Wendy Nicole Nembhard, MPH, PhD

Full Member

Research Program:

Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences

Faculty Rank:

Professor and Chair

Campus:

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

College:

College of Public Health

Department:

Epidemiology

Cancer Research Interest

Disease Site Focus: Pediatric Oncology
Research Focus Area: Prevention
Type of Research: Population Sciences
Research Keywords: pediatric
Research Interest Statement: My cancer research projects have primarily focused on risk of cancer among children born with birth defects. One of the main risk factors for developing pediatric cancer is being born with a birth defect. Little is understood about this relationship thus we conducted one of the largest studies to examine this relationship. Four publications resulted from this multi-site collaboration. I am also interested in risk of cancer and other chronic conditions among women.

Contact Information

Email Address: WNNEMBHARD@UAMS.EDU
Profiles Research Networking Software: View Profile

Active Grants

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention – 1 U48DP006814-01-00
“Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Centers”
Principal Investigator
9/30/2024 – 9/29/2029
NIH/Nat. Cancer Institute – 1U01CA260526
“DISCOVER:Disparities in Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 in ARkansas”
Principal Investigator
9/30/2020 – 2/28/2025

Recent Publications

Michalski AM, Luben TJ, Zaganjor I, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Maternal Exposure to Tap Water Disinfection By-Products and Risk of Selected Congenital Heart Defects. Birth defects research. 2024 116(9):e2391. PMID: 39212068. PMCID: PMC11440226.
Downing KF, Lin AE, Nembhard WN, [et al.]. Survival to Young Adulthood Among Individuals With Congenital Heart Defects and Genetic Syndromes: Congenital Heart Survey to Recognize Outcomes, Needs, and Well-Being. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2024 13(15):e036049. PMID: 39082431.
Stephens SB, Benjamin RH, Lopez KN, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Enhancing the Classification of Congenital Heart Defects for Outcome Association Studies in Birth Defects Registries. Birth defects research. 2024 116(8):e2393. PMID: 39169811. PMCID: PMC11421657.
Mukherjee N, Bolin EH, Qasim A, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. DNA methylation of the Lamin A/C gene is associated with congenital heart disease. Birth defects research. 2024 116(7):e2381. PMID: 39073036.
Blue EE, Moore KJ, North KE, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Exome sequencing identifies novel genes underlying primary congenital glaucoma in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Birth defects research. 2024 116(7):e2384. PMID: 38990107. PMCID: PMC11245170.
Nolan JV, Muhonen MA, Jaeb MA, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. EMR-Documented Contraception for Patients Prescribed Medications With Adverse Perinatal Outcomes. JAMA network open. 2024 7(7):e2423930. PMID: 39037817. PMCID: PMC11265134.
Feldkamp ML, Canfield MA, Krikov S, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Gastroschisis prevalence patterns in 27 surveillance programs from 24 countries, International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research, 1980-2017. Birth defects research. 2024 116(2):e2306. PMID: 38411327. PMCID: PMC11182352.
Stallings EB, Isenburg JL, Rutkowski RE, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. National population-based estimates for major birth defects, 2016-2020. Birth defects research. 2024 116(1):e2301. PMID: 38277408. PMCID: PMC10898112.
Barry MC, Pathak EB, Swanson J, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Infants in the United States: Incidence, Severity, Fatality, and Variants of Concern. The Pediatric infectious disease journal. 2023. PMID: 38134379.
Patel J, Politis MD, Howley MM, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Fever and antibiotic use in maternal urinary tract infections during pregnancy and risk of congenital heart defects: Findings from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Birth defects research. 2023. PMID: 38093546. PMCID: PMC11071646.
Pruitt Evans S, Ailes EC, Kramer MR, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Neighborhood Deprivation and Neural Tube Defects. Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.). 2023 34(6):774-785. PMID: 37757869. PMCID: PMC10928547.
