Ellen C. Francis, PhD (she/her/hers)
Biography
Ellen Francis, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health. She received her Ph.D. from Clemson University's program in Applied Health Research and Evaluation, and a graduate certificate in Personalized and Genomic Medicine from the University of Colorado. She was a pre-doctoral fellow in the Epidemiology Branch of the Division of Intramural Population Health Research at the NICHD, and completed post-doctoral training as a Perinatal Biology and Reproductive T32 fellow at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. In 2022, she received a K99 Transition to Independence Fellowship from NICHD and a NHLBI PRIDE Scholarship (Program to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research).
Research Interests
Dr. Francis's research integrates biochemical and clinical information to refine metabolic profiles during pregnancy, with the goal of improving how we identify maternal-offspring pairs at risk for poor metabolic health later in life. Through the use of 'omics data generated from blood and placenta, she seeks to provide a more precise understanding of the developmental origins of health and disease. Using approaches from lifecourse epidemiology, systems biology, and computer science she contributes to the identification of modifiable targets and mechanisms leading to premature cardiovascular morbidities.