Summary
My research focuses on understanding how chemical exposures from our environment can influence the immune system, particularly during pregnancy. I gained interest in this field through experiences working with a cohort in Bangladesh, in which my research showed that heavy metal exposure during pregnancy may impair children's ability to mount effective vaccine responses. My current work assesses how maternal inflammation may mediate the influence of exposure to chemicals found in everyday consumer products. The goal of my ongoing work is to use innovative technologies and biostatistics to provide evidence about the maternal immune system responds to such chemical exposures, as well as how immunity influences pregnancy outcomes.
Research interests
- Environmental epidemiology
- Maternal and child health
- Exposure to chemical mixtures
- Metabolomics
In the news
Key publications
- Welch BM, Bommarito PA, Cantonwine DE, Motsinger-Reif A, Edin ML, Zeldin DC, Meeker JD, McElrath TF, Ferguson KK. Predictors of upstream inflammation and oxidative stress pathways during early pregnancy. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 2024. PMID: 38262546.
- Welch BM, Keil AP, Buckley JP, Engel SM, James-Todd T, Zota AR, Alshawabkeh AN, Barrett ES, Bloom MS, Bush NR, Cordero JF, Dabelea D, Eskenazi B, Lanphear BP, Padmanabhan V, Sathyanarayana S, Swan SH, Ferguson KK and the Pooled Phthalate and Preterm Birth Study Group. Racial and ethnic disparities in phthalate exposure and preterm birth: A pooled study of 16 US cohorts. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2023. PMID: 38117586. ISEE Best Environmental Epidemiology Paper, NIEHS Intramural Paper of the Month
- Welch BM, McNell EE, Edin ML, Ferguson KK. Inflammation and oxidative stress as mediators of the impacts of environmental exposures on human pregnancy: Evidence from bioactive lipids. Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2022. PMID: 35367517.
- Welch BM, Keil AP, Buckley JP, Calafat AM, Christenbury K, Engel SM, O’Brien KM, Rosen E, Ferguson KK and the Pooled Phthalate and Preterm Birth Study Group. Associations Between Prenatal Urinary Biomarkers of Phthalate Exposure and Preterm Birth: A Pooled Study of 16 US Cohorts. JAMA Pediatrics. 2022. PMID: 35816333.NIEHS Intramural Paper of the Year
- Welch BM, Keil A, van T' Erve TJ, Deterding LJ, Williams JG, Lih FB, Cantonwine DE, McElrath TF, Ferguson KK. Longitudinal profiles of plasma eicosanoids during pregnancy and size for gestational age at delivery: a nested case-control study. PLoS Medicine. 2020. PMID:32797061. NIEHS Intramural Paper of the Year
- Welch BM, Keil AP, Bommarito PA, van T' Erve TJ, Deterding LJ, Williams JG, Lih FB, Cantonwine DE, McElrath TF, Ferguson KK. Longitudinal exposure to consumer product chemicals and changes in plasma oxylipins in pregnant women. Environment International. 2021. PMID:34314981. NIEHS Intramural Paper of the Year
- Welch BM, Branscum A, Geldhof GJ, Ahmed SM, Hystad P, Smit E, Afroz S, Megowan M, Golam M, Sharif O, Rahman M, Quamruzzaman Q, Christiani DC, Kile ML. Evaluating the effects between metal mixtures and serum vaccine antibody concentrations in children: a prospective birth cohort study. Environmental Health. 2020. PMID:32276596.
- Welch BM, Smit E, Cardenas A, Hystad P, Kile ML. Trends in urinary arsenic among the U.S. population by drinking water source: Results from the National Health and Nutritional Examinations Survey 2003-2014. Environmental Research. 2018. PMID:29272814.
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 2019-2022
- Ph.D., Public Health, Oregon State University, 2019
- M.P.H., Environmental & Occupational Health, Oregon State University, 2016