Title
Ethel Austin Martin Endowed Chair and Professor Emerita, Health and Nutritional SciencesOffice Building
Wecota HallMailing Address
Wecota HallE A Martin Program-Box 0506
University Station
Brookings, SD 57007
Biography
Prior to moving to SDSU in 1997, Dr. Specker was at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and UC Medical Center where she received her Ph.D. in epidemiology and spent 15 years in research and teaching as professor of pediatrics and associate professor of radiology. She has published extensively in the area of bone, calcium and vitamin D metabolism, with over 150 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. She has had several NIH-funded research grants, including the South Dakota Rural Bone Health Study and the National Children's Study. She is currently working with the South Dakota Department of Health and the Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center on several maternal and child health projects. She has been a member of numerous NIH and USDA study sections and is a member of the American Pediatric Society, American Society for Nutrition, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and the International Society for Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions. She has served on several federal advisory panels, including panels at the National Academy of Sciences and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Education
- Ph.D. in epidemiology | University of Cincinnati
- M.S. in epidemiology/biostatistics | University of Cincinnati
Academic Interests
- Nutritional and maternal and child health epidemiology
- Pediatric nutrition
- Bone and mineral metabolism
Academic Responsibilities
- Epidemiology
- Research methods
- Nutritional epidemiology
Areas of Research
- The role of calcium in modifying bone response to physical activity in children.
- factors affecting longitudinal changes in bone mass and body composition throughout life.
- Health disparities in maternal and child health.
Department(s)
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Ethel Austin Martin Program
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Division of Research and Economic Development