PhD student in Public Health Sciences presents thesis at annual American College of Epidemiology meeting

Depression may not be associated with adverse birth outcomes among a predominantly healthy population of non-Hispanic White, well educated women.​ These findings from the thesis of Kenesha Smith, a 2014 graduate of the MSPH program and current student in the PhD in Public Health Sciences program, were recently presented at the annual American College of Epidemiology meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland. Using Utah PRAMS data, Kenesha’s thesis investigated whether maternal depression during pregnancy was associated with preterm birth or small for gestational age (SGA) status. After completing this study, Kenesha’s conclusions suggest that future studies should focus on other populations of women (i.e. minorities) to determine if there is an association for these subgroups. Drs. Larissa Huber, Michele Issel, and Jan Warren-Findlow were members of Kenesha’s thesis committee.

“Overall, this was a great experience. I had the chance to meet with interesting people in the field and discuss my findings with them. Their knowledge on the topic provided some enlightening tips for future studies.” -Kenesha Smith, MSPH​​