Research Projects

The Healthy Start Studies

Healthy Start Teens

Principal Investigator: Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers Involved: Dana Dabelea, Megan Kelsey, Deb Glueck

About the Study: Healthy Start Teens is the current follow-up phase of the ongoing Healthy Start Study. Following original data collection from pregnant mothers and their children, this phase follows 500 participants aged 8-15 to understand how puberty affects growth, weight, fat distribution, and diabetes risk. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) in youth has been increasing, but our understanding of how risk might relate to changes during puberty is limited. The goal is to uncover how early life exposures and genetic factors contribute to diabetes, obesity, and related conditions. This research aims to help predict and prevent youth-onset T2D, ultimately improving long-term health outcomes.

To learn more, visit healthystartstudy.org.

Healthy Start ECHO

Principal Investigator: Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers Involved: Dana Dabelea, Traci Bekelman, Wei Perng

About the Study: Environmental Influences on Childhood Health Outcomes (ECHO) is a nationwide study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2016, the NIH awarded the Healthy Start Study with the ECHO grant, enabling the LEAD Center to continue its longitudinal research. The primary goal of Healthy Start ECHO is to understand how environmental factors during and after pregnancy influence the health of children and their mothers later in life. Participants include children (aged 8-15) and their moms that were enrolled into the Healthy Start Study cohort, making this a vital follow-up of longitudinal research.

For more information about ECHO go to https://echochildren.org/.

Healthy Start Moms

Principal Investigator: Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers Involved: Dana Dabelea, Anne Starling

About the Study: Healthy Start Moms is a longitudinal study tracking the health of up to 1,200 women after pregnancy. Building on maternal data collected in the Healthy Start Study, this research explores how environmental chemical exposures and lifestyle behaviors, like diet during pregnancy impact long-term health. We're particularly interested in how these factors increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease about 10 years postpartum. The insights gained from this study could help enhance health interventions after childbirth.

Associated Studies

Principal Investigator: Kristen Boyle, PhD

Researchers Involved: Jed Friedman, Kristen Boyle, Dana Dabelea, Sarah Borengasser

About the Study: The mechanistic arm of the Healthy Start study, it is exploring cord blood stem cells, placental development and fetal programming to understand how maternal weight, weight gain during pregnancy and diet may alter newborn’s cell responses

Principal Investigator: Deborah Glueck, PhD

Project Number: R01GM121081

About the Study: Lifecourse epidemiology is the study of chronic disease risk associated with the long‐term effects of physical, metabolic, behavioral, social and psychosocial exposures occurring throughout the life. Current statistical methods for risk factor trajectories fail with multiple outcomes, inconsistent timing or multiple risk factor trajectories, or can fail to replicate. A multidisciplinary team of biostatisticians and lifecourse epidemiologists proposes to address the gaps. We build on the strength of our previous R01, during which we published 22 peer‐reviewed journal articles, gave 20 invited talks and 1 webinar, and built free, point‐and‐ click, power and sample size software, used more than 500 times each month, by more than 350 unique scientists. The examples in the proposal come from a funded study of the primordial causes of diabetes and obesity, which will use maternal gestational blood pressure trajectory as a predictor of future childhood obesity. Better design and analysis tools will allow lifecourse epidemiologists to better answer crucial questions about the importance of risk factor trajectories in the etiology of diseases.

We have four aims. 1) Develop novel data analysis methods for lifecourse epidemiology studies that assess the association between one or more outcomes and trajectories of risk factors, examine the direct and mediated effects of risk factor trajectories, and determine critical periods within risk factor trajectories. 2) Derive new sample size methods for lifecourse studies involving risk factor trajectories. 3) Extend our widely used free, open‐source, point‐and‐click sample size software for studies of risk factor trajectories to allow scientists to use the new sample size methods. 4) Widely disseminate the new techniques and free software through articles and seminars. Leverage our NIH funding to extend our short courses and massive open online course (R25GM111901), add chapters to a book‐in‐progress (NLM G13LM011879), and produce more tutorials for our power and sample size website, currently visited by over 350 scientists each month (NIDCR R01 DE020832). While the research was inspired by a study of fetal programming, the results apply broadly to any study in which hypotheses about relating risk factor trajectories to outcomes are of interest. Risk factor trajectories are increasingly being examined for diseases as diverse as obesity, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Finally, extending our widely used power and sample size software to most classes of mixed models will bring accurate, easy‐to‐use, point‐and‐click study design to hundreds more NIH supported scientists.

