Nicola Hawley, PhD
Biography
Research & Publications
News
Locations
Appointments
- Anthropology
- Chronic Disease Epidemiology
Biography
Dr. Nicola Hawley is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Disease) and Anthropology at the Yale School of Public Health. Her expertise is in the etiology and prevention of obesity-related chronic disease in resource-poor, low-income settings. Her research focuses predominantly on Pacific Islander populations, although she has ongoing collaborations in South Africa, Uganda, Honduras, China, Columbia and the US. Methodologically, Dr. Hawley employs a life-course approach that utilizes cross-sectional, cohort, and randomized controlled trial designs to address questions of causality and identify critical periods of susceptibility. She is a mixed-methods expert and an advocate for community-engaged approaches to research, intervention, and development of health policy.
Dr. Hawley’s current research focuses broadly on: (1) understanding how maternal and child health are impacted by rising levels of obesity and diabetes in resource-poor settings; (2) determining how innovations in healthcare delivery can impact identification and treatment of obesity-related disease during the perinatal period; and (3) developing interventions focused on pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence to prevent the intergenerational transmission of obesity-related disease.
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral FellowBrown University (2014)
- Postdoctoral FellowBrown University (2011)
- PhDLoughborough University (2009)
- BSLoughborough University (2005)
Activities
- Group Prenatal Care StudyPago Pago, Eastern, American Samoa (2016-2018)Randomized controlled trial of group prenatal care in American Samoa - focused on addressing life course non-communicable disease risk
- Ola Tuputupua'e (Growing Up) in Samoa StudyApia, Upolu, Samoa 2015Longitudinal cohort study of child health and development in Samoa now planning for its fourth wave of bi-annual data collection.
- Infant Feeding StudiesPago Pago, Eastern, American Samoa 2012Infant Feeding Studies
- Soifua Manuia (Good Health) StudyApia, Upolu, Samoa 2010Ongoing cohort study of adult cardiometabolic health in Samoa
- Birth to Twenty StudyJohannesburg, GP, South Africa 2006Birth to Twenty Study
Honors & Recognition
Award | Date |
---|---|
Yale School of Public Health "Teacher of the Year" | 2016 |
Departments & Organizations
- Anthropology
- Chronic Disease Epidemiology
- Obesity Research Working Group
- Samoan Obesity, Lifestyle and Genetic Adaptations Study Group
- Yale Institute for Global Health
- Yale Network for Global Non-Communicable Diseases (NGN)
- Yale School of Public Health
- YSPH Global Health Concentration