Kelly K. Ferguson
Environmental
Institut Pasteur de Bangui
Mauritius
Biography
Kelly Ferguson, Ph.D., M.P.H., leads the Perinatal and Early Life Epidemiology Group and holds a secondary appointment in the NIEHS Reproductive & Developmental Biology Laboratory. The Perinatal and Early Life Epidemiology Group conducts research on how maternal exposure to chemicals impacts pregnancy and the development of the fetus and child. We also investigate biological mechanisms of action — such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption — that connect chemical exposures to adverse birth outcomes. Other more general research interests include: Biomarkers of environmental exposures Phenotyping adverse pregnancy outcomes Impacts of prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds on fertility, pregnancy, and development Statistical methods for longitudinal study design, analysis of exposure mixtures, and mediation Ferguson is specifically trained in epidemiologic study design, chemical exposure assessment, reproductive health endpoints, and advanced statistical methods. She earned her M.P.H. in Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology and Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She joined the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch as a Tenure-Track Investigator in 2016.
Research Interest
Environmental exposures in pregnancy and the origins of disease
Publications
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Ferguson KK, Meeker JD, Cantonwine DE, Chen YH, Mukherjee B, McElrath TF. Urinary phthalate metabolite and bisphenol A associations with ultrasound and delivery indices of fetal growth. Environ Int 2016; 94:531-7.
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Ferguson KK, Chen YH, VanderWeele TJ, McElrath TF, Meeker JD, Mukherjee B. Mediation of the relationship between maternal phthalate exposure and preterm birth by oxidative stress with repeated measurements across pregnancy. Environ Health Perspect 2016.
