Kimberly O'Brien
Prof Assoc
2007
HENutrSci

Web 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, and is collaborating site for NASA’s space flight research on bone health.


Education


Courses, Websites, Pubs

Courses Taught
NS341 - Human Anatomy and Physiology
             Co-taught with Virginia Utermohlen

NS631 - Micronutrients
            Primary Instructor Charles McCormick
            Co-taught lectures on Ca/Vitamin D

Related Websites
PubMed

Publications
Nielsen, JN, O'Brien KO, Gittelson J, Anliker J. Interventions to improve diet and weight gain among pregnant adolescents. JADA 2006; 106(11):1825-40.

Nielsen, JN, O'Brien KO, Witter FR, Chang SC, Mancini J, Nathanson MS, Caulfield LE. High gestational weight gain does not improve birth weight in a cohort of African American Adolescents. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84(1):183-189.

Kerstetter JE, Wall DE, O'Brien KO, Caseria DM, Insogna KL. Meat and Soy Protein affect Calcium Homeostasis in Health Women. J Nutr. 2006 July 13(7):1890-5

Schulze K, Cutchins CD, Rosenstein B,Germain-Lee E, O'Brien KO.Longitudinal Changes in Bone Mineral Content in Adolescent Females with Cystic Fibrosis. Osteoporosis International 2006; May 17(5):731-40.

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.

Ionatti L, O’Brien KO, Chang SC, Mancini J, Schulman-Nathanson J, Liu S, Harris Zl, Witter FR. Iron deficiency anemia and depleted iron reserves are prevalent among pregnant African-American adolescents. J Nutr 2005;135:2572-2577.

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.

Kerstetter JE, O'Brien KO, Caseria DM, Wall DE, Insogna KL. The impact of dietary protein on calcium absorption and kinetic measures of bone turnover in women. J Clin Endo Metab 2005;90:26-31.

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. Osteoporosis: Nutritional Factors. In: Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition. Eds: Sadler M, Caballero B, Strain S. In Press; Academic Press; London, 2005.

O’Brien KO and Holick MF. Nutrition and Bone Health in Cystic Fibrosis. In: Nutrition and Bone Health. Eds: Holick MF and Dawson-Hughes B. The Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ, 2004.

Abrams SA, O'Brien KO. Calcium and Bone Metabolism in Children with Chronic Illnesses. Ann Rev Nutr 2004;24:13-32.

Kerstetter JE, O’Brien KO, Insogna KL. High Protein Diets, Calcium Economy and Bone Health. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, 2004;19(1):57-70.

Bezerra FF, Mendonca L, Lobato EC, O’Brien KO, Donangelo CM. Bone Mass is Partially Recovered From Lactation to Postweaning in Adolescent Mothers with Low Calcium Intakes. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80(5):1322-1326.

Schulze KJ, O’Brien KO, Germain-Lee EL, Baer D, Leonard A, Rosenstein BJ. Calcium Kinetics are Altered in Girls with Cystic Fibrosis. J Clin Endo Metab 2004;89(7):3385-3391.

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.

Chang SC, O’Brien KO, Schulman Nathonson M, Mancini J, Witter FR. Hemoglobin Concentrations Influence Birth Outcomes in Inner-City Pregnant African-American Adolescents. J Nutr 2003;133:2348-2355.

Chang SC, O’Brien KO, Nathonson M, Mancini J, Witter FR. A Descriptive Study of Characteristics and Risk Factors for Adverse Birth Outcomes in Pregnant A