Browsing by Author "Oken, Emily"

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    Annual Performance Reviews Of, For and By Faculty: A Qualitative Analysis of One Department's Experiences
    (New Forums Press, 2018-05) Connelly, Maureen T.; Inui, Thomas S.; Oken, Emily; Peters, Antoinette S.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Purpose: Although annual performance reviews and feedback are recommended for faculty development, best practices and faculty perceptions have not been documented. The authors sought to evaluate the process in one medical school department that established and has sustained an innovative review tradition for 25 years. Method: Content analysis of faculty reports and immersion/crystallization to analyze interviews. Results: Faculty reports described satisfaction and dissatisfaction; facilitators and barriers to goals; and requests for feedback, with community, collaboration and mentorship integral to all three. Interviewees emphasized practical challenges, the role of the mentor and the power of the review to establish community norms. Conclusion: Respondents generally found reviews constructive and supportive. The process informs departmental expectations and culture.
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    Association of Vitamin E Intake at Early Childhood with Alanine Aminotransferase Levels at Mid-Childhood
    (Wiley, 2017) Woo Baidal, Jennifer A.; Cheng, Erika R.; Rifas-Shiman, Sheryl L.; Oken, Emily; Gillman, Matthew W.; Taveras, Elsie M.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    The extent to which vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) intake early in childhood is associated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level later in childhood is unknown. The objective of this research is to test the hypothesis that higher alpha-tocopherol intake during early childhood is associated with lower odds of elevated ALT levels during mid-childhood, and to examine how body mass index (BMI) influences these relationships. We studied 528 children in Project Viva. Mothers reported child dietary intake at early childhood visits (median 3.1 years) using a validated food frequency questionnaire. At mid-childhood (median 7.6 years), we collected child blood and anthropometric data. The main outcome was elevated sex-specific mid-childhood ALT level (≥ 22.1 units/liter for females and ≥ 25.8 units/liter for males). In multivariable logistic regression models, we assessed the association of energy-adjusted alpha-tocopherol intake with ALT levels, adjusting for child age, sex, race/ethnicity, diet, and age-adjusted, sex-specific BMIz at mid-childhood. Among children in this study, 48% were female, 63% were non-Hispanic white, 19% were non-Hispanic black, and 4% Hispanic/Latino. Mean alpha-tocopherol intake was 3.7±1.0 mg/day (range 1.4-9.2) at early childhood. At mid-childhood, mean BMIz was 0.41±1.0 units and 22% had an elevated ALT level. In multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, children with higher early childhood vitamin E intake had lower odds of elevated mid-childhood ALT [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.62 (95% CI: 0.39-0.99)] for quartiles 2-4 compared with the lowest quartile of intake. Findings persisted after accounting for early childhood diet [0.62 (0.36, 1.08)] and were strengthened after additionally accounting for mid-childhood BMIz [0.56 (0.32, 0.99)]. Conclusion: In this cohort, higher early childhood intake of alpha-tocopherol was associated with lower odds of elevated mid-childhood ALT level.
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    Associations of alpha and gamma-tocopherol during early life with lung function in childhood
    (Elsevier, 2020) Kumar, Rajesh; Ferrie, Ryan; Balmert, Lauren; Kienzi, Matthew; Rifas-Shiman, Sheryl L.; Gold, Diane R.; Sordillo, Joanne E.; Kleinman, Ken; Camargo, Carlos A., Jr.; Litonjua, Augusto A.; Oken, Emily; Cook-Mills, Joan; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background: Tocopherol isoforms may regulate child lung growth and spirometric measures. Objective: Our aim was to determine the extent to which plasma a-tocopherol (a-T) or g-tocopherol (g-T) isoform levels in early childhood or in utero are associated with childhood lung function. Methods: We included 622 participants in the Project Viva cohort who had lung function at a mid-childhood visit (age 6-10 years). Maternal and child tocopherol isoform levels were measured by HPLC at the second trimester and 3 years of age, respectively. Multivariable linear regression models (adjusted for mid-childhood body mass index z scores, maternal education, smoking in pregnancy, and prenatal particulate matter with diameter of <2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) particulate exposure) stratified by tertiles of child g-T level were used to assess the association of a-T levels with FEV1 and forced vital capacity (FVC) percent predicted. Similarly, models stratified by child a-T tertile evaluated associations of g-T levels with lung function. We performed similar analyses with maternal second trimester tocopherol isoform levels. Results: The median maternal second trimester a-T level was 63 mM (interquartile range 5 47-82). The median early-childhood level was 25 mM (interquartile range 5 20-33 mM). In the lowest tertile of early-childhood g-T, children with a higher a-T level (per 10 mM) had a higher mid-childhood FEV1 percent predicted (b 5 3.09; 95% CI 5 0.58-5.59 and a higher FVC percent predicted (b 5 2.77; 95% CI 5 0.47-5.06). This protective association of a-T was lost at higher g-T levels. We did not see any consistent associations of second trimester levels of either a-T or g-T with mid-childhood FEV1 or FVC. Conclusion: When g-T levels were in the lowest tertile, a higher early-childhood a-T level was associated with better lung function at mid-childhood. Second trimester maternal plasma a-T concentration was 3-fold higher than in the adult nonpregnant female population.