A Dynamic Environmental Exposure Approach to Study Behaviors in Mid-Life

Dr. Kershaw is an Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. As a NHLBI-funded Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study investigator and Chair of their Psychosocial Working Group, she has extensive experience working with survey data to examine the independent associations of various aspects of the social environment with obesity and cardiovascular disease risk. Dr. Kershaw has experience working with other major cohort studies as well, including the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). She has also successfully recruited 500 participants into my study focused on healthy eating environments in Chicago (NHLBI K01HL133531). As a Co-Investigator on this grant, Dr. Kershaw will contribute her expertise in the role of the social environment in health, particular among non-Hispanic blacks. She will also assist with the design and selection of surveys, as well as the interpretation of results and dissemination of research findings. Dr. Kersahw will devote 5% effort to the project each year.