Shohreh F Farzan, PhD

Dr. Shohreh Farzan is an environmental epidemiologist, with a background in molecular biology and toxicology. Dr. Farzan received her BA from Mount Holyoke College (2004) and her PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Dartmouth Medical School under the mentorship of Dr. David Robbins (2009). Dr. Farzan completed her postdoctoral training in environmental epidemiology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, under the mentorship of Dr. Margaret Karagas, prior to joining the Keck School of Medicine at USC in 2016.

Dr. Farzan’s research focuses on the impact of environmental contaminants on maternal-child health, with a special interest in cardiometabolic health. Much of Dr. Farzan’s work focuses on the role of environmental exposures in altering preclinical indicators of cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk, particularly during vulnerable lifestages, such as childhood and pregnancy. Within the Maternal and Developmental Risks of Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) study, a NIMHD-funded Center of Excellence on Environmental Health Disparities Research, she focuses on the role of prenatal air pollutants and psychosocial stressors on maternal postpartum cardiometabolic health. Dr. Farzan also leads multiple studies of the impacts of toxic metals and air pollutants on preclinical biomarkers of cardiovascular dysfunction in children and adolescents, both as PI of a NIEHS R01 to investigate the role of air pollutants in the development of atherosclerosis in the transition from childhood to young adulthood and as MPI of the ECHO LA DREAMERs study. She is also MPI of a NIEHS Research to Action R01 that established the Children’s AIRE cohort to investigate environmental contributors to children’s respiratory health in a rural border region of California to inform community-engaged public health actions and the recipient of a NIEHS K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award.

• NIH Loan Repayment Award, 2017-2019
• University of Southern California: Provost’s Assistant Professor Fellowship, 2016
• Society of Toxicology, Occupational and Public Health Specialty Section: Paper of the Year, 2016
• Children’s Environmental Health Network: Article of the Month (Nov 2015), 2015
• International Society of Environmental Epidemiology: ISEE Annual Meeting Travel Award, 2015
• Children’s Environmental Health Network: Article of the Month (June 2015), 2015
• National Cancer Institute Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program: Research Highlights 2014 Selected Manuscript, 2014
• NIEHS Superfund Research Program : KC Donnelly Externship Award, 2013
• American Association of Cancer Research: AACR Scholar-in-Training AFLAC Travel Award, 2013
• NIEHS: Children’s Center Meeting Travel Award, 2012
• Faculty of 1000 Biology Featured Article, 2010
• Dartmouth Medical School: Rosalind Borison Memorial Pre-doctoral Fellowship Award, 2008-2009
• Dartmouth Medical School: Albert J Ryan Foundation Fellowship, 2006-2008
• AAAS: Program for Excellence in Science, 2006-2008

• Prenatal air pollution exposure is associated with inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic biomarkers in mothers and newborns Environ Res. 2024 Mar 28; 252(Pt 1):118797. . View in PubMed
• Increased Risk of Gestational Hypertension by Periconceptional Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Effect Modification by Prenatal Depression Hypertension. 2024 Mar 27. . View in PubMed
• Cohort profile: The Assessing Imperial Valley Respiratory Health and the Environment (AIRE) study Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2024 Mar 07. . View in PubMed
• Maternal Dietary Patterns During Pregnancy Are Linked to Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Among a Predominantly Low-Income US Hispanic/Latina Pregnancy Cohort J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Mar 05; 13(5):e029848. . View in PubMed
• Effect of parental adverse childhood experiences on intergenerational DNA methylation signatures from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and buccal mucosa Transl Psychiatry. 2024 Feb 12; 14(1):89. . View in PubMed
