Margaret Rita Karagas, PhD
Title(s)
Chair and Professor of Epidemiology
Professor of Community and Family Medicine
James W. Squires Professor
Additional Titles/Positions/Affiliations
Director, Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center and Center for Molecular Epidemiology
Department(s)
Epidemiology
Community and Family Medicine
Education
University of Washington, PhD 1990
Programs
Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Quantitative Biomedical Sciences
Websites
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Contact Information
Department of Epidemiology
1 Medical Center Drive
7927 Rubin Building
Lebanon NH 03756
Office: 863 Rubin Bldg Lebanon, NH
Phone: 603-653-9010
Fax: 603-653-9093
Email: Margaret.Karagas@dartmouth.edu
Assistant: Lura Pascale
Asst. Phone: 603-646-5891
Asst. Email: Lura.Pascale@dartmouth.edu
Professional Interests
Professor Karagas' research encompasses several epidemiological studies focusing on the etiology and prevention of human cancers over the lifecourse, as well as adverse pregnancy and children's health outcomes. These include investigations to determine incidence rates of basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer for a geographically defined US population, and to assess the extent of any increase over the past 20 years. Another aspect of this research is a case-control study of these malignancies to identify risks associated with emerging exposures such as indoor tanning, ingestion of arsenic-containing drinking water and foods, immunosuppressive therapies and other factors. This research has been extended to bladder cancer. One of her current initiatives involves establishing a cohort of pregnant women in New Hampshire to assess the potential impact of arsenic and other exposures on risk of maternal and child health. Her ongoing work further includes studies of melanoma in women and collaborative investigations of exposure biomarkers, individual susceptibility, and biological response to environmental agents. Professor Karagas is one of the Principal Investigators of a NCI-funded cross-disciplinary postdoctoral training grant, serves as a mentor for early career investigators and participates in a variety of courses at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Selected Publications |
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The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-wide Cohort. Birth Outcomes in Relation to Prenatal Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Stress in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Impact of sedentary behavior and emotional support on prenatal psychological distress and birth outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dietary Exposure to Essential and Non-essential Elements During Infants' First Year of Life in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Prenatal and perinatal factors associated with neonatal neurobehavioral profiles in the ECHO Program. Sex-based differences in placental DNA methylation profiles related to gestational age: an NIH ECHO meta-analysis. Analysis of Pregnancy Complications and Epigenetic Gestational Age of Newborns. Trends in Screen Time Use Among Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic, July 2019 Through August 2021. Perinatal Outcomes during versus Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Role of Maternal Depression and Perceived Stress: A Report from the ECHO Program. Application of novel breast biospecimen cell type adjustment identifies shared DNA methylation alterations in breast tissue and milk with breast cancer risk factors. |
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