July 15, 2009

Sponsor/Co-Sponsor(s): Division of Special Populations (DSP), NICHD

Location: 6100 Executive Blvd, Bethesda, Maryland

Purpose: The social determinants of health are the conditions, in which people are born, grow, and live, and have a significant impact on health outcomes. Dr. Debbie S. Barrington, assistant professor from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, presented data from her research on the multi-level and intergenerational socioeconomic determinants of black-white disparities in reproductive and perinatal health within the United States. In her presentation, Addressing Disparities in Child Health and Human Development (PDF - 949 KB), Dr. Barrington discussed the effect of intergenerational poverty on infant low birth weight and the role of marriage as a protective factor against low birth weight infants. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion, which included scientists from the academic community (Renee Jenkins, M.D., Howard University College of Medicine; Siva Subramanian, M.D., Georgetown University Medical Center) and scientists from the NICHD (Maurice Davis M.P.A.-M.H.S.A, Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research; V. Jeffrey Evans, Ph.D. and Michael L. Spittel, Ph.D., Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch).

Contact:
Dr. Regina James, DSP, NICHD
Tel: (301) 435-2692
E-mail: rjames@mail.nih.gov