• Sources of personal PM25 exposure during pregnancy in the MADRES cohort. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2024 Feb 07. . View in PubMed
• Perceived Stress From Childhood to Adulthood and Cardiometabolic End Points in Young Adulthood: An 18-Year Prospective Study J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Feb 06; 13(3):e030741. . View in PubMed
• The Role of Social Support and Acculturation Factors on Postpartum Mental Health Among Latinas in the MADRES Pregnancy Cohort J Immigr Minor Health. 2024 Feb; 26(1):72-80. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal exposures to organophosphate ester metabolites and early motor development in the MADRES cohort Environ Pollut. 2024 Feb 01; 342:123131. . View in PubMed
• Agricultural burning in Imperial Valley, California and respiratory symptoms in children: A cross-sectional, repeated measures analysis Sci Total Environ. 2023 Nov 25; 901:165854. . View in PubMed
• A Comparison of Measured Airborne and Self-Reported Secondhand Smoke Exposure in the MADRES Pregnancy Cohort Study Nicotine Tob Res. 2023 Oct 17. . View in PubMed
• Is BMI a Useful Indicator of Prenatal Health Among Black American Women? J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2023 Oct 06.. View in PubMed
• Poor Sleep Quality Increases Gestational Weight Gain Rate in Pregnant People: Findings from the MADRES Study Res Sq. 2023 Sep 25. . View in PubMed
• Preconceptional and prenatal exposure to air pollutants and risk of gestational diabetes in the MADRES prospective pregnancy cohort study Lancet Reg Health Am. 2023 Sep; 25:100575. . View in PubMed
• Cardiovascular health and proximity to urban oil drilling in Los Angeles, California J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2023 Aug 08. . View in PubMed
• Effect of Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences on Intergenerational DNA Methylation Signatures Res Sq. 2023 Jun 26. . View in PubMed
• Effects of In-Utero Personal Exposure to PM25 Sources and Components on Birthweight. Res Sq. 2023 Jun 07. . View in PubMed
• “They might take my baby away:” Black and Latina peoples’ experiences of using cannabis during pregnancy in California while engaged in perinatal care J Perinatol. 2023 12; 43(12):1497-1499. . View in PubMed
• A Vegetable, Oil, and Fruit Dietary Pattern in Late Pregnancy is Linked to Reduced Risks of Adverse Birth Outcomes in a Predominantly Low-Income Hispanic and Latina Pregnancy Cohort J Nutr. 2023 01 14; 152(12):2837-2846. . View in PubMed
• Effects of in-utero personal exposure to PM25 sources and components on birthweight. Sci Rep. 2023 12 11; 13(1):21987. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal exposures to organophosphate ester metabolite mixtures and children’s neurobehavioral outcomes in the MADRES pregnancy cohort Environ Health. 2023 09 22; 22(1):66. . View in PubMed
• Associations between area-level arsenic exposure and adverse birth outcomes: An Echo-wide cohort analysis Environ Res. 2023 11 01; 236(Pt 2):116772. . View in PubMed
• Urinary fluoride levels and metal co-exposures among pregnant women in Los Angeles, California Environ Health. 2023 10 26; 22(1):74. . View in PubMed
• The Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-Wide Cohort Am J Epidemiol. 2023 08 04; 192(8):1249-1263. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal ambient air pollution exposure and child weight trajectories from the 3rd trimester of pregnancy to 2 years of age: a cohort study BMC Med. 2023 09 07; 21(1):341. . View in PubMed
• Changes in Body Mass Index Among School-Aged Youths Following Implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 JAMA Pediatr. 2023 04 01; 177(4):401-409. . View in PubMed
• Sex-specific effects of prenatal organophosphate ester (OPE) metabolite mixtures and adverse infant birth outcomes in the maternal and developmental risks from environmental and social stressors (MADRES) pregnancy cohort Environ Res. 2023 06 01; 226:115703. . View in PubMed
• Correction: Childhood traffic-related air pollution and adverse changes in subclinical atherosclerosis measures from childhood to adulthood Environ Health. 2022 Nov 16; 21(1):110. . View in PubMed
