Wei Perng

Wei Perng is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health. She is also the Assistant Director of the Life Course Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Education:

• PhD in Epidemiological Science, University of Michigan School of Public Health (2012)
• MPH in Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health (2010)
• BS in Brain Behavior and Cognitive Science, University of Michigan (2008)

Dr. Perng is a nutritional epidemiologist focusing on maternal and child health. Her research examines early-life determinants of childhood obesity, biological pathways underlying excess weight gain, and maternal peripartum health as a predictor of future cardiometabolic disease. She utilizes longitudinal cohorts such as Project Viva and the ELEMENT study to investigate these themes.

Her publications from 2013-2015 highlight expertise in metabolomics, epigenetics, and environmental exposures in developmental obesity and cardiometabolic risk. Key topics include maternal weight trajectories, fatty acid impacts, and inflammation in reproductive-aged women.

Research and Teaching: Dr. Perng teaches courses at the Colorado School of Public Health and contributes to public health education via the Weighing In Blog. She collaborates with institutions in Boston and Mexico City to study environmental toxicants and nutritional interventions in early-life adiposity.