2001-

Dr. Barbara A. Cohn became Director of the CHDS in 2001 having served as Co-Director with Dr. van den Berg beginning in 1996.

During Dr. Cohn's first five years at the CHDS, her primary objective was to demonstrate the value of the CHDS data for answering important, contemporary research questions. This was accomplished by supporting applications of outside investigators and by developing her own research program through grants to NIH and to California research programs. Between 1996 and 2001, our rate of success for grant proposal funding for investigators associated with CHDS (both within CHDS and outside investigators) was 74%, reflecting the high relevance and scientific merit of CHDS proposals. Publications based on this effort by CHDS investigators and collaborators are just beginning to appear [http://www.niehs.nih.gov/dert/profiles/hilites/2003/ddt-dde.htm]. In addition, during this period, Dr. Cohn committed CHDS resources to conduct pilot studies to establish the validity of the CHDS serum archive and to establish the willingness of CHDS participants to continue to participate in contemporary CHDS studies. Dr. Cohn currently directs a CHDS research program in two areas: breast cancer and research on human reproduction.

In 1973, Bea J. van den Berg, M.D. became Director of the CHDS. During her tenure, Dr. van den Berg greatly enhanced and protected the CHDS resources by arranging to transfer the archived serum samples to the National Cancer Institute for storage, by initiating follow-up of the cohort through the support of the both the National Cancer Institute and the generous and continuing support of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and by extending the studies to include a new examination of the CHDS offspring during adolescence. Her complete devotion to the scientific integrity of the CHDS data is the primary reason why the CHDS remains a viable and important resource to answer important, new questions about the prevention of disease at each phase of the life-cycle. Dr. van den Berg remains an active scientist at CHDS where she works on the causes of asthma and continues to serve on the CHDS serum committee. During Dr. van den Berg's tenure, several ground-breaking new studies of the now adult CHDS children were initiated. These serve as a model for current studies of early life determinants of adult health. First, Dr. J. Richard Udry and Dr. Pamela Schwingl initiated an investigation of prenatal determinants of female reproductive health and behavior. This study is the basis of current research on the relation between prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals and female fertility now in progress. Secondly, Dr. Ezra Susser and Dr. Catherine Schaefer initiated a ground-breaking study of prenatal determinants of schizophrenia which is ongoing and leading to new insights about the causes of this disease.

The Child Health and Development Studies were designed and initiated in 1959 by Dr. Jacob Yerushalmy, Professor of Biostatistics at the University of California, Berkeley.. Under his skillful, imaginative, and stimulating directorship, which continued until his death in 1973, a rich database of information on human reproduction and child development was established, and an abundance of investigations were performed and published. [View our publication list].

Initially, the Child Health and Development Studies were conducted on a cooperative basis. The participating agencies were the Division of Biostatistics of the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley; the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute; and the Permanente Medical Group. Until June 1, 1972, the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute had grantee responsibilities; after that date, administrative responsibilities were transferred to the University of California, Berkeley. Since 1959, the Child Health and Development Studies have been funded primarily by grants and contracts from the National Institutes of Health.