Free power and sample size software.

Principal Investigator: Jill Kaar, PhD, Principal Investigator

Researchers Involved: Jill Kaar, Dana Dabelea

About the Study: The goal of this study is to examine how health behaviors associated with early childhood obesity pattern together to produce negative outcomes, and how this association is influenced by a child’s sleep duration.

Principal Investigator: Katherine Sauder, PhD

Researchers Involved: Katherine Sauder, Dana Dabelea

About the Study: Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Intrauterine exposures, including micronutrient deficiencies, may lead to an increased risk for CV disease in offspring. Evidence suggests that vitamin D influences CV health by regulating both vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and the renin-angiotensin system. During pregnancy, women obtain vitamin D from foods, dietary supplements, and sunlight exposure. Animal studies have shown that low vitamin D exposure during the prenatal and postnatal periods is associated with increased blood pressure in adolescence, but human studies are limited in number and scope. Prior studies have not examined how maternal prenatal and offspring postnatal vitamin D intake are related to childhood vascular health, nor have they evaluated if neonatal bioavailable 25OHD (versus total 25OHD) predicts childhood subclinical CV risk.

This research gap is being explored by examining the association of (1) vitamin D intake in pregnancy and infancy and (2) bioavailable 25OHD at birth with offspring blood pressure, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and adiposity (percent fat mass) at 4-6 years of age.

Publication: Sauder KA, Koeppen HJ, Shapiro ALB, Kalata, K. E., Stamatoiu, A. V., Ringham, B. M., Glueck, D. H., Norris, J. M., Dabelea, D. Prenatal Vitamin D Intake, Cord Blood 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, and Offspring Body Composition: The Healthy Start Study. Nutrients. 2017;9(7).

Principal Investigator: Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers Involved: Dana Dabelea, Steve Abman, John Adgate, Richard Boles, Kristen Boyle, Jed Friedman, Thomas Jansson, Susan Johnson, Katerina Kechris, Sheryl Magzamen, Brianna Moore, Brandy Ringham, Katherine Sauder, Allison Shapiro, Anne Starling, Lisa Testaverde, Ivana Yang, Weiming Zhang

About the Study: This is a national collaborative project to harmonize 84 separate cohort studies of mothers and children in the United States (including Healthy Start) to increase greatly the ability to detect environmental influences on childhood health outcomes. The environmental factors that will be studied include chemical and metals exposures, air pollution, pregnancy habits (diet, activity, medications), feeding habits after birth (breast, bottle, sold food introduction), the built environment (parks, traffic, safety), mental health issues and other social factors, among many others.

Principal Investigators: Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD, John Adgate, PhD, and Richard Hamman, MD, DrPH

Researchers Involved: Dana Dabelea, John Adgate, Antonio Calafat (CDC), Richard Hamman, Kristin Polinski, Anne Starling, Ivana Yang, Weiming Zhang

About the Study: Fetal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during pregnancy (such as phthalates, perfluorinated compounds, and phenols such as BPA and BPS) are suspected of being associated with the development of obesity-related outcomes in offspring

Principal Investigator: Anne Starling, PhD

Researchers Involved: Anne Starling, Dana Dabelea

About the Study: An in-depth evaluation of the role that prenatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution may play in offspring adiposity and early childhood overweight and obesity, considering as mediators both inflammatory markers in maternal and umbilical cord blood, and epigenetic markers of DNA methylation in umbilical cord blood.