Judge A, Kramer M, Downing KF, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Neighborhood social deprivation and healthcare utilization, disability, and comorbidities among young adults with congenital heart defects: Congenital heart survey to recognize outcomes, needs, and well-being 2016-2019. Birth defects research. 2023 115(17):1608-1618. PMID: 37578352. PMCID: PMC10916520.
Blue EE, White JJ, Dush MK, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Rare variants in CAPN2 increase risk for isolated hypoplastic left heart syndrome. HGG advances. 2023 4(4):100232. PMID: 37663545. PMCID: PMC10474499.
Patel JR, Amick BC, Vyas KS, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Gender disparities in symptomology of COVID-19 among adults in Arkansas. Preventive medicine reports. 2023 35:102290. PMID: 37441188. PMCID: PMC10289819.
Krajewski AK, Patel A, Gray CL, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Is gastroschisis associated with county-level socio-environmental quality during pregnancy?. Birth defects research. 2023. PMID: 37772934. PMCID: PMC10878499.
Downing KF, Klewer SE, Nembhard WN, [et al.]. Healthcare and Socioeconomic Outcomes Among Young Adults With Congenital Heart Defects and Functional Cognitive Disabilities, CH STRONG 2016 to 2019. The American journal of cardiology. 2023 201:229-231. PMID: 37390699. PMCID: PMC10527851.
Downing KF, Nembhard WN, Rose CE, [et al.]. Survival From Birth Until Young Adulthood Among Individuals With Congenital Heart Defects: CH STRONG. Circulation. 2023 148(7):575-588. PMID: 37401461. PMCID: PMC10544792.
Bascom JT, Stephens SB, Lupo PJ, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Scientific impact of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network multistate collaborative publications. Birth defects research. 2023. PMID: 37492989. PMCID: PMC10910332.
Wong EC, Lupo PJ, Desrosiers TA, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Associations between birth defects with neural crest cell origins and pediatric embryonal tumors. Cancer. 2023. PMID: 37432072. PMCID: PMC10615683.
Huang M, Lyu C, Liu N, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. A gene-based association test of interactions for maternal-fetal genotypes identifies genes associated with nonsyndromic congenital heart defects. Genetic epidemiology. 2023. PMID: 37341229.
Andrews JG, Strah D, Downing KF, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Cardiology Care and Loss to Follow-Up Among Adults With Congenital Heart Defects in CH STRONG. The American journal of cardiology. 2023 197:42-45. PMID: 37148718. PMCID: PMC10236354.
Luben TJ, Shaffer RM, Kenyon E, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Comparison of Trihalomethane exposure assessment metrics in epidemiologic analyses of reproductive and developmental outcomes. Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology. 2023. PMID: 37316533.
Allen JL, Amick BC 3rd, Williams ML, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. A longitudinal study of SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence and mitigation behaviors among college students at an Arkansas University. Journal of American college health : J of ACH. 2023:1-10. PMID: 37289962.
Mc Goldrick N, Revie G, Groisman B, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. A multi-program analysis of cleft lip with cleft palate prevalence and mortality using data from 22 International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research programs, 1974-2014. Birth defects research. 2023 115(10):980-997. PMID: 37186369. PMCID: PMC10405782.
Farr SL, Galindo M, Downing KF, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Reproductive Health Counseling and Concerns Among Women with Congenital Heart Defects With and Without Disabilities. Journal of women's health (2002). 2023. PMID: 37184635. PMCID: PMC10680446.
Martin-Giacalone BA, Lin AE, Rasmussen SA, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Prevalence and descriptive epidemiology of Turner syndrome in the United States, 2000-2017: A report from the National Birth Defects Prevention Network. American journal of medical genetics. Part A. 2023 191(5):1339-1349. PMID: 36919524. PMCID: PMC10405780.
Judge AS, Downing KF, Nembhard WN, [et al.]. Racial and ethnic disparities in socio-economic status, access to care, and healthcare utilisation among children with heart conditions, National Survey of Children's Health 2016-2019. Cardiology in the young. 2023:1-9. PMID: 36999847. PMCID: PMC10680441.
