Research Overview

Dr. Mazumdar’s program focuses on the role environmental hazards play in the development of neural tube defects.  Neural tube defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida, are birth defects caused by failure of the developing neural plate for fold in the first few weeks of gestations, causing death and disability in surviving children.  The study of neural tube defects also provides a unique opportunity to learn about how environmental hazards affect the developing nervous system.  Neural tube defects are flagrantly visible in newborns, and represent a severe form of injury that is likely common with those in many other neurological disorders that are more difficult to detect and classify.  Better understanding of the environmental influences that increase neural tube risk has the potential to lead to more focused interrogation of biological processes of other disorders of the developing nervous system that may have important environmental factors.

Dr. Mazumdar’s studies take place in Bangladesh, where an estimated 70 million people have been chronically exposed to high concentrations of arsenic through contaminated drinking water, beginning in the 1980s.

Education

Undergraduate School

Yale University
1991 New Haven CT

Graduate School

MPH Tufts University School of Medicine
1997 Boston MA

Medical School

Tufts University School of Medicine
1997 Boston MA

Residency

Pediatrics New England Medical Center
2000 Boston MA

Residency

Chief Resident New England Medical Center
2001 Boston MA

Residency

Child Neurology Boston Children's Hospital
2004 Boston MA

Fellowship

Harvard Pediatric Health Services Research
2006 Boston MA

Graduate School

MSc, Epidemiology Harvard School of Public Health
2006 Boston MA

Fellowship

Interdisciplinary Training Program in Neurotoxicology Research Harvard School of Public Health
2008 Boston MA

