Pregnancy, Prematurity, Birth
Ellen Goldstein
Expert on: Trauma-informed perinatal mental health
Dr. Ellen Goldstein is an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health Nursing Science. Her research focuses on mental health during peripartum and developing a trauma-informed approach for prenatal care to lessen the impact of maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and other traumas on maternal and child health outcomes. The goal of her research program is to test acceptable, effective, behavioral interventions that can be delivered during routine prenatal care to improve psychosocial and socioemotional functioning in under-resourced pregnant women.
Bilgay Izci Balserak
Expert on: Sleep and circadian science, maternal health, cardiometabolic and cognitive research, health inequalities, advanced research methodologies
Dr. Bilgay Izci Balserak’s research program explores the intricate and interconnected landscape of sleep and circadian health, maternal-fetal well-being, metabolic and cardiovascular health, cognitive function, and the profound influence of social determinants of health. Her work is driven by a commitment to improving health outcomes and health equity across vulnerable populations.
Her lab integrates:
- Objective Sleep Assessment: Polysomnography, home sleep test/s and actigraphy for precise, real-world sleep measurement.
- Physiological Data Collection: Blood samples for biomarker analysis, including glucose and inflammatory markers.
- Digital Health Tools: Use of wearable devices for continuous monitoring of health behaviors and outcomes such as smart watches, Continues Glucose Monitoring system.
- Data Science Approaches: Integration of electronic health records, REDCap-based surveys, data collected by wearable devices, physiological data and advanced statistical modeling.
- Behavioral Interventions: Culturally tailored strategies to promote behavior change.
Currently, Dr. Balserak leads an ongoing NIH-funded randomized controlled trial (RCT) focused on implementing culturally-tailored behavioral sleep interventions. This groundbreaking work aims to enhance maternal-fetal outcomes and directly alleviate health inequalities, particularly within vulnerable populations.
She actively welcomes students (undergraduate, graduate), postdoctoral fellows, and interdisciplinary collaborators interested in projects that apply innovative approaches to address complex health challenges. Her lab offers rich, hands-on training in sleep and circadian sciences, maternal health, cardiometabolic and cognitive research, health equity, and advanced research methodologies.
Mary Dawn Koenig
Expert on: Perinatal nutrition, maternal morbidities, breast/chest feeding
Dr. Mary Dawn Koenig is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science and director of the PhD program at the UIC College of Nursing. A certified nurse-midwife and nationally recognized expert in maternal and child health, Dr. Koenig has more than 16 years of experience conducting research among pregnant and breast/chest feeding populations. Her NIH-funded work focuses on maternal morbidities—particularly obesity—and their impact on pregnancy, birth, and infant outcomes, with a specific emphasis on iron metabolism and the effects of inflammation on iron bioavailability. She was the first to demonstrate impaired placental iron transfer in obese pregnancies using stable iron isotopes and is pioneering alternative, scalable interventions—including probiotics, oral lactoferrin, and time-restricted eating—to improve maternal nutrition, reduce anemia, and promote cardiometabolic health. Dr. Koenig also conducts research on breast/chest feeding, with a focus on human milk composition and the biological, behavioral, and social determinants of lactation, especially in high-risk populations. Her innovative, equity-driven work continues to shape prenatal care practices and improve maternal and infant health outcomes in the U.S. and globally.
Kylea Liese
Expert on: Maternal health disparities, structural racism in health care, abortion care, implementation science, health care delivery science
Dr. Kylea Liese is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science. She is a medical anthropologist and certified nurse-midwife. Her research is at the intersection of anthropology, nursing, and public health. She investigates the impacts of social upheaval on disparities in maternal morbidity using mixed-methodological approaches. Dr. Liese’s conceptualizes her research program as part of a broader effort in applied health and social sciences to contextualize epidemiological data. She seeks to anchor disparities sexual and reproductive health in social, environmental, and biomedical factors.
Randi Singer
Expert on: Implementation science, participatory research and sexual health equity
Dr. Randi Singer is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science and a Certified Nurse-Midwife with over 15 years of experience in sexual and reproductive health. Grounded in community engagement and driven by a commitment to health equity, Dr. Singer’s research focuses on advancing health systems innovations to support STI/HIV prevention among those who have been deprioritized. She specializes in participatory approaches with communities often excluded from traditional research, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), those engaged in the sex trade, LGBTQIA+ individuals, both pregnant and non-pregnant, and minority youth. Dr. Singer aims to transform health care delivery through implementation science and equitable research partnerships.