Sok P, Sabo A, Almli LM, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Exome-wide assessment of isolated biliary atresia: A report from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study using child-parent trios and a case-control design to identify novel rare variants. American journal of medical genetics. Part A. 2023. PMID: 36942736. PMCID: PMC10947986.
Fisher SC, Howley MM, Tran EL, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Maternal cyclobenzaprine exposure and risk of birth defects in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (1997-2011) and Birth Defects Study to Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (2014-2018). Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety. 2023. PMID: 36942828. PMCID: PMC10926911.
Bircan E, Politis MD, Gokun Y, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Intellectual disabilities and autism among children with congenital heart defects, Western Australia, 1983-2010. BMC pediatrics. 2023 23(1):106. PMID: 36870968. PMCID: PMC9985207.
Kancherla V, Sundar M, Tandaki L, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Prevalence and mortality among children with anorectal malformation: A multi-country analysis. Birth defects research. 2023 115(3):390-404. PMID: 36401554. PMCID: PMC9898144.
Bolin EH, Ali MM, Farr SL, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Health Insurance Status and Access to Healthcare Among Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: from the Congenital Heart Survey To Recognize Outcomes, Needs and Well-beinG (CH STRONG), 2016-2019. Pediatric cardiology. 2023. PMID: 36693998. PMCID: PMC10680444.
Walden AR, Nembhard WN, Akmyradov C, [et al.]. School age educational outcomes of infants born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Birth defects research. 2023 115(1):96-109. PMID: 36260492.
Weber KA, Yang W, Carmichael SL, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Assessing associations between residential proximity to greenspace and birth defects in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Environmental research. 2023 216(Pt 3):114760. PMID: 36356662. PMCID: PMC10353702.
Kirby RS, Browne ML, Nembhard WN. Using birth defects surveillance data for public health research, practice, and policy. Birth defects research. 2023 115(1):9-10. PMID: 36631961.
Whitcombe DD, Magann EF, Fahr EC, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Examination of a Stillbirth Workup: A Rural Statewide Experience. Southern medical journal. 2022 115(11):818-823. PMID: 36318947. PMCID: PMC9634678.
Norton JC, Politis MD, Bimali M, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Analysis of COVID-19 Pandemic on Supplement Usage and Its Combination with Self-Medication within the State of Arkansas. Journal of dietary supplements. 2022:1-28. PMID: 36178162. PMCID: PMC10033323.
Mohan Dass NL, Botto LD, Tinker SC, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Associations between maternal reports of periconceptional fever from miscellaneous causes and structural birth defects. Birth defects research. 2022 114(15):885-894. PMID: 35932236. PMCID: PMC10580304.
Patel JR, Amick BC, Vyas KS, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Racial disparities in symptomatology and outcomes of COVID-19 among adults of Arkansas. Preventive medicine reports. 2022 28:101840. PMID: 35634216. PMCID: PMC9128301.
Li J, Yang W, Wang YJ, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Exome sequencing identifies genetic variants in anophthalmia and microphthalmia. American journal of medical genetics. Part A. 2022 188(8):2376-2388. PMID: 35716026. PMCID: PMC9283271.
Richard MA, Patel J, Benjamin RH, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Prevalence and Clustering of Congenital Heart Defects Among Boys With Hypospadias. JAMA network open. 2022 5(7):e2224152. PMID: 35900762. PMCID: PMC9335139.
Figueiredo JC, Hirsch FR, Kushi LH, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Mission, Organization, and Future Direction of the Serological Sciences Network for COVID-19 (SeroNet) Epidemiologic Cohort Studies. Open forum infectious diseases. 2022 9(6):ofac171. PMID: 35765315. PMCID: PMC9129196.
Kancherla V, Tandaki L, Sundar M, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. A Multicountry Analysis of Prevalence and Mortality among Neonates and Children with Bladder Exstrophy. American journal of perinatology. 2022. PMID: 35644130. PMCID: PMC9827371.