• Metal Exposures in Residents Living Near an Urban Oil Drilling Site in Los Angeles, California Environ Sci Technol. 2022 Nov 15; 56(22):15981-15989. . View in PubMed
• Exposure to melamine and its derivatives and aromatic amines among pregnant women in the United States: The ECHO Program Chemosphere. 2022 Nov; 307(Pt 2):135599. . View in PubMed
• Detected prenatal perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exposure is associated with decreased fetal head biometric parameters in participants experiencing higher perceived stress during pregnancy in the MADRES cohort Environ Adv. 2022 Oct; 9. . View in PubMed
• Urinary metals and maternal circulating extracellular vesicle microRNA in the MADRES pregnancy cohort Epigenetics. 2022 Oct; 17(10):1128-1142. . View in PubMed
• In-utero personal exposure to PM25 impacted by indoor and outdoor sources and birthweight in the MADRES cohort. Environ Adv. 2022 Oct; 9. . View in PubMed
• Adverse childhood experiences and prenatal depression in the maternal and development risks from environmental and social stressors pregnancy cohort J Obstet Gynaecol. 2022 Oct; 42(7):3014-3020. . View in PubMed
• Respiratory and allergic health effects in children living near agriculture: A review Sci Total Environ. 2022 Aug 01; 832:155009. . View in PubMed
• Perinatal Metal and Metalloid Exposures and Offspring Cardiovascular Health Risk Curr Environ Health Rep. 2022 12; 9(4):714-734. . View in PubMed
• Household pesticide exposures and infant gross motor development in the MADRES cohort Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2022 03; 36(2):220-229. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal metal(loid) mixtures and birth weight for gestational age: A pooled analysis of three cohorts participating in the ECHO program Environ Int. 2022 03; 161:107102. . View in PubMed
• Association Between Ambient Air Pollution and Birth Weight by Maternal Individual- and Neighborhood-Level Stressors JAMA Netw Open. 2022 10 03; 5(10):e2238174. . View in PubMed
• Arsenic exposure from drinking water and endothelial dysfunction in Bangladeshi adolescents Environ Res. 2022 05 15; 208:112697. . View in PubMed
• Association of Breastfeeding Duration with 12-Month Postpartum Blood Lipids in a Predominately Lower-Income Hispanic Pregnancy Cohort in Los Angeles Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 03 04; 19(5). . View in PubMed
• Prenatal Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) Exposure Is Associated With Lower Infant Birthweight Within the MADRES Pregnancy Cohort Front Epidemiol. 2022; 2:934715. . View in PubMed
• Exposure to Contemporary and Emerging Chemicals in Commerce among Pregnant Women in the United States: The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcome (ECHO) Program Environ Sci Technol. 2022 05 17; 56(10):6560-6573. . View in PubMed
• Identifying pre-conception and pre-natal periods in which ambient air pollution exposure affects fetal growth in the predominately Hispanic MADRES cohort Environ Health. 2022 11 26; 21(1):115. . View in PubMed
• Perceived vulnerability to immigration policies among postpartum Hispanic/Latina women in the MADRES pregnancy cohort before and during the COVID-19 pandemic Womens Health (Lond). 2022 Jan-Dec; 18:17455057221125103. . View in PubMed
• Exposure to metal mixtures in relation to blood pressure among children 5-7 years old: An observational study in Bangladesh Environ Epidemiol. 2021 Apr; 5(2):e135. . View in PubMed
• Urinary arsenic and relative telomere length in 5-7 year old children in Bangladesh Environ Int. 2021 11; 156:106765. . View in PubMed
• Invited Perspective: Metal Mixtures and Child Health: The Complex Interplay of Essential and Toxic Elements Environ Health Perspect. 2021 06; 129(6):61301. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal metal mixtures and fetal size in mid-pregnancy in the MADRES study Environ Res. 2021 05; 196:110388. . View in PubMed
• Metal-mixtures in toenails of children living near an active industrial facility in Los Angeles County, California J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2021 05; 31(3):427-441. . View in PubMed
