Jessica Gleason, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Jessica Gleason, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a perinatal epidemiologist whose research focuses on using Developmental Origins of Health and Disease theories to explore how exposures during pregnancy and early life influence health trajectories across the life course. Specifically, her work has evaluated health outcomes at birth (maternal and neonatal) and in childhood (neurocognitive and physical growth) after various pregnancy exposures, including timing of delivery and caffeine consumption, and comparing outcomes between twins and singletons. Additionally, she has explored health disparities among pregnant people with disabilities. She continues her disparities research evaluating the contribution of neighborhood factors in race/ethnic differences in neonatal size. Dr. Gleason earned both her doctorate in maternal and child health epidemiology and her master’s degree in community and behavioral health from the University of Maryland.

Selected Publications

Association Between Maternal Caffeine Consumption and Metabolism and Neonatal Anthropometry: A Secondary Analysis of the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies-Singletons.
Gleason JL, Tekola-Ayele F, Sundaram R, Hinkle SN, Vafai Y, Buck Louis GM, Gerlanc N, Amyx M, Bever AM, Smarr MM, Robinson M, Kannan K, Grantz KL.
JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Mar 1;4(3):e213238. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.3238. PMID: 33764424; PMCID: PMC7994948.

Gestational age at term delivery and children's neurocognitive development.
Gleason JL, Gilman SE, Sundaram R, Yeung E, Putnick DL, Vafai Y, Saha A, Grantz KL.
Int J Epidemiol. 2022 Jan 6;50(6):1814-1823. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyab134. Epub 2021 Jul 15. PMID: 34999875; PMCID: PMC8932293.

Risk of Adverse Maternal Outcomes in Pregnant Women With Disabilities.
Gleason JL, Grewal J, Chen Z, Cernich AN, Grantz KL.
JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Dec 1;4(12):e2138414. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.38414. PMID: 34910153; PMCID: PMC8674748.

Developmental outcomes in small-for-gestational age twins using a singleton vs twin birthweight reference.
Gleason JL, Yeung E, Sundaram R, Mendola P, Bell EM, Vafai Y, Robinson SL, Putnick DL, Grantz KL.
Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2021 Nov;3(6):100465. doi: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2021.100465. Epub 2021 Aug 18. PMID: 34416423; PMCID: PMC8630670.

Stressful life events, the incidence of infertility, and the moderating effect of maternal responsiveness: a longitudinal study.
Gleason JL, Shenassa ED, Thoma ME.
J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2021 Jun;12(3):465-473. doi: 10.1017/S2040174420000690. Epub 2020 Aug 3. PMID: 32741397.