Gili JA, López-Camelo JS, Nembhard WN, [et al.]. Analysis of early neonatal case fatality rate among newborns with congenital hydrocephalus, a 2000-2014 multi-country registry-based study. Birth defects research. 2022. PMID: 35633200. PMCID: PMC9288486.
Kennedy JL, Forrest JC, Young SG, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Temporal Variations in Seroprevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infections by Race and Ethnicity in Arkansas. Open forum infectious diseases. 2022 9(5):ofac154. PMID: 35493126. PMCID: PMC9045955.
Rashkin SR, Cleves M, Shaw GM, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. A genome-wide association study of obstructive heart defects among participants in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. American journal of medical genetics. Part A. 2022. PMID: 35451555. PMCID: PMC9283270.
Langlois PH, Marengo L, Lupo PJ, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Evaluating the proportion of isolated cases among a spectrum of birth defects in a population-based registry. Birth defects research. 2022. PMID: 35218607. PMCID: PMC9411263.
Hsu PC, Maity S, Patel J, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Metabolomics Signatures and Subsequent Maternal Health among Mothers with a Congenital Heart Defect-Affected Pregnancy. Metabolites. 2022 12(2). PMID: 35208175. PMCID: PMC8877777.
Cardenas VM, Kennedy JL, Williams M, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. State-wide random seroprevalence survey of SARS-CoV-2 past infection in a southern US State, 2020. PloS one. 2022 17(4):e0267322. PMID: 35476717. PMCID: PMC9045671.
Simmons W, Lin S, Luben TJ, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Modeling complex effects of exposure to particulate matter and extreme heat during pregnancy on congenital heart defects: A U.S. population-based case-control study in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. The Science of the total environment. 2021:152150. PMID: 34864029. PMCID: PMC8758551.
Whittington JR, Hughes DS, Rabie NZ, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Detection of Fetal Anomalies by Remotely Directed and Interpreted Ultrasound (Teleultrasound): A Randomized Noninferiority Trial. American journal of perinatology. 2021. PMID: 34808687.
Downing KF, Oster ME, Klewer SE, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Disability Among Young Adults With Congenital Heart Defects: Congenital Heart Survey to Recognize Outcomes, Needs, and Well-Being 2016-2019. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2021 10(21):e022440. PMID: 34666499. PMCID: PMC8751822.
Liberman RF, Heinke D, Petersen JM, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Interpregnancy interval and prevalence of selected birth defects: A multistate study. Birth defects research. 2021. PMID: 34676681.
Bolin EH, Gokun Y, Romitti PA, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Maternal Smoking and Congenital Heart Defects, National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997-2011. The Journal of pediatrics. 2021. PMID: 34508749. PMCID: PMC8712361.
ElHassan NO, Sharma M, Akmyradov C, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Childhood Educational Outcomes of Children Born with Gastroschisis. The Journal of pediatrics. 2021. PMID: 34499945.
Bolin EH, Nembhard WN, Collins RT 2nd. Regionalization of Congenital Heart Surgery: Can We Make it Reality?. The Annals of thoracic surgery. 2021 112(2):685. PMID: 33422483.
Bell JC, Baynam G, Bergman JEH, [et al., including Nembhard W]. Survival of infants born with esophageal atresia among 24 international birth defects surveillance programs. Birth defects research. 2021 113(12):945-957. PMID: 33734618. PMCID: PMC8273078.
Ramseyer AM, Whittington JR, Magann EF, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Cesarean Delivery Management of Stillbirth: In-Depth Analysis of 75 Cases in a Rural State. Southern medical journal. 2021 114(7):384-387. PMID: 34215888. PMCID: PMC8579878.
Sanz JH, Anixt J, Bear L, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Characterisation of neurodevelopmental and psychological outcomes in CHD: a research agenda and recommendations from the cardiac neurodevelopmental outcome collaborative. Cardiology in the young. 2021 31(6):876-887. PMID: 34082845. PMCID: PMC8429101.
Benjamin RH, Salemi JL, Canfield MA, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Causes of neonatal and postneonatal death among infants with birth defects in Texas. Birth defects research. 2021 113(9):665-675. PMID: 33586914. PMCID: PMC8920027.
