Kimberly O'Brien
Associate Professor
2009
HENutrSciWeb Bio Page
Current Activities
Current Professional Activities
Adjunct Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, Baltimore, MD
Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rochester, NY
Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Community Medicine, Rochester, NY
Current Research Activities
Calcium Metabolism and Bone Health; Control of Maternal/Fetal Nutrient; Partitioning and Placental Mineral Transport; Micronutrient Status in; International Settings; Development of Mass Spectrometric Methodology; Pediatric Bone Health; Pregnancy and Mineral Metabolism in Adolescents
Biography
Biographical Statement
Kimberly O’Brien received her B.S. in Biology from the University of New Hampshire and her PhD in Nutrition from the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Her professional training included fellowships with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Laboratory of Theoretical and Physical Biology/Section for Metabolic Analysis and Mass Spectrometry and the Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine. Professor O'Brien recently joined the faculty in the Division of Nutritional Sciences after wroking for 10 years as a faculty member in the Center of Human Nutrition at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Professor O’Brien’s research has centered on studies designed to better understand mineral metabolism and bone health in infants, children, and pregnant and lactating women in both developed and developing countries. To address issues of calcium metabolism, she has undertaken metabolic studies in groups including children from osteoporotic families, pregnant and lactating adolescents, and children with chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and HIV infection. Her current research focuses on the impact of adolescent pregnancy, particularly among minority populations, on maternal and fetal bone health, risk of anemia, vitamin D insufficiency, birth outcomes and determinants of adolescent weight gain across pregnancy. Partitioning of nutrients between the mother and fetus is also addressed at the cellular level by assessing placental mineral transporters in relation to maternal and neonatal status.
To allow for kinetic studies of human mineral metabolism, a mass spectrometry laboratory has been added to the existing resources in the Human Metabolic Research Unit. This laboratory includes instrumentation for high-sensitivity mineral stable isotope analysis including a quadrupole thermal ionization mass spectrometer and a Thermoquest Triton TI magnetic sector thermal ionization mass spectrometer. This laboratory also provides analytical services through collaboration with other academic institutions in the country.
Education
PhD - 1991 University of Connecticut, Nutrition
BS - 1985 University of New Hampshire, Biology
Keywords
Calcium
Iron
Stable isotopes
Pediatric nutrition
Pregnancy
Osteoporosis
Biomedical Mass spectrometry
Bone
Minority Health
Courses, Websites, Pubs
Courses Taught
NS3410 - Human Anatomy and Physiology
NS6310 - Micronutrients
Primary Instructor Charles McCormick
Related Websites
PubMed
O'Brien Laboratory
Selected Publications
McGuire-Davis L, Chang S-C, Mancini J, Schulman-Nathanson M, Witter FR, O’Brien KO. Vitamin D insufficiency in prevalent among pregnant African American Adolescents. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology 2009; Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]
Thacher TD, Obadofin MO, O’Brien KO, Abrams SA. The effect of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 on intestinal calcium absorption in Nigerian Children with rickets. J Clin Endo Metab 2009; 94(9):3314-21.
Thacher TD, Aliu O, Griffin IJ, Pam SD, O’Brien KO, Imade GE, Abrams SA. The Effects of Meals and Dephytinization on Calcium and Zinc Absorption in Nigerian Children with Rickets. J Nutr 2009; 139:1-7.
Young MF, Glahn RP, Inglis J, Olbina G, Westerman M, O’Brien KO. Serum Hepcidin is Associated with Iron Absorption in Healthy Young Women. Am J Clin Nutr; 2009; 89(2): 533-8.
Rovner AJ, O’Brien KO. Hypovitaminosis D in Healthy Children in the United States: A Systematic Review of the Current Evidence. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008 Jun;162(6):513-9.
Atkinson SA, McCabe GP, Weaver CM, Abrams SA, O’Brien KO. Are current calcium recommendations higher than needed to achieve optimal peak bone mass? The controversy. J Nutr 2008; 138:1182-6.
O'Brien KO, Donangelo CM, Zapata CL, Abrams SA, Spencer EM, King JC. Bone calcium turnover during pregnancy and lactation in women with low calcium diets is associated with calcium intake and circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83(2):317-323.
O’Brien KO. Maternal and Fetal Partitioning During Pregnancy: Whose Needs Predominate? Nutrition Today; 2005; 40(3):130-137.
Aris R, Bachrach L, Borowitz D, Elkin S, Guise T, Hardin D, Haworth C, Holick M, Joseph P, Merkel P, O’Brien K, Tullis E, Watts N, White T. Invited Review of a Consensus Conference Report: Guide to Bone Health and Disease in Cystic Fibrosis. J Clin Endo Metab 2005;90(3):1888-1896.
Smith SM, Wastney ME, O'Brien KO, Morukov VB, Larina IM, Abrams SA, Davis-Street JE, Oganov V, Shackelford LC. Bone markers, calcium metabolism, and calcium kinetics during extended-duration space flight on the Mir Space Station. J Bone Miner Res 2005;20(2):208-218.
O’Brien KO, Schulman Nathanson M, Mancini J, Witter FR. Enhanced calcium absorption does not prevent bone loss during pregnancy in adolescents. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78(6):1188-1193.
Schulze KJ, O’Brien KO, Germain-Lee EL, Baer D, Leonard A, Rosenstein BJ. Endogenous Fecal Losses of Calcium Compromise Calcium Balance in Pancreatic Insufficient Girls with Cystic Fibrosis. J Pediatrics 2003;143:765-771.
O’Brien KO, Zavaleta, N, Abrams SA, Caulfield LE. Maternal Iron Status Influences Iron Transfer to the Fetus During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy. Am J Clin Nutr; 2003; 77:924-30.