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Barbara (Bea) J van den Berg, MD

Bea finished medical school in Leiden University in The Netherlands followed by pediatric residencies with a doctoral dissertation in 1956. Bea was then mainly interested in accidents in childhood and published several papers on the subject. In 1964 she was invited to join the CHDS where she found a very interesting research team chaired by Dr. Jacob Yerushalmy and an extensive data collection.

Initially, Bea worked with Dr Yeruslalmy on birth weight and gestation and later was interested in children's morbidity, and in particular in febrile convulsions and other convulsions. Another interest was the evaluation of drugs that were prescribed to pregnant women, which could harm the unborn fetus.

Soon the developmental examination of five year olds was being designed which opened new sets of information for research. A few years later the 9-11 year old developmental exam followed, and in 1977-79, Dr. van den Berg instituted the adolescent development studies. These were quite special as mothers and their adolescent children participated in parallel measurements, and responded to interviews and questionnaires.

When Dr Yerushalmy died in 1973, Dr van den Berg became Director of CHDS. Dr. van den Berg continues to conduct research and to advise the current CHDS Director, Dr. Barbara Cohn. She continues to serve on the CHDS Serum Committee.

Dr. van den Berg was responsible for maintaining the high quality of the CHDS data over 40 years, including instituting follow-up for cancer. Her work made the CHDS data one of the only populations in the United States with detailed information on pregnancy, childhood and adolescence that can be used to study early life determinants of cancer and other causes of premature disability and mortality in parents, children and grandchildren.


Selected references:

  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. 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]

  3. 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.

  4. Rabkin, C.S., W.E. Wright, D.J. Waters, and B.J. van den Berg. Human papillomavirus type 16 antibodies and risk of subsequent cervix cancer in women in the Child Health and Development Study. in Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research. 1997.

  5. Udry, J.R., J. Kovenock, N.M. Morris, and B.J. van den Berg, Childhood precursors of age at first intercourse for females. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1995. 24: p. 329-37.

  6. Torfs, C.P., B.J. van den Berg, F.W. Oechsli, and R.E. Christianson, Thyroid antibodies as a risk factor for down syndrome and other trisomies. Am J Hum Genet, 1990. 47: p. 727-734.

  7. Torfs, C.P., B.J. van den Berg, F.W. Oechsli, and S. Cummins, Prenatal and perinatal factors in the etiology of cerebral palsy. J of Pediatr, 1990. 116: p. 615-619.

  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. van den Berg, B.J. and F.W. Oechsli, Prematurity, in Perinatal epidemiology, M.B. Bracken, Editor. 1984, Oxford University Press: New York. p. 69-85.

  10. van den Berg, B.J. and M.A. Parry, Adolescents' preference of source to obtain contraceptive information. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1983. 147: p. 719-721.

  11. van den Berg, B.J., Maternal variables affecting fetal growth. Am J Clin Nutr, 1981. 34: p. 722-726.

  12. Starfield, B., B.J. van den Berg, D.M. Steinwachs, H.P. Katz, and S.D. Horn, Variations in utilization of health services by children. Pediatrics, 1979. 63: p. 633-641.

  13. van den Berg, B.J., Epidemiologic observations of prematurity: effects of tobacco, coffee and alcohol, in The epidemiology of prematurity, D.M. Reed and F.J. Stanley, Editors. 1977, Urban and Schwarzenberg, Inc.: Baltimore, Maryland. p. 157-176.

  14. van den Berg , B.J., Studies on convulsive disorders in young children. III. Recurrence of febrile convulsions. Epilepsia, 1974. 15: p. 177-190.

  15. van den Berg , B.J., Studies on convulsive disorders in young children. IV. Incidence of convulsions among siblings. Develop Med Child Neurol, 1974. 16: p. 457-464.

  16. van den Berg, B.J. and J. Yerushalmy, Studies on convulsive disorders in young children. V. Excess of early fetal deaths among pregnancies preceding the birth of children with febrile or nonfebrile convulsions. J Pediatrics, 1974. 84: p. 837-840.

  17. Milkovich, L. and B.J. van den Berg, Effects of prenatal meprobamate and chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride on human embryonic and fetal development. N Engl J Med, 1974. 291: p. 1268-1271.

  18. van den Berg, B.J. and J. Yerushalmy, Studies on convulsive disorders in young children. II. Intermittent phenobarbital prophylaxis and recurrence of febrile convulsions. J Pediatr, 1971. 78: p. 1004-1012.

  19. an den Berg, B., Studies on Idiopathic Respiratory Distress Syndrome (IRDS) and other forms of dyspnea (D) in a large cohort of births. I. Incidence by birthweight and gestation in relation to antepartum bleeding, cesarean section, and breech presentation, in Proceedings of the International Congress of Pediatrics. 1971, Verlag der Wiener Medizinischen Akademie: Vienna, Austria. p. 171-176.

  20. van den Berg, B.J. and J. Yerushalmy, The statistical approach to fetal growth, in Fetal Growth and Development, H.A. Waisman and G.R. Kerr, Editors. 1970: New York. p. 305-314.

  21. van den Berg, B.J., Morbidity of low birth weight and/or preterm children compared to that of the 'mature.' I. Methodological considerations and findings for the first 2 years of life. Pediatrics, 1968. 42: p. 590-597.

  22. Yerushalmy, J., B.J. van den Berg, C.L. Erhardt, and H. Jacobziner, Birth weight and gestation as indices of 'immaturity'. Amer J Dis Child, 1965. 109: p. 43-57.

 

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