• Demographic predictors of urinary arsenic in a low-income predominantly Hispanic pregnancy cohort in Los Angeles J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2021 02; 31(1):94-107. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal and postnatal mercury exposure and blood pressure in childhood Environ Int. 2021 01; 146:106201. . View in PubMed
• Childhood traffic-related air pollution and adverse changes in subclinical atherosclerosis measures from childhood to adulthood Environ Health. 2021 04 14; 20(1):44. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal metal mixtures and child blood pressure in the Rhea mother-child cohort in Greece Environ Health. 2021 01 06; 20(1):1. . View in PubMed
• Environ Health. 2021 11 27; 20(1):121. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal Metal Mixtures and Birth Weight for Gestational Age in a Predominately Lower-Income Hispanic Pregnancy Cohort in Los Angeles Environ Health Perspect. 2020 11; 128(11):117001. . View in PubMed
• Arsenic and birth outcomes in a predominately lower income Hispanic pregnancy cohort in Los Angeles Environ Res. 2020 05; 184:109294. . View in PubMed
• Association of Fish Consumption and Mercury Exposure During Pregnancy With Metabolic Health and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Children JAMA Netw Open. 2020 03 02; 3(3):e201007. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal Maternal Cortisol Levels and Infant Birth Weight in a Predominately Low-Income Hispanic Cohort Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 09 21; 17(18). . View in PubMed
• Study Design, Protocol and Profile of the Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) Pregnancy Cohort: a Prospective Cohort Study in Predominantly Low-Income Hispanic Women in Urban Los Angeles BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2019 May 30; 19(1):189. . View in PubMed
• The disappearing Salton Sea: A critical reflection on the emerging environmental threat of disappearing saline lakes and potential impacts on children’s health Sci Total Environ. 2019 May 01; 663:804-817. . View in PubMed
• Within-subject effects of environmental and social stressors on pre- and post-partum obesity-related biobehavioral responses in low-income Hispanic women: protocol of an intensive longitudinal study BMC Public Health. 2019 Feb 28; 19(1):253. . View in PubMed
• Assessment of Respiratory Health Symptoms and Asthma in Children near a Drying Saline Lake Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 10 11; 16(20). . View in PubMed
• A dose-response meta-analysis of chronic arsenic exposure and incident cardiovascular disease Int J Epidemiol. 2018 Jun 01; 47(3):1013. . View in PubMed
• Prenatal lead exposure and elevated blood pressure in children Environ Int. 2018 12; 121(Pt 2):1289-1296. . View in PubMed
• Effect of inhaled allergens and air pollutants on childhood rhinitis development Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2018 02; 120(2):212-214. . View in PubMed
• Dietary B Vitamin Intake Is Associated with Lower Urinary Monomethyl Arsenic and Oxidative Stress Marker 15-F2t-Isoprostane among New Hampshire Adults J Nutr. 2017 12; 147(12):2289-2296. . View in PubMed
• Maternal and infant inflammatory markers in relation to prenatal arsenic exposure in a US. pregnancy cohort. Environ Res. 2017 07; 156:426-433. . View in PubMed
• A dose-response meta-analysis of chronic arsenic exposure and incident cardiovascular disease Int J Epidemiol. 2017 12 01; 46(6):1924-1939. . View in PubMed
• Urine Arsenic and Arsenic Metabolites in US. Adults and Biomarkers of Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Endothelial Dysfunction: A Cross-Sectional Study. Environ Health Perspect. 2017 12 15; 125(12):127002. . View in PubMed
• Association of Cesarean Delivery and Formula Supplementation With the Intestinal Microbiome of 6-Week-Old Infants JAMA Pediatr. 2016 Mar; 170(3):212-9. . View in PubMed
• Human polyomaviruses and incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in the New Hampshire skin cancer study Cancer Med. 2016 06; 5(6):1239-50. . View in PubMed
• Infant Infections and Respiratory Symptoms in Relation to in Utero Arsenic Exposure in a US. Cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2016 06; 124(6):840-7. . View in PubMed
