, I completed a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology (with a Collaborative Specialization in Global Health) from DLSPH. As a pharmacist and epidemiologist, I am very passionate about pharmacoepidemiology, particularly concerning women’s and child global health. My PhD thesis is co-supervised by Dr. Sonia Grandi and Dr. Hilary Brown on work focused on perinatal and paediatric pharmacoepidemiology, particularly examining associations between continued prenatal exposure to antidepressants and maternal and offspring cardiometabolic outcomes using a target trial emulation approach. I have been fortunate to be involved in research related to maternal and child health outside of my thesis. For example, under supervision of Dr. Grandi, I led a perinatal pharmacoepidemiology chart validation study to assess the accuracy of an “aspirin for preeclampsia” variable in an ICES health registry. This first-author peer-reviewed publication (special issue in Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology) is the first study to validate this variable, and it will aid researchers in performing real-world studies focused on prenatal cardiovascular health. I also work with Dr. Shaun Morris and his team on research focused on maternal mental health in Kenya and child neurodevelopmental outcomes. I spearheaded a study focused on interventions for young mothers living with HIV in Zimbabwe, which taught me how to engage patient partners with lived experience, work with international teams, perform qualitative research and translate research into reports. Finally, I am a Canadian Mother-Child Cohort trainee (2022-2023 cohort) and am now actively involved in one of their multi-year CIHR-funded projects after completing my certificate in Maternal-Fetal Pharmacoepidemiology with CAMCCO.

Bethany Rand

Public Health Sciences PhD candidate
University of Tennessee Knoxville – College of Education Health and Human Science

Candidate Statement

I am delighted to be considered for the Trainee Representative (2024-2025) position at the Society of Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research (SPER). It would be a privilege to represent students and trainees involved in SPER, and to have the opportunity to work with a group of seasoned and accomplished epidemiologists. Read more

I believe I possess the commitment, drive, and skills necessary to successfully serve on the SPER Executive Committee.

I am a perinatal researcher and Public Health Sciences PhD candidate within the College of Education, Health and Human Science at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK). My research focuses on the role that lifestyle behaviors in pregnancy, postpartum, and early childhood play on chronic disease risk. I am concurrently earning a Master’s in Statistics through the Intercollegiate Graduate Statistics and Data Science Program in the Haslam College of Business at UTK. Prior to UTK, I completed a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science and Chronic Disease at the University of North Florida, Brooks College of Health. Upon graduation from UTK this summer, I plan to join Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research as a postdoctoral fellow in their Translational Research Fellowship program. I am a current member of the SPER Student/Postdoc Committee and have been a participating member of SPER since 2021.

I am an individual with strong organizational and interpersonal skills, which I think are critical to this position, as I would be regularly planning SPER-related events and engaging with students/trainees of various career stages. Furthermore, my prior experience working as an officer for the UTK Public Health Student Association (PHSA) leaves me well-poised for this position. Relevant duties as PHSA officer included (, but not limited to) planning educational, service, and social events in-person and virtually, taking minutes and sending out regular email updates via my department’s listserv, and coordinating with faculty members, planning, and moderating MPH comprehensive exam reviews. Now that I have served term as PHSA officer, I have the time and fervor to serve on a board that spans multiple institutions. As Student Representative, I promise to carry out the responsibilities of planning student/trainee events, supporting SPER Executive Board initiatives, and importantly, delivering the Advanced Methods Workshop for the SPER Annual Meeting in 2024 with pride and excellence.

I also serve as the student representative abstract reviewer for my college’s annual Graduate Research Colloquium, as well as an abstract reviewer for the last three SPER annual meetings. As an abstract reviewer, I have had the honor of upholding scientific rigor and research equity. I am passionate about curating a culture of diversity and scientific inquiry where public health research can grow and thrive amongst budding researchers from diverse backgrounds. As Student Representative, I promise to promote an atmosphere of diversity and research integrity.

It would be a true joy to serve on the SPER Executive Committee as the Trainee Representative (2024-2025). Thank you for considering me as candidate.

Kelly DeBie

Epidemiology PhD Student
Colorado State University

Candidate Statement

I am humbled and thankful for the chance to be considered for the position of Trainee Representative for the Society of Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research.Read more

I am a new member of SPER, having just joined recently, and will be attending my first annual meeting this June. I have submitted an abstract to present on my research at the meeting this year, awaiting a decision. My research is focused on the impacts of changes in abortion access on several health factors. I am specifically studying how the changes in laws influence out-of-state travel for procedures, the impacts on infant mortality that are associated with the differences in state law, and how the patchwork of state law may be influencing physician supply based on preferences for practice area based on patient and provider autonomy. My currently submitted abstract pertains to the infant mortality portion of my work, and I hope to be able to share it at the meeting in a few months.

I am a doctoral student at Colorado State University in the environmental health program, specializing in epidemiology, where I also sit on the university’s institutional review board, biomedical division. I hope to defend my dissertation next spring. I hold a law degree and a master level degree in epidemiology. Additionally, I have an extensive background in maternal mental health advocacy, policy, ethics, and law. I am trained as a doula and have served many families over the years in pregnancy, birth, postpartum, grief, and abortion capacities. I have been fortunate to combine my accumulated academic and work experience so that it may inform my multidisciplinary approach to epidemiology, where I focus my research on the intersections of policy/politics and health outcomes. In addition to this area of focus, I spend time working on environmental justice and climate change issues. I bring years of experience leading non-profit organizations, I have served on a county board, and am actively involved with several causes. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, kayaking, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

I would be honored to serve as the Trainee Representative for SPER this year and thank you profoundly for your consideration.