Mile High ECHO

Principal Investigator: Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers Involved: Dana Dabelea, Anne Starling, Brianna Moore

About the Study: Similar to the Healthy Start study, this study is apart of the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Study. Mile-High ECHO is a new cohort recruiting pregnant individuals and their partners, to study how exposures before and after birth affect child health outcomes. This research can be used to promote policy and practice that is aimed at reducing adverse environmental exposures. Our site works with Denver Health and University of Colorado Hospital to enroll a diverse group of participants. As part of the nationwide ECHO consortium, we will explore how early-life exposures impact the risk of obesity and neurodevelopment. Our goal is to identify ways to improve child health from preconception through early life.

Learn more at https://echochildren.org/ and https://www.milehighecho.org/.

Mile High Microbiome

Principal Investigator: Noel Mueller, PhD

Researchers Involved: Noel Mueller, Brianna Moore, Wei Perng

About the Study: The Mile High Microbiome Study is a new project that invites participants from the Mile High ECHO study to take part in additional research focused on gut health during and after pregnancy. The study explores how bacteria that live in and on our bodies—the microbiome—affect the health of moms and babies. Researchers are studying how factors like diet, medications, and everyday exposures shape these bacteria and how they may influence pregnancy outcomes, child growth, and heart health. The goal is to understand how parents share healthy bacteria with their babies and find ways to promote healthier pregnancies and early development.

Exploring Perinatal Outcomes among Children (EPOCH)

Principal Investigator: Wei Perng, PhD, MPH & Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers Involved: Wei Perng, Dana Dabelea, Katherine Sauder, Allison Shapiro, Christy Hockett, Anna Bellatorre,

About the Study:

EPOCH is a longitudinal study of adolescents and their long-term health outcomes related to whether they were exposed to mother’s diabetes during pregnancy. While it is known that a mother with diabetes during pregnancy increases the risk of childhood obesity and diabetes, many other things are not known, including whether infant or childhood feeding changes these outcomes.

Associated Studies

Principal Investigator: Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers Involved: Dana Dabelea, Katerina Kechris, Ivana Yang, Weiming Zhang

About the Study:
Epigenetics is a method for turning on and off genes without changing the genes themselves (like a program on a computer that does not change the computer itself). One of the possible ways that a mother’s diabetes during pregnancy might affect their offspring is through this mechanism.

The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Studies

Principal Investigator: Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers Involved: Dana Dabelea, Anna Bellatorre, Tessa Crume, Stephen Daniels, Richard Hamman, Michael Kahn, Joan O’Connell, Katherine Sauder, Lisa Testaverde

About the Study: SEARCH is a national multi-center population-based study aimed at understanding the burden of diabetes and its complications among youth and young adults under age 20 that began in 2000. In five US centers (including the entire State of Colorado and Native Americans in Arizona and New Mexico), new cases of all types of diabetes are identified and registered. SEARCH includes a registry that tracks new cases to monitor trends in type 1, type 2, and other types of diabetes, and a cohort study that follows participants over time to study health outcomes, complications, and care experiences. Participants from the registry have joined a cohort study with long term follow-up to see what predicts the complications of diabetes (eye, nerve, kidney and heart disease) and how patterns of care and behavioral issues affect such persons. The registry provides population-level data on incidence and prevalence, while the cohort study collects detailed information through surveys, physical exams, and lab tests. SEARCH has helped identify differences in diabetes by race, ethnicity, and type, and has expanded to explore how social factors like food insecurity, healthcare access, and quality of care affect outcomes. SEARCH continues to inform public health efforts and clinical guidelines aimed at improving care and reducing disparities for youth with diabetes.

For more information on SEARCH, visit the study website: https://www.searchfordiabetes.org/dspHome.cfm

SEARCH Completed Study Phases

The first phase of the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study launched in 2001 and ran until 2005 to establish a national registry and cohort of youth under age 20 diagnosed with diabetes. SEARCH 1 aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of type 1, type 2, and other forms of diabetes, develop practical classification methods, and describe clinical presentation and disease progression across diverse populations.