Politis MD, Bermejo-Sánchez E, Canfield MA, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Prevalence and mortality in children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a multicountry study. Annals of epidemiology. 2021 56:61-69.e3. PMID: 33253899. PMCID: PMC8009766.
Patel J, Bircan E, Tang X, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Paternal genetic variants and risk of obstructive heart defects: A parent-of-origin approach. PLoS genetics. 2021 17(3):e1009413. PMID: 33684136. PMCID: PMC7971842.
Oster ME, Riser AP, Andrews JG, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Comorbidities Among Young Adults with Congenital Heart Defects: Results from the Congenital Heart Survey To Recognize Outcomes, Needs, and well-beinG - Arizona, Arkansas, and Metropolitan Atlanta, 2016-2019. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. 2021 70(6):197-201. PMID: 33571179. PMCID: PMC7877580.
Heinke D, Isenburg JL, Stallings EB, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Prevalence of structural birth defects among infants with Down syndrome, 2013-2017: A US population-based study. Birth defects research. 2021 113(2):189-202. PMID: 33348463. PMCID: PMC7978493.
Zaganjor I, Luben TJ, Desrosiers TA, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Maternal Exposure to Disinfection By-Products and Risk of Hypospadias in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (2000-2005). International journal of environmental research and public health. 2020 17(24). PMID: 33371304. PMCID: PMC7766973.
Ramseyer AM, Whittington JR, Magann EF, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Hospital Annual Delivery Volume and Presence of Graduate Medical Education Influence Mode of Delivery after Stillbirth. Southern medical journal. 2020 113(12):623-628. PMID: 33263130. PMCID: PMC8634934.
Nembhard WN, Bergman JEH, Politis MD, [et al.]. A multi-country study of prevalence and early childhood mortality among children with omphalocele. Birth defects research. 2020 112(20):1787-1801. PMID: 33067932. PMCID: PMC7722785.
Cardenas VM, Ali MM, Fischbach LA, Nembhard WN. Dual use of cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems during pregnancy and the risk of small for gestational age neonates. Annals of epidemiology. 2020 52:86-92.e2. PMID: 32805398.
Collins RT 2nd, Yang W, Carmichael SL, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Maternal dietary fat intake and the risk of congenital heart defects in offspring. Pediatric research. 2020 88(5):804-809. PMID: 32120376. PMCID: PMC7483164.
ELHassan NO, Young SG, Gokun Y, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Trends in prevalence and spatiotemporal distribution of gastroschisis in Arkansas, 1998-2015. Birth defects research. 2020 112(18):1484-1494. PMID: 33179872. PMCID: PMC8756334.
Marcotte EL, Schraw JM, Desrosiers TA, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Male Sex and the Risk of Childhood Cancer: The Mediating Effect of Birth Defects. JNCI cancer spectrum. 2020 4(5):pkaa052. PMID: 33134832. PMCID: PMC7583156.
Patel J, Schraw JM, Lupo PJ, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Cancer Risk by Attained Age among Children with Birth Defects in Arkansas. Cancer epidemiology. 2020 68:101796. PMID: 32827802. PMCID: PMC8500542.
Schraw JM, Desrosiers TA, Nembhard WN, [et al.]. Cancer diagnostic profile in children with structural birth defects: An assessment in 15,000 childhood cancer cases. Cancer. 2020 126(15):3483-3492. PMID: 32469081. PMCID: PMC8485389.
Richard MA, Sok P, Canon S, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Altered mechanisms of genital development identified through integration of DNA methylation and genomic measures in hypospadias. Scientific reports. 2020 10(1):12715. PMID: 32728162. PMCID: PMC7391634.
Patel J, Nembhard WN, Politis MD, [et al.]. Maternal occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the risk of isolated congenital heart defects among offspring. Environmental research. 2020 186:109550. PMID: 32335433. PMCID: PMC8756335.
Farr SL, Klewer SE, Nembhard WN, [et al.]. Rationale and design of CH STRONG: Congenital Heart Survey To Recognize Outcomes, Needs, and well-beinG. American heart journal. 2020 221:106-113. PMID: 31986287. PMCID: PMC9141095.
Heinke D, Nestoridi E, Hernandez-Diaz S, [et al., including Nembhard WN]. Risk of Stillbirth for Fetuses With Specific Birth Defects. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2020 135(1):133-140. PMID: 31809437. PMCID: PMC7033649.