Christine Ladd-Acosta

Christine Ladd-Acosta, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with joint appointments in the Department of Mental Health and the Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. She directs epigenomic analysis at the ECHO Data Analysis Center and co-leads the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED).

• PhD in Genetic Epidemiology (Johns Hopkins, 2009)
• BS in Biological Sciences (UMass Amherst, 1999)

Her research integrates epigenetics, genetics, and environmental health to investigate neuropsychiatric disorders and child health disparities. Current projects include:

• Epigenomic responses to socio-environmental stressors
• Multi-omics risk factors for autism and mental health conditions
• Development of DNA methylation biomarkers
• Environmental exposure effects across pregnancy

Recent publications focus on prenatal environmental influences through the ECHO program, examining air pollution, PFAS exposure, and social stressors in relation to DNA methylation patterns and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Her work has been recognized by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Council and Environmental Research journal.

• 2023 - Comparative analysis of autism assessment tools (JADD)
• 2023 - Discrimination-dementia associations (Social Psychiatry)
• 2023 - Prenatal air pollution and asthma (Int J Epidemiology)
• 2023 - Perinatal PFAS effects (Environmental Epigenetics)

As an educator, she directs the Genetic Epidemiology track and has received multiple teaching awards since 2009. She mentors trainees through programs like MD-GEM, Cancer T32, and Psychiatric Epidemiology T32, with former mentees holding prominent research roles.