Six study centers (Cincinnati, Colorado, Hawaii, Seattle, South Carolina, Southern California) identified over 6,000 prevalent cases and approximately 785 incident cases annually using provider networks, health system databases, and medical record reviews. Participants completed surveys, in-person exams, and lab tests measuring autoantibodies, C-peptide, HbA1c, and other biomarkers. SEARCH 1 laid the foundation for long-term follow-up and helped reveal rising rates of type 2 diabetes in minority youth and disparities in care and outcomes.

SEARCH Phase 2, conducted from 2005 to 2010, was a continuation of the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study, designed to improve understanding of diabetes among youth under age 20. Its primary goals were to track trends in diabetes incidence from 2002 to 2008, prospectively identify new cases from 2006 to 2010, and follow previously diagnosed cases from 2002 to 2005 to study disease progression and complications. The study also evaluated the impact of diabetes care quality on outcomes such as glycemic control and quality of life, and developed simple, validated case definitions for diabetes types suitable for public health surveillance. Data collection included surveys, medical record reviews, physical exams, and lab tests (e.g., HbA1c, autoantibodies, fasting C-peptide), with a hierarchical algorithm used to classify diabetes types. SEARCH Phase 2 was conducted across six U.S. centers: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (Ohio), University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (Colorado), Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center (Seattle, Washington), University of South Carolina (South Carolina), Pacific Health Research Institute (Hawaii), and Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

SEARCH Phase 3 (2010 to 2015) continued the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study across five U.S. centers: Colorado, Ohio, Washington, South Carolina, and California. The registry component aimed to track incident diabetes cases in youth under age 20 to assess trends in incidence and presentation, support development of sustainable surveillance systems, and evaluate mortality among earlier cohorts. Data collection included medical record abstraction, surveys, and in-person visits for a subset of 2012 cases, with biospecimen storage for future research. The cohort study followed youth diagnosed from 2002 onward with at least five years of diabetes duration, assessing prevalence and incidence of complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, hypertension, and arterial stiffness, as well as acute events including diabetic ketoacidosis and severe hypoglycemia. It also examined the impact of care quality, barriers to care, and transition from pediatric to adult care. Measurements included physical exams, laboratory tests, psychosocial surveys, and behavioral and socio-cultural data.

SEARCH Phase 4 (2015 to 2020) continued the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study across five U.S. centers: Colorado, Ohio, Washington, South Carolina, and California. The Registry Study aimed to assess diabetes prevalence in 2017 and incidence from 2013 to 2020 using a tiered surveillance model that incorporated electronic health records and natural language processing to improve efficiency. It also evaluated agreement between provider-assigned and etiologic diabetes types, tracked diabetic ketoacidosis trends, and piloted expansion to additional American Indian tribes as well as inviting incident cases diagnosed in 2016 in for in person baseline visits. The Cohort Study followed a subset of SEARCH 3 participants with at least five years of diabetes duration, assessing complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, arterial stiffness, cardiac damage, neurocognitive outcomes, and acute events like hypoglycemia and DKA. New measures included cardiac echocardiography and NIH Toolbox neurocognitive testing. Data collection involved surveys, physical exams, lab tests, and biospecimen storage.

SEARCH Food Security Study 1 (SFS1), conducted from 2018 to 2023, was a longitudinal ancillary study to SEARCH Phase 4 that investigated how household food insecurity (HFI) affects glycemic control, health care utilization, and costs among youth and young adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The study recruited participants from Colorado, South Carolina, and Washington and included two follow-up data collection points spaced nine months apart. SFS1 used validated USDA tools to assess HFI and introduced new measures such as child-reported food insecurity, perceived stress, anxiety, social support, dietary intake, and diabetes numeracy. Outcomes included HbA1c, hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and health care costs, with HbA1c collected via dried blood spot due to COVID-19. The study emphasized disparities, hypothesizing stronger associations between HFI and adverse outcomes in minority youth and those with type 1 diabetes. It also evaluated mediating pathways including nutritional, mental health, and behavioral factors, and examined the moderating role of food assistance.

