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Roberta Christianson, MA

Roberta Christianson received her bachelor's degree in biostatistics at the University of California at Berkeley in 1958 and her master's degree in the same field in 1963. From 1958 until 1964 she was a teaching associate and research associate in the School of Public Health at the University of California. While she held these positions she was fully informed about the Child Health and Development Studies protocols, visited the physical premises repeatedly, and sat in on many seminars devoted to designing and developing the studies. Thus her knowledge of the studies goes back to their origins. She officially joined the Child Health and Development Studies in 1964 as a research analyst.

Roberta Christianson's research interests have primarily centered around reproductive physiology, birth defects, and complications of pregnancy. She has worked with many outstanding physicians who shared her research interests including Dr. Charles Rabkin, Dr. Ernest Page, Dr. Julian Hoffman, Dr. Bea van den Berg, and Dr. Charles Peckham. Her work on smoking and placental characteristics was cited by the Surgeon General of the United States in his early reports to the nation on smoking and health and her work on blood pressure during pregnancy can be found in several obstetric text books. Her current publications center around using our stored serum for cancer research.

In addition to her research interests, she has had a primary role in assuring the continuity of the studies. She has overseen the maintenance of the serum inventory, and matching of our membership files to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Vital Statistics files and the Tumor Registry files. These matches have provided the basis for many of our current studies.


Selected publications are listed below:

  1. Cohn, B.A., P.M. Cirillo, M.S. Wolff, P.J. Schwingl, R.D. Cohen, R.I. Sholtz, A. Ferrara, R.E. Christianson, B.J. van den Berg, and P.K. Siiteri, DDT and DDE exposure in mothers and time to pregnancy in daughters. The Lancet, 2003. 361: p. 2205-2206. [http://www.niehs.nih.gov/dert/profiles/hilites/2003/ddt-dde.htm]

  2. Rabkin, C., B. Tess, R. Christianson, W. Wright, D. Waters, H. Alter, and B. van den Berg, Prospective study of hepatitis C viral infection as a risk factor for subsequent B cell neoplasia. Blood, 2002. 99(1): p. 4240-2.

  3. Cohn, B.A., P.M. Cirillo, R.E. Christianson, B.J. van den Berg, and P.K. Siiteri, Placental characteristics and reduced risk of maternal breast cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2001. 93(15): p. 1133-40. [http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/breastcenter/artemis/200109/feature12.html.]

  4. Hisada, M., B.J. van den Berg, H.D. Strickler, R.E. Christianson, W.E. Wright, D.J. Waters, and C.S. Rabkin, Prospective study of antibody to human pailloma virus type 16 and risk of cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers (United States). Cancer Causes Control, 2001. 12(4): p. 335-41.

  5. Torfs, C.P. and R.E. Christianson, Maternal risk factors and major associated defects in infants with down syndrome. Epidemiology, 1999. 10(3): p. 264-70.

  6. Eskenazi, B., A.R. Prehn, and R.E. Christianson, Passive and active maternal smoking as measured by serum cotinine: the effect on birthweight. Am J Public Health, 1995. 85: p. 395-98.

  7. English, P.B., B. Eskenazi , and R.E. Christianson, Black-white differences in serum cotinine levels among pregnant women and subsequent effects on infant birthweight. Am J Public Health, 1994. 84: p. 1439-43.

  8. van den Berg, B.J., R.E. Christianson, and F.W. Oechsli, The California Child Health and Development Studies of the School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 1988. 2(3): p. 265-82.

  9. Christianson, R.E., B.J. van den Berg, L. Milkovich, and F.W. Oechsli, Incidence of congenital anomalies among White and Black live births with long-term follow up. Am J Public Health, 1981. 71: p. 1333-1341.

  10. Christianson, R.E., The relationship between maternal smoking and the incidence of congenital anomalies. Am J Epidemiol, 1980. 112: p. 684-695.

  11. Christianson, R.E., Gross differences observed in the placentas of smokers and nonsmokers. Am J Epidemiol, 1979. 110(2): p. 178-87.

  12. Hoffman, J.I.E. and R. Christianson, Congenital heart disease in a cohort of 19,502 births with long-term follow-up. Am J Cardiol, 1978. 42: p. 641-647.

  13. Christianson, R.E., Studies on blood pressure during pregnancy 1. Influence of parity and age. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1976. 125(4): p. 509-13.

  14. Page, E.W. and R. Christianson, Influence of blood pressure changes with and without proteinuria upon outcome of pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1976. 126(7): p. 821-833.

  15. 1Page, E.W. and R. Christianson, The impact of mean arterial pressure in the middle trimester upon the outcome of pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1976. 125(6): p. 740-746.

  16. Christianson, R.E. and E.W. Page, Diuretic drugs and pregnancy. Obstet and Gynecol, 1976. 48(6): p. 647-52.

  17. Wingerd, J., R.E. Christianson, W. Lovitt, and E.J. Schoen, Placental ratio in white and black women: Relation to smoking and anemia. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1976. 124(7): p. 671-75.

 

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