Sakura Oyama
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About
Biography
Sakura received her B.A. in anthropology and biology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2017. As an undergraduate, she pursued research projects on medical decision-making in Madagascar and brown adipose tissue in mice with normoglycemic obesity. After graduating, she studied applied biological anthropology at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge scholar. Her MPhil dissertation compared metabolic rates and fluctuating asymmetry in collegiate rowers. At Yale, Sakura is studying the impact of obesity on maternal and child health in Samoa. She is mentored by Dr. Richard Bribiescas and Dr. Nicola Hawley. Her dissertation project will examine the impact of obesity on female reproductive function in Samoa.
Education & Training
- MPhil
- University of Cambridge, Applied Biological Anthropology (2018)
- BA
- Washington University in St. Louis, Anthropology, Biology (2017)
Research
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Sakura Oyama's published research.
Nicola Hawley, PhD
Publications
2023
Association between age at menarche and cardiometabolic risk among Samoan adults
Oyama S, Duckham R, Pomer A, Rivara A, Kershaw E, Wood A, Fidow U, Naseri T, Reupena M, Viali S, McGarvey S, Hawley N. Association between age at menarche and cardiometabolic risk among Samoan adults. American Journal Of Human Biology 2023, 36: e23982. PMID: 37668413, PMCID: PMC10845161, DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23982.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCardiometabolic riskOne-year increaseSubsequent cardiometabolic riskOdds of hypertensionHigher total cholesterolOdds of diabetesOdds of obesityEarly life exposureFat-free massCardiometabolic morbiditySerum lipidsBlood pressureMedian ageMetabolic syndromeTotal cholesterolProspective studyChildhood adiposityInsulin resistanceObesity prevalenceLife exposureSamoan adultsLean massEarly menarcheLogistic regressionMenarcheCross-sectional and prospective associations between household socioeconomic resources, appetite traits, and body size among Samoan infants
Oyama S, Arslanian K, Fidow U, Naseri T, Soti-Ulberg C, Hawley N. Cross-sectional and prospective associations between household socioeconomic resources, appetite traits, and body size among Samoan infants. Appetite 2023, 185: 106519. PMID: 36870391, DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106519.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2021
Pacific Islands Families Study: adverse impact of food insecurity on child body composition.
Oyama S, Tautolo E, Tukuitonga C, Rush E. Pacific Islands Families Study: adverse impact of food insecurity on child body composition. The New Zealand Medical Journal 2021, 134: 30-38. PMID: 34695074.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsFood insecurityHousehold food insecurityAppendicular skeletal muscle massVisceral adipose tissueAge 14 yearsPacific Islands Families StudyFood insecurity statusFood secure householdsHousehold food insecurity statusBody compositionInsecuritySecure householdsFood securityDual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurementsChildren's body compositionPacific Island mothersSkeletal muscle massYouthVisceral fatWeeks postpartumGreater birthweightAdipose tissueEarly infancyMuscle massLater lifeFeasibility of using infrared thermal imaging to examine brown adipose tissue in infants aged 18 to 25 months
Oyama S, Arslanian KJ, Levy SB, Ocobock CJ, Fidow UT, Naseri T, Hawley NL. Feasibility of using infrared thermal imaging to examine brown adipose tissue in infants aged 18 to 25 months. Annals Of Human Biology 2021, 48: 374-381. PMID: 34781801, DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2021.1985607.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricFactorial validation analysis of the Baby and Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaires in Samoa
Oyama S, Arslanian KJ, Fidow UT, Naseri T, Soti-Ulberg C, Hawley NL. Factorial validation analysis of the Baby and Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaires in Samoa. Eating Behaviors 2021, 42: 101530. PMID: 34051664, PMCID: PMC8380697, DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101530.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsBaby Eating Behaviour QuestionnaireEating Behavior QuestionnaireMonths postpartumChildren's Eating Behaviour QuestionnaireInfant feeding behaviorsMother-infant dyadsBehavior QuestionnaireCEBQ scoresPediatric obesityElimination of factorsPostpartumTime pointsFurther qualitative researchCEBQEarly childhoodPacific IslandersLongitudinal analysisNine-itemMonthsFactor structureLow internal reliabilityInternal reliabilityThree-factor structureExploratory factor analysisQuestionnaire's factor structureBody size and composition of Samoan toddlers aged 18–25 months in 2019
Oyama S, Duckham RL, Arslanian KJ, Kershaw EE, Strayer JA, Fidow UT, Naseri T, Hawley NL. Body size and composition of Samoan toddlers aged 18–25 months in 2019. Annals Of Human Biology 2021, 48: 346-349. PMID: 34340601, PMCID: PMC9912174, DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2021.1951351.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsDual-energy X-ray absorptiometryProspective birth cohortPrimary study aimX-ray absorptiometryGreater linear growthMother-infant dyadsThigh skinfold thicknessRs373863828 genotypeAdult SamoansArm circumferenceAbdominal circumferenceHead circumferenceProtective effectGG genotypeIliac crestLower riskSkinfold thicknessBody compositionBirth cohortStudy aimMinor alleleEarly lifeMissense variantsCircumferenceEarly childhoodFluctuating asymmetry, a marker of poor growth quality, is associated with adult male metabolic rate
Longman D, Oyama S, Cracknell J, Thompson N, Gordon D, Stock J, Wells J. Fluctuating asymmetry, a marker of poor growth quality, is associated with adult male metabolic rate. American Journal Of Biological Anthropology 2021, 175: 646-655. PMID: 33768527, DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24276.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsEnergetic allocationLife-history traitsStrong selective pressureLarge body sizeLife history theoryEnergetic investmentAdult RMRSelective pressureMetabolic rateHistory theoryBody sizePhysiological functionsEvolutionary theoryMetabolic efficiencyMetabolic inefficiencyMetabolic costObserved interindividual variationHuman daily energy expenditureDaily energy expenditureGrowthFATraitsInterindividual variation
2020
Brown Adipose Expansion and Remission of Glycemic Dysfunction in Obese SM/J Mice
Carson C, Macias-Velasco JF, Gunawardana S, Miranda MA, Oyama S, St. Pierre CL, Schmidt H, Wayhart JP, Lawson HA. Brown Adipose Expansion and Remission of Glycemic Dysfunction in Obese SM/J Mice. Cell Reports 2020, 33: 108237. PMID: 33027654, PMCID: PMC7594587, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108237.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsJ miceGlycemic dysfunctionSM/J miceGlycemic controlAdipose expansionImpairs insulin sensitivityBrown adipose depotsHigh-fat dietPoor glucose homeostasisWeeks of ageMetabolic complicationsPersistent obesityInsulin sensitivityGlucose homeostasisAdipose depotsInnovative therapiesDysfunctionObesityMiceRemissionGlucose sinkTranscriptomic changesComplicationsTherapy