• Prospective Study of Human Polyomaviruses and Risk of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the United States Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016 05; 25(5):736-44. . View in PubMed
• Maternal arsenic exposure and gestational diabetes and glucose intolerance in the New Hampshire birth cohort study Environ Health. 2016 11 08; 15(1):106. . View in PubMed
• Seroepidemiology of Human Polyomaviruses in a US Population Am J Epidemiol. 2016 Jan 01; 183(1):61-9. . View in PubMed
• Urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and measures of oxidative stress, inflammation and renal function in adolescents: NHANES 2003-2008 Environ Res. 2016 Jan; 144(Pt A):149-157. . View in PubMed
• Blood Pressure Changes in Relation to Arsenic Exposure in a US. Pregnancy Cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2015 Oct; 123(10):999-1006. . View in PubMed
• Risk of death from cardiovascular disease associated with low-level arsenic exposure among long-term smokers in a US population-based study Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2015 Sep 01; 287(2):93-97. . View in PubMed
• Estimated exposure to arsenic in breastfed and formula-fed infants in a United States cohort Environ Health Perspect. 2015 May; 123(5):500-6. . View in PubMed
• Association between Arsenic Exposure from Drinking Water and Longitudinal Change in Blood Pressure among HEALS Cohort Participants Environ Health Perspect. 2015 08; 123(8):806-12. . View in PubMed
• Association between maternal urinary arsenic species and infant cord blood leptin levels in a New Hampshire Pregnancy Cohort Environ Res. 2015 Jan; 136:180-6. . View in PubMed
• Gene-arsenic interaction in longitudinal changes of blood pressure: Findings from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Bangladesh Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2015 10 01; 288(1):95-105. . View in PubMed
• Quantitative Immunoblotting of Endogenous Hedgehog Pathway Components Methods Mol Biol. 2015; 1322:93-104. . View in PubMed
• In utero arsenic exposure and fetal immune repertoire in a US pregnancy cohort Clin Immunol. 2014 Dec; 155(2):188-97. . View in PubMed
• RNASEL and MIR146A SNP-SNP interaction as a susceptibility factor for non-melanoma skin cancer PLoS One. 2014; 9(4):e93602. . View in PubMed
• In utero and early life arsenic exposure in relation to long-term health and disease Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2013 Oct 15; 272(2):384-90. . View in PubMed
• In utero arsenic exposure and infant infection in a United States cohort: a prospective study Environ Res. 2013 Oct; 126:24-30. . View in PubMed
• Cutaneous alpha, beta and gamma human papillomaviruses in relation to squamous cell carcinoma of the skin: a population-based study Int J Cancer. 2013 Oct 01; 133(7):1713-20. . View in PubMed
• Normal neonatal microbiome variation in relation to environmental factors, infection and allergy Curr Opin Pediatr. 2012 Dec; 24(6):753-9. . View in PubMed
• Premature activation of the paramyxovirus fusion protein before target cell attachment with corruption of the viral fusion machinery J Biol Chem. 2011 Nov 04; 286(44):37945-37954. . View in PubMed
• Quantitative insight into models of Hedgehog signal transduction Fly (Austin). 2010 Apr-Jun; 4(2):141-4. . View in PubMed
• A quantification of pathway components supports a novel model of Hedgehog signal transduction J Biol Chem. 2009 Oct 16; 284(42):28874-84. . View in PubMed
• Costal2 functions as a kinesin-like protein in the hedgehog signal transduction pathway Curr Biol. 2008 Aug 26; 18(16):1215-20. . View in PubMed
• The adventures of sonic hedgehog in development and repairIII. Hedgehog processing and biological activity. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2008 Apr; 294(4):G844-9. . View in PubMed
• TA-p63-gamma regulates expression of DeltaN-p63 in a manner that is sensitive to p53 Oncogene. 2006 Apr 13; 25(16):2349-59. . View in PubMed

• Breton, Carrie
• Gilliland, Frank
• Chatzi, Vaia
• McConnell, Rob
• Peters, Anne
• Johnston, Jill
• Hu, Howard
• Eckel, Sandrah
• Chen, Jiu-Chiuan
• Bastain, Theresa
• Habre, Rima
• Goran, Michael