SEARCH Nutrition Ancillary Study – Diet Assessment Substudy (SNAS-DAS) was designed to evaluate how youth and young adults with type 1 diabetes recall their dietary intake and how diet relates to nutritional biomarkers and health outcomes. Conducted at multiple SEARCH sites, including the University of Colorado Denver, the study involved two in-person visits and three telephone-based 24-hour dietary recalls. Participants completed food frequency questionnaires, provided fasting blood and urine samples for analysis of vitamins, dietary fats, magnesium, cholesterol, and insulin production, and underwent brief physical exams. The study aimed to improve understanding of dietary recall accuracy and its relationship to metabolic health in youth with diabetes.

SEARCH Food Security Study 2 (SFS2)

Principal Investigator: Traci Bekelman, PhD

Researchers Involved: Traci Bekelman, Dana Dabelea, Anna Bellatorre, and Erin Cobry

About the Study: The SEARCH Food Security 2 Study (SFS2) is a multi-site research project conducted at the University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz, the University of South Carolina, and Seattle Children’s Hospital. It follows up with young adults who previously participated in the SEARCH Food Security 1 Study (SFS1). SFS2 explores how food insecurity affects blood sugar levels in young adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The study also looks at how food insecurity influences mood, physical activity, eating habits, and access to medical care. Participants wear a continuous glucose monitor and an activity tracker for 14 days, complete short daily surveys, and provide dietary information. These activities are repeated nine months later. Some participants are also invited to take part in multiple longitudinal interviews to help researchers better understand their experiences with food insecurity, including its effects on diabetes management, mental health, and healthcare use.

SEARCH CVD

Principal Investigator: Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD, Janet Snell-Bergeon, PhD, Rebecca Conway, PhD

Researchers Involved: Dana Dabelea, Janet Snell-Bergeon, Rebecca Conway

About the Study: The SEARCH Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Study is a multi-center research project conducted at the University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz, the University of South Carolina, and Cincinnati Children's Hospital. It follows young adults with type 1 diabetes who previously participated in earlier phases of the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study. The study aims to understand whether social and structural factors such as income, education, neighborhood conditions, and access to healthcare help explain racial and ethnic differences in heart health outcomes. During the study visit, participants complete surveys, have a physical exam, provide blood and urine samples, and undergo heart and vascular imaging tests. These assessments help researchers detect early signs of cardiovascular disease and explore how life circumstances may influence long-term health.

Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS)

DPPOS Study on DPP Randomization Line Chart

Principal Investigator: Allison Shapiro, PhD, MPH & Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers involved: Dana Dabelea, Allison Shapiro, Jody Tanabe

About the Study: The DPPOS is the long-term follow-up of the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) trial that showed that lifestyle changes or the drug metformin effectively delay diabetes in overweight or obese American adults. Follow-up now exceeds fifteen years and the participants are being studied for further diabetes, heart disease, as well as aging related changes, and cancer. Results from the 10 year follow-up showed that lifestyle and metformin continued to delay or prevent diabetes. The LEAD Center team is currently continuing research with DPPOS Phase 4 looking into the development of alzheimers disease and related dementias.

To learn more about DPPOS, visit the website: https://dppos.bsc.gwu.edu/web/dppos/dppos

Tribal Turning Point (TTP)

Principal Investigators: Katherine Sauder, PhD, Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers involved: Katherine Sauder, Dana Dabelea, Jeffrey Powell, William Knowler (NIDDK)

About the Study: Tribal Turning Point (TTP) is a collaborative study that aims to prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes in American Indian youth through a culturally-tailored behavioral intervention. The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study revealed that this population was at highest risk for developing type 2 diabetes emphasizing the urgent need for early intervention. The study developed interventions in two differing tribal locations, the Navajo Nation and Eastern Band Cherokee. Participants joined activities centered on age-appropriate weight gain, physical activity, and food preparation based on local diets. Results from the study showed improved obesity measures, but future work will evaluate the program's effectiveness and long-term impact.

