Center for Global Health Faculty

Professor

Academic Degrees

• DrPH
• MSc

Departmental Affiliation

• Name:

  International Health

  Affiliation Type:

  Primary

Departmental Address

Contact Information

Email:

pchristi+jhsph.edu

Phone:

410-955-1188

Fax:

410-955-0196

Link:

SciVal Experts Research Profile

Research and Professional Experience

For the past 18 years my research has focused on the role of nutrition in influencing maternal, infant and child health, survival, growth and development in low income countries. I am specifically interested in micronutrient deficiencies and their impact on fetal growth, birth outcomes, reproductive health and survival and child survival, growth and development. My research, carried out in Nepal, examined the impact of alternative combinations of micronutrient supplementation during pregnancy in reducing low birth weight and neonatal mortality. Recently, I was involved in two large community trials in Bangladesh of maternal vitamin A and beta-carotene supplementation and its impact on maternal mortality and the impact of newborn vitamin A supplementation on infant mortality. Currently, I am co-PI of a trial in Bangladesh, which aims to test the efficacy of maternal multiple micronutrient supplementation in improving infant survival. Within this study, I am also specifically interested in examining the influence of nutrients on materno-fetal-placental factors promoting fetal growth. I am also involved in prospective cohort studies to examine the long term impact of maternal micronutrient interventions on cognitive outcomes funded by NICHD (R01) and early biomarkers of chronic diseases in the children of the women who participated in the original trial who are now 6-8 y of age. I have recently completed studies of treatment of severe anemia in pregnant women and young children in Karachi, Pakistan.

Keywords

micronutrients, nutrient interactions, maternal mortality, infant mortality, reproductive health, low birth weight, pregnancy, community trials, nutrition and cognition, developmental origins of health and disease, epidemiology, Open CourseWare,

Honors and Awards

2008 M. S. University of Baroda, Foods and Nutrition Department, India - Alumni Achievement Award

2004 Pollin Stipend for young investigator of $100,000

1997 Delta Omega Honor Society (Johns Hopkins)

1996 Harry D. Kruse Award

1996 Society for International Nutrition Research - Student Prize

Selected Publications

West KP Jr. Christian P, Labrique AB, Rashid M, Shamim AA, Klemm RDW, et al. Effects of vitamin A or beta-carotene supplementation on mortality related to pregnancy:  A cluster-randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial in Bangladesh. JAMA 2011; 305:1986-1995.

Merrill RD, Shamim A, Ali H, Jahan J, Labrique AB, Schulze K, Christian P, West, KP Jr.  Iron status of women is associated with iron content in potable groundwater in rural Bangladesh. J Nutr 2011; 141:944-9.

Labrique AB, Rashid M, Christian P, Shamim AA, Klemm RDW, Massie A, Katz J, West KP Jr.  A cluster-randomized, placebo-controlled maternal vitamin A or beta-carotene supplementation trial in Bangladesh: Design and methods. Trials 2011; 21:102-8.

Shaikh S, Schulze KJ, Ali H, Labrique AB, Shamim AA, Rashid M, Mehra S, Christian P, West KP Jr. Bioelectrical impedance among rural Bangladeshi women during pregnancy and the in the postpartum period. J Hlth Pop Nutr 2011, 29:236-44.

Christian P. Micronutrients, birth weight, survival. (Invited Review). Annu Rev of Nutr 2010, 21; 30:83-104.

Christian P, Murray-Kolb ME, Khatry SK, Katz J, Schaefer BA, Cole PE, LeClerq SC, Tielsch JM. Prenatal micronutrient supplementation and intellectual and motor function in early school age children in Nepal.  JAMA 2010; 304:2716-2723.

Rah Jee, Shamim AA, Ummeh A, Labrique A, Klemm R, Rashid M, Christian P. Difference in ponderal growth and body composition among pregnant versus never-pregnant adolescents varies by birth outcomes. Mat Child Nutr 2010; 6:27-37.

Christian P. Impact of the economic crisis and increase in food prices on child mortality. Exploring nutritional partnerships. J Nutr 2010; 140:177S-81S.

Christian P. Stewart CS. Maternal Micronutrient Deficiency, Fetal Development, and the Risk of Chronic Disease. J Nutr 2010; 140:437-445.

 Stewart CP, Christian P, Schulze KJ, Shah US, Subedi G, LeClerq SC, Khatry SK. Size at birth is associated with blood pressure but not insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome in 6-8 year old children in rural Nepal. J of DOHaD 2010; 1:114-122.

