Zeyan Liew, PhD, MPH
Research & Publications
Biography
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Research Summary
Fetal programming theory suggests that there are critical vulnerable periods in pre or early postnatal life during which not only development, but also future health may be impacted dramatically. My research has been focusing on employing large longitudinal pregnancy cohorts to evaluate potential adverse effects from fetal exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals in critical time windows, including persistent organic pollutants and pesticides, and pharmaceutical agent such as acetaminophen. Over the years, I have studied a broad range of neurodevelopmental endpoints including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), cerebral palsy (CP), and functional brain measures such as intelligence, executive function, motor function, and social and behavioral problems. Recently, I also started to investigate early life risk factors associated with asthma and obesity in childhood. My team utilizes some unique and large-scale population-based cohorts and register data for research, which include (1) the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC), a prospective pregnancy cohort of approximately 100,000 women and their offspring currently in its 18 years follow up, (2) Danish and other Nordic medical registers and biobank data that span up to three decades and two generations, (3) statewide birth records and disease registers in California, and recently (4) mental health outcomes among children enrolled in the U.S. Nurses’ Health Study collaborating with Weisskopf’s lab. Finally, I also contributed to methodological research specifically in causal inference and bias analyses.
Research Interests
Acetaminophen; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Cerebral Palsy; Child Development; Environmental Pollutants; Models, Statistical; Causality; Pharmacoepidemiology; Endocrine Disruptors; Pediatric Obesity; Autism Spectrum Disorder
Public Health Interests
Environmental Health; Epidemiology Methods; Global Health; Perinatal/Prenatal Health; Pharmacoepidemiology
Selected Publications
- Acetaminophen use during pregnancy, behavioral problems, and hyperkinetic disorders.Liew Z, Ritz B, Rebordosa C, Lee PC, Olsen J. Acetaminophen use during pregnancy, behavioral problems, and hyperkinetic disorders. JAMA Pediatrics 2014, 168:313-20.
- Use of Negative Control Exposure Analysis to Evaluate Confounding: An Example of Acetaminophen Exposure and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Nurses' Health Study II.Liew Z, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Roberts AL, O'Reilly ÉJ, Ascherio A, Weisskopf MG. Use of Negative Control Exposure Analysis to Evaluate Confounding: An Example of Acetaminophen Exposure and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Nurses' Health Study II. American Journal Of Epidemiology 2019, 188:768-775.
- Maternal use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorders in childhood: A Danish national birth cohort study.Liew Z, Ritz B, Virk J, Olsen J. Maternal use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorders in childhood: A Danish national birth cohort study. Autism Research : Official Journal Of The International Society For Autism Research 2016, 9:951-8.
- Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and the risk of congenital cerebral palsy in children.Liew Z, Ritz B, Bonefeld-Jørgensen EC, Henriksen TB, Nohr EA, Bech BH, Fei C, Bossi R, von Ehrenstein OS, Streja E, Uldall P, Olsen J. Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and the risk of congenital cerebral palsy in children. American Journal Of Epidemiology 2014, 180:574-81.
- Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and childhood autism in association with prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances: a nested case-control study in the Danish National Birth Cohort.Liew Z, Ritz B, von Ehrenstein OS, Bech BH, Nohr EA, Fei C, Bossi R, Henriksen TB, Bonefeld-Jørgensen EC, Olsen J. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and childhood autism in association with prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances: a nested case-control study in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Environmental Health Perspectives 2015, 123:367-73.
- Prenatal Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Birth Outcomes; An Updated Analysis from the Danish National Birth Cohort.Meng Q, Inoue K, Ritz B, Olsen J, Liew Z. Prenatal Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Birth Outcomes; An Updated Analysis from the Danish National Birth Cohort. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health 2018, 15.
- Developmental Exposures to Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs): An Update of Associated Health Outcomes.Liew Z, Goudarzi H, Oulhote Y. Developmental Exposures to Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs): An Update of Associated Health Outcomes. Current Environmental Health Reports 2018, 5:1-19.
- Prenatal Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and IQ Scores at Age 5; a Study in the Danish National Birth Cohort.Liew Z, Ritz B, Bach CC, Asarnow RF, Bech BH, Nohr EA, Bossi R, Henriksen TB, Bonefeld-Jørgensen EC, Olsen J. Prenatal Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and IQ Scores at Age 5; a Study in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Environmental Health Perspectives 2018, 126:067004.
- Bias from conditioning on live birth in pregnancy cohorts: an illustration based on neurodevelopment in children after prenatal exposure to organic pollutants.Liew Z, Olsen J, Cui X, Ritz B, Arah OA. Bias from conditioning on live birth in pregnancy cohorts: an illustration based on neurodevelopment in children after prenatal exposure to organic pollutants. International Journal Of Epidemiology 2015, 44:345-54.
- How to investigate and adjust for selection bias in cohort studies.Nohr EA, Liew Z. How to investigate and adjust for selection bias in cohort studies. Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica 2018, 97:407-416.