DiCAYA Component A

Principal Investigators: Tessa Crume, MSPH, PhD & Dana Dabelea MD, PhD

Researchers involved: Tessa Crume, Dana Dabelea, Rebecca Conway, Toan Ong, Anna Bellatorre, and Shawna Burgett

About the Study: Assessing the Burden of Diabetes by Type in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults (DiCAYA A) is a multicenter study funded in 2020 through 2025. We investigate the burden of diabetes in youth (ages 0-17) using electronic health records to monitor diabetes and determine its type and onset. This study builds off the findings from our SEARCH study and shows that diabetes among youth is rising. The DiCAYA A team includes experts in diabetes epidemiology and health informatics, aiming to provide accurate estimates of diabetes incidence and prevalence. This research can help identify health disparities and improve strategies to prevent diabetes nationwide.

DiCAYA Component B

Principal Investigators: Tessa Crume, MSPH, PhD; Dana Dabelea MD, PhD

Researchers involved: Tessa Crume, Dana Dabelea, Rebecca Conway, Toan Ong, Anna Bellatorre, and Shawna Burgett

About the Study: Assessing the Burden of Diabetes by Type in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults (DiCAYA B) is a multicenter study funded in 2020 through 2025. People with diabetes are at high risk for serious health complications that can diminish their quality of life. DiCAYA B focuses on monitoring type 1 and type 2 diabetes in young adults (ages 18-45) to understand its prevalence and incidence. Using electronic health records and other data sources in Colorado, the DiCAYA team aims to identify health disparities and improve prevention strategies. The study can provide crucial insights into diabetes trends by age, sex, race, and ethnicity, helping to inform healthcare systems and public health efforts.

CASSIDY

Principal Investigators: Tessa Crume, MSPH, PhD; Dana Dabelea MD, PhD

Researchers involved: Tessa Crume, Dana Dabelea, Rebecca Conway, Toan Ong, Anna Bellatorre, and Shawna Burgett

About the Study: Comprehensive Analysis, Surveillance, and Statistics Initiative for Diabetes in the Young (CASSIDY) is a multicenter study funded in 2025 through 2029. We investigate the burden of diabetes in youth (ages 0-17) and young adults aged 18-45) using electronic health records to monitor diabetes and determine its type and onset. This study builds off the findings from our SEARCH and DiCAYA studies. The CASSIDY team includes experts in diabetes epidemiology and health informatics, aiming to provide accurate estimates of diabetes incidence and prevalence. This research can help identify health disparities and improve strategies to prevent diabetes nationwide.

Colorado Birth Defects Monitoring System

Principal Investigators: Tessa Crume, MSPH, PhD

Researchers involved: Tessa Crume, Ashley Juhl, Rickey Tolliver

About the Study: In 2023, a partnership between the University of Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) was developed to support the scientific and analytic expertise necessary for high quality statewide birth defects surveillance. This grant aims to present aggregate data on birth defect rates in Colorado and identify unique characteristics of Colorado that may impact the rate of birth defects. The goals of the grant include writing and publishing a comprehensive report that provides summary birth defects data for the state of Colorado, providing high quality datasets to the community upon request, and updating the birth defects data dashboard on the Colorado Health Information Dataset (CoHID) website.

Learn more at: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/center-for-health-and-environmental-data/registries-and-vital-statistics/birth-defects

Baby & Me Tobacco Free

Principal Investigators: Tessa Crume, MSPH, PhD

Researchers involved: Tessa Crume

About the Study:

The Baby & Me Tobacco Free Program (BMTFP) is a psychosocial counseling intervention to help pregnant people quit using tobacco, nicotine, and/or cannabis during their pregnancy and in the first year postpartum. The goal of the BMTFP grant is to evaluate the impact of the BMTFP in Colorado. Impact measures include demographics of the participants enrolled in the program, cessation success prenatally and postpartum, and birth outcomes. The LEAD team manages program outreach, provides technical training for partner sites, manages program data collection methods, and provides high quality data analysis to determine outcomes quarterly, annually, and cumulatively.