 Katz J, Khatry SK, LeClerq SC, Shrestha SR, West KP, Christian P. The postpartum nutritional status of adolescents is reduced by pregnancy in rural Nepal.  Mat Child Nutr 2010; 6:287-295.

 Checkley W, West KP Jr, Wise RA, Baldwin MR, Wu L, LeClerq SC, Christian P, Katz J, Tielsch JM, Khatry SK, Sommer A. Maternal vitamin A supplementation and lung function in offspring. N Engl J Med 2010; 362:1784-94.

Merrill RD, Shamim AA, Merrill RK, Labrique AB, Christian P, Schulze K, West KP Jr.  Elevated and variable groundwater iron in rural northwestern Bangladesh. J Water and Health 2010; 08.4:818-825.

 Stewart CP, Christian P, Katz J, Schulze KJ, Wu LSF, LeClerq SC, Khatry SK, West KP, Jr. Maternal supplementation with vitamin A or β-carotene and cardiovascular risk among pre-adolescent children in rural Nepal. J of DOHaD 2010; 1:262-270.

 Shamim AA, Christian P, Schulze KJ, Ali A, Kabir A, Rashid M, Labrique A, Salamatullah Q, West KP Jr. Iodine status in pregnancy and household salt iodine content in rural Bangladesh. Mat Child Nutr 2010, doi: 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2010.00282.x

Gunnsteinsson S, Labrique A, West KP Jr, Christian P, Mehra S, Shamim A, Rashid M, Katz J, Klemm R. Indices of rural living standards in northwestern Bangladesh. J of Hlth Pop Nutr 2010; 28:509-519.

Christian P. Impact of the economic crisis and increase in food prices on child mortality. Exploring nutritional partnerships. J Nutr 2010; 140:177S-81S.

F, Rizvi A, Klemm RDW, Bhutta ZA. Treatment response to standard of care for severe anemia in pregnant women and effect of multivitamins and enhanced anthelminthics. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89:853-61.

Christian P, Khatry SK, LeClerq SC, Dali SM. Effects of prenatal micronutrient supplementation on complications of labor and delivery and puerperal morbidity in rural Nepal. Int J of Obstet Gynecol 2009;106:3-7.

Rah JH, Christian P, Shamim AA, Ummeh UT, Labrique AB, Rashid M. Predictors of stunting and thinness in post-menarcheal adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh. Pub Hlth Nutr 2009; 12:2400-9.

Stewart CP, Christian P, LeClerq SC, West KP, Jr. Khatry SK. Antenatal supplementation with folic acid + iron + zinc improves linear growth and reduces peripheral adiposity in school-age children in rural Nepal. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 90:132-40.

Merrill RD, Shamim AA, Labrique AB, Ali H, Schulze K, Rashid M, Christian P, West KP Jr. Validation of two portable instruments to measure iron concentration in groundwater in rural Bangladesh. J Hlth Pop Nutr 2009; 27:414-8.

Lee Anne CC, Darmstadt GL, Khatry SK, LeClerq SC, Shrestha SR, Christian P. Maternal-fetal disproportion and birth asphyxia in rural Sarlahi, Nepal. Arch Pediatr and Adol Med 2009; 163:616-623.

Bhutta Z, Klemm R, Shahid F, Rizvi A, Rah J, Christian P. Treatment response to iron and folic acid alone is the same as with multivitamins and/or anthelminthics in severely anemic 6-to 24-month-old children. J Nutr 2009; 139:1568-74.

Stewart CP, Christian P, Schulze KJ, LeClerq SC, West KP Jr., Khatry SK. Antenatal micronutrient supplementation reduces metabolic syndrome in 6- to 8-year old children in rural Nepal. J Nutr 2009; 139:1575-81.

Christian P, Stewart CP, Wu L, LeClerq SC, Katz J, West KP Jr., Khatry SK. Antenatal iron supplementation reduces childhood mortality in rural Nepal. A prospective follow-up in a community-based controlled randomised trial. AJE 2009; 170:1127-36.

Klemm R, Labrique AB, Christian P, Rashid M, Shamim AA, Katz J, Sommer A, West KP Jr. Impact of Newborn Vitamin A Supplementation on Infant Mortality to Six Months of Age: A Double-blind, Cluster-randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial in Rural Bangladesh. Pediatrics 2008; 120:e240-250.