Nicola Hawley, PhD

Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) & Anthropology, Yale School of Public Health

  1. United States

Biography

Dr. Nicola Hawley is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Disease) and Anthropology at the Yale School of Public Health. Her expertise is in the etiology and prevention of obesity-related chronic disease in resource-poor, low-income settings. Her research focuses predominantly on Pacific Islander populations, although she has ongoing collaborations in South Africa, Uganda, Honduras, China, Columbia and the US. Methodologically, Dr. Hawley employs a life-course approach that utilizes cross-sectional, cohort, and randomized controlled trial designs to address questions of causality and identify critical periods of susceptibility. She is a mixed-methods expert and an advocate for community-engaged approaches to research, intervention, and development of health policy.

Dr. Hawley’s current research focuses broadly on: (1) understanding how maternal and child health are impacted by rising levels of obesity and diabetes in resource-poor settings; (2) determining how innovations in healthcare delivery can impact identification and treatment of obesity-related disease during the perinatal period; and (3) developing interventions focused on pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence to prevent the intergenerational transmission of obesity-related disease.

Recent Publications

  1. Hawley, N.L., Freeman, J.R., Wetle, T., Holmdahl, I., Strait, E.A., Suisala, M.J.E., Muasau-Howard, B. & McGarvey, S.T. (2019). Fathers’ roles in infant feeding in American Samoa: a qualitative study. Pacific Journal of Reproductive Health 1 (8): 447-461.

  2. Tanawattanacharoen,V.K., Choy, C.C., Anesi, T.J., Naseri, T., Soti-Ulberg, C., Reupena, M.S., & Hawley N.L. (2020). Piloting a food photo sorting activity in Samoa to assess maternal beliefs and their role in child diet. Maternal and Child Nutrition 16 (3): e12974.

  3. Choy, C.C., Wang, D., Naseri, T., Soti-Ulberg, C., Reupena, M.S., Duckham, R.L., Baylin, A., Hawley, N.L. (2020). Longitudinal assessment of childhood dietary patterns: associations with body mass index z-score among children in the Samoan Ola Tuputupua’e (Growing Up) cohort. Childhood Obesity 16 (7): 534-543.

  4. Arslanian, K.J., Harries, V., Fidow, U.T., Atanoa, T., Naseri, T., McGarvey, S.T., Soti-Ulberg, C. & Hawley, N.L. (2021) Attitudes about infant feeding in Samoa reveal a culture of breastfeeding protection and promotion: a cross-sectional, qualitative analysis among Samoan women. Pacific Journal of Reproductive Health 1 (13): 674-688.

  5. Wu, B., Choy, C.C., Rivara, A.C., Soti-Ulberg, C., Naseri, T., Reupena, M.S., Duckham, R.L. & Hawley, N.L. (2021) Persistence of anemia among Samoan preschool age children: a longitudinal study. Public Health Nutrition 24 (18): 5995-6006

  6. Choy, C.C., Howe, C.J., Soti-Ulberg, C., Naseri, T., Reupena, M.S., Duckham, R.L. & Hawley, N.L. (2022) Is overweight or obesity associated with anemia in children? Follow up of Samoans in the Ola Tuputupua’e “Growing Up” study. Obesity Research and Clinical Practice 16 (2): 144-150.

  7. Hawley, N.L., Duckham RL, Carlson JC, Naseri T, Reupena MS, Lameko V, Pomer A, Wetzel A, Selu M, Lupematisila V, Unasa F, Vesi L, Fatu T, Unasa S, Faasalele-Savusa K, Viali S, Rivara AC, Russell EM, Deka R, Kershaw EE, Minster RL, Weeks DE, McGarvey ST. (2022) The protective effect of rs373863828 on type 2 diabetes does not operate through a body composition pathway in adult Samoans. Obesity 30 (12): 2468-2476.

  8. Choy, C.C., Johnson, W., Duckham, R.L., Naseri, T., Soti-Ulberg, C., Reupena, M.S., Braun, J.M., McGarvey, S.T. & Hawley, N.L. Prediction of fat mass from anthropometry at ages 7 to 9 years in Samoans: a cross-sectional study in the Ola Tuputupua’e cohort. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (online ahead of print).

  9. Hawley, N.L., Rivara, A.C., Naseri, J., Faumuina, K., Potoa’e-Solaita, N., Iopu, F., Faiai, M., Naveno, E., Tasele, S., Lefale, T., Lantini, R., Carlson, J.C., Rabin, T.L., Semaia, P., Mugadza, P. & Rosen, R.K. (2023) Protocol: Implementation and evaluation of an adolescent-mediated intervention to improve glycemic control and diabetes self-management among Samoan adults. PLoS One (in press).

  10. Wu, B., Taylor, S., Shabanova, V. & Hawley, N.L. (2023) Methods matter: birth-based versus fetuses-at-risk approaches and neonatal mortality by race. JAMA Pediatrics (in press).

Research Expertise

  • Obesity and its impact on maternal child health

  • Child growth and development in resource-limited settings

  • Intervention design for pediatric prevention of obesity and diabetes