Learn more at: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/pregnancy/your-health-during-pregnancy/quit-smoking-for-baby-and-you

DISCOVERY

Principal Investigators: Wei Perng, PhD, MPH & Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD

Researchers involved: Wei Perng, Dana Dabelea

About the Study: The Shiprock DISCOVERY study is a multi-center observational project funded by the NIDDK to identify risk factors for youth-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) among high-risk youth across 15 U.S. clinical sites. In its first year, a common protocol was developed, and beginning February 2024, data collection will continue for five years, followed by a second five-year phase for data analysis. At the University of Colorado-NAVAJO site, investigators aim to recruit 240 early pubertal Navajo youth ages 9–14 years with elevated BMI (≥85th percentile) and HbA1c between 5.5–6.4%. Eligible youth will be identified primarily through IHS provider referrals, electronic health record screening, and community outreach in Shiprock, New Mexico. Screening will involve a finger-stick HbA1c test, with results shared with participants, caretakers, and providers as appropriate. Enrolled participants will complete annual and 6-month visits that include physical exams, surveys, glucose testing, and use of wearable devices to track glucose and activity. All biological samples will be analyzed centrally and discarded respectfully at study completion, with no genetic testing or sample sharing. The study seeks to benefit Navajo families, IHS providers, and the broader scientific community by advancing understanding of T2D risk and informing future prevention strategies for high-risk youth.

For more information, visit the website here: https://discovery.bsc.gwu.edu/web/discovery

Smart Underwear

Principal Investigators: Noel Mueller, PhD

Researchers involved: Noel Mueller, Reza Ghodssi, Andrew Brantley Hall

About the Study: The Smart Underwear study is a randomized, controlled feeding trial involving approximately 30 participants from the ongoing EPOCH cohort. It tests a novel wearable device (Smart Underwear) designed to measure hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas produced by gut microbes in real time. Participants follow diets with either high or low levels of cysteine, an amino acid known to influence H₂S production, while wearing the device during both phases. The study aims to determine whether the device can reliably detect diet-driven changes in gut H₂S levels and potentially support predictions in health outcomes related to gut function.

colorado school of public health

coloradoSPH

Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity & Diabetes Center

The Healthy Start Studies

Healthy Start Teens

Healthy Start ECHO

Healthy Start Moms

Associated Studies

Mile High ECHO

Mile High Microbiome

Exploring Perinatal Outcomes among Children (EPOCH)

Associated Studies

The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Studies

SEARCH Completed Study Phases

SEARCH Food Security Study 2 (SFS2)

SEARCH CVD

Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS)

Tribal Turning Point (TTP)

DiCAYA Component A

DiCAYA Component B

CASSIDY

Colorado Birth Defects Monitoring System

Baby & Me Tobacco Free

DISCOVERY

Smart Underwear

Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity & Diabetes (LEAD) Center

Colorado School of Public Health

Research Projects

The Healthy Start Studies

Healthy Start Teens

Healthy Start ECHO

Healthy Start Moms

Associated Studies

Biology of intra-Uterine Metabolic Programming (BabyBUMP)

Developing Biostatistical Methods for Lifecourse Studies

Influence of Sleep Duration on Health Behavior Patterns and Child Obesity Risk

Exploring the Role of Early Life Vitamin D intake on Childhood Vascular Health

Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cycle 1

Environmental Chemicals and Childhood Health Outcomes (ECCHO)

Air Pollution and Offspring Obesity Risk

Mile High ECHO

Mile High Microbiome

Exploring Perinatal Outcomes among Children (EPOCH)

Associated Studies

Epigenetic Markers of In Utero Exposure to Diabetes

The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Studies

SEARCH Completed Study Phases

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

SEARCH Food Security Study

SEARCH Nutrition Ancillary Study- Diet Assessment Sub study (SNAS-DAS)

SEARCH Food Security Study 2 (SFS2)

SEARCH CVD

Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS)

Tribal Turning Point (TTP)

DiCAYA Component A

DiCAYA Component B

CASSIDY

Colorado Birth Defects Monitoring System

Baby & Me Tobacco Free

DISCOVERY

Smart Underwear

Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity & Diabetes (LEAD) Center

Colorado School of Public Health