Publications

  1. Author Response to Comments. Pediatrics. 2025 Jan 29. View Abstract
  2. Parental arsenic exposure and tissue-specific DNA methylation in Bangladeshi infants with spina bifida. Epigenetics. 2024 Dec; 19(1):2416345. View Abstract
  3. Environmental exposures influence multigenerational epigenetic transmission. Clin Epigenetics. 2024 Oct 17; 16(1):145. View Abstract
  4. Developmental Milestones for Children With Down Syndrome. Pediatrics. 2024 Oct 01; 154(4). View Abstract
  5. Arsenic exposure is associated with elevated sweat chloride concentration and airflow obstruction among adults in Bangladesh: a cross sectional study. medRxiv. 2024 Sep 26. View Abstract
  6. Arsenic exposure and measures of glucose tolerance in Bangladeshi adults: A cross-sectional study. Environ Epidemiol. 2024 Oct; 8(5):e330. View Abstract
  7. Maternal arsenic exposure modifies associations between arsenic, folate and arsenic metabolism gene variants, and spina bifida risk: A case?control study in Bangladesh. Environ Res. 2024 Nov 15; 261:119714. View Abstract
  8. Arsenic modifies the effect of folic acid in spina bifida prevention, a large hospital-based case-control study in Bangladesh. Environ Health. 2024 Jun 03; 23(1):51. View Abstract
  9. The Importance of Neurosurgical Intervention and Surgical Timing for Management of Pediatric Patients with Myelomeningoceles in Bangladesh. World Neurosurg. 2024 Jul; 187:e673-e682. View Abstract
  10. Genome-wide analysis of spina bifida risk variants in a case-control study from Bangladesh. Birth Defects Res. 2024 Mar; 116(3):e2331. View Abstract
  11. Arsenic modifies the effect of folic acid in spina bifida prevention, a large hospital-based case-control study in Bangladesh. Res Sq. 2024 Feb 29. View Abstract
  12. Neurological and Psychological Sequelae Associated With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 07 03; 6(7):e2324369. View Abstract
  13. Pregnancy pesticide exposure and child development in low- and middle-income countries: A prospective analysis of a birth cohort in rural Bangladesh and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2023; 18(6):e0287089. View Abstract
  14. Clinical characteristics of children with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome from a tertiary-care hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Heliyon. 2023 Mar; 9(3):e14323. View Abstract
  15. Prepregnancy exposure to dietary arsenic and congenital heart defects. Birth Defects Res. 2023 Jan 01; 115(1):79-87. View Abstract
  16. Identifying biomarkers for epilepsy after cerebral malaria in Zambian children: rationale and design of a prospective observational study. BMJ Open. 2022 07 18; 12(7):e062948. View Abstract
  17. Pre-pregnancy exposure to arsenic in diet and non-cardiac birth defects. Public Health Nutr. 2023 Mar; 26(3):620-632. View Abstract
  18. Response to: Correspondence on: Household use of crop residues and fuelwood for cooking and newborn birth size in rural Bangladesh by Lee et al. Occup Environ Med. 2022 May 23. View Abstract
  19. Household use of crop residues and fuelwood for cooking and newborn birth size in rural Bangladesh. Occup Environ Med. 2022 05; 79(5):333-338. View Abstract
  20. Neural tube defects prevalence does not increase after modification of the folic acid fortification program in Chile. Birth Defects Res. 2022 04; 114(7):259-266. View Abstract
  21. Arsenic exposure during pregnancy and postpartum maternal glucose tolerance: evidence from Bangladesh. Environ Health. 2022 01 14; 21(1):13. View Abstract
  22. Bayesian kernel machine regression-causal mediation analysis. Stat Med. 2022 02 28; 41(5):860-876. View Abstract
  23. A Cross-validated Ensemble Approach to Robust Hypothesis Testing of Continuous Nonlinear Interactions: Application to Nutrition-Environment Studies. J Am Stat Assoc. 2022; 117(538):561-573. View Abstract
  24. Parental metal exposures as potential risk factors for spina bifida in Bangladesh. Environ Int. 2021 12; 157:106800. View Abstract
  25. Umbilical Cord Blood Metal Mixtures and Birth Size in Bangladeshi Children. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 05; 129(5):57006. View Abstract
  26. Feasibility of Lead Exposure Assessment in Blood Spots using Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence. Environ Sci Technol. 2021 04 20; 55(8):5050-5055. View Abstract
  27. Stunting and lead: using causal mediation analysis to better understand how environmental lead exposure affects cognitive outcomes in children. J Neurodev Disord. 2020 12 16; 12(1):39. View Abstract
  28. EEG markers predictive of epilepsy risk in pediatric cerebral malaria - A feasibility study. Epilepsy Behav. 2020 12; 113:107536. View Abstract
  29. Development and Evaluation of a Pediatric Epilepsy Training Program for First Level Providers in Zambia. Glob Pediatr Health. 2020; 7:2333794X20968718. View Abstract
  30. Association of prenatal pesticide exposures with adverse pregnancy outcomes and stunting in rural Bangladesh. Environ Int. 2019 12; 133(Pt B):105243. View Abstract
  31. A case-control analysis of maternal diet and risk of neural tube defects in Bangladesh. Birth Defects Res. 2019 08 15; 111(14):967-981. View Abstract
  32. Med4way: a Stata command to investigate mediating and interactive mechanisms using the four-way effect decomposition. Int J Epidemiol. 2018 Nov 16. View Abstract
  33. Lead in Air in Bangladesh: Exposure in a Rural Community with Elevated Blood Lead Concentrations among Young Children. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 09 06; 15(9). View Abstract
  34. Identification of novel loci associated with infant cognitive ability. Mol Psychiatry. 2020 11; 25(11):3010-3019. View Abstract
  35. Growth parameters at birth mediate the relationship between prenatal manganese exposure and cognitive test scores among a cohort of 2- to 3-year-old Bangladeshi children. Int J Epidemiol. 2018 08 01; 47(4):1169-1179. View Abstract
  36. Prenatal arsenic exposure, child marriage, and pregnancy weight gain: Associations with preterm birth in Bangladesh. Environ Int. 2018 03; 112:23-32. View Abstract
  37. Prenatal folic acid use associated with decreased risk of myelomeningocele: A case-control study offers further support for folic acid fortification in Bangladesh. PLoS One. 2017; 12(11):e0188726. View Abstract
  38. Investigating causal relation between prenatal arsenic exposure and birthweight: Are smaller infants more susceptible? Environ Int. 2017 11; 108:32-40. View Abstract
  39. Genome-wide gene by lead exposure interaction analysis identifies UNC5D as a candidate gene for neurodevelopment. Environ Health. 2017 07 28; 16(1):81. View Abstract
  40. Anthropometric measures at birth and early childhood are associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes among Bangladeshi children aged 2-3years. Sci Total Environ. 2017 Dec 31; 607-608:475-482. View Abstract
  41. The Joint Effect of Prenatal Exposure to Metal Mixtures on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 20-40 Months of Age: Evidence from Rural Bangladesh. Environ Health Perspect. 2017 06 26; 125(6):067015. View Abstract
  42. Associations between post translational histone modifications, myelomeningocele risk, environmental arsenic exposure, and folate deficiency among participants in a case control study in Bangladesh. Epigenetics. 2017 06 03; 12(6):484-491. View Abstract
  43. Does arsenic increase the risk of neural tube defects among a highly exposed population? A new case-control study in Bangladesh. Birth Defects Res. 2017 01 30; 109(2):92-98. View Abstract
  44. Stunting is associated with blood lead concentration among Bangladeshi children aged 2-3 years. Environ Health. 2016 11 04; 15(1):103. View Abstract
  45. Neurodevelopmental outcomes among 2- to 3-year-old children in Bangladesh with elevated blood lead and exposure to arsenic and manganese in drinking water. Environ Health. 2016 Mar 12; 15:44. View Abstract
  46. Estimating Effects of Arsenic Exposure During Pregnancy on Perinatal Outcomes in a Bangladeshi Cohort. Epidemiology. 2016 Mar; 27(2):173-81. View Abstract
  47. Polymorphisms in maternal folate pathway genes interact with arsenic in drinking water to influence risk of myelomeningocele. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2015 Sep; 103(9):754-62. View Abstract
  48. Arsenic is associated with reduced effect of folic acid in myelomeningocele prevention: a case control study in Bangladesh. Environ Health. 2015 Apr 10; 14:34. View Abstract
  49. Elevated sweat chloride levels due to arsenic toxicity. N Engl J Med. 2015 Feb 05; 372(6):582-4. View Abstract
  50. Bayesian kernel machine regression for estimating the health effects of multi-pollutant mixtures. Biostatistics. 2015 Jul; 16(3):493-508. View Abstract
  51. Contaminated turmeric is a potential source of lead exposure for children in rural Bangladesh. J Environ Public Health. 2014; 2014:730636. View Abstract
  52. Journal club: pretreatment EEG in childhood absence epilepsy. Neurology. 2014 May 06; 82(18):e158-60. View Abstract
  53. A prospective cohort study of the association between drinking water arsenic exposure and self-reported maternal health symptoms during pregnancy in Bangladesh. Environ Health. 2014 Apr 16; 13(1):29. View Abstract
  54. Prenatal lead levels, plasma amyloid ß levels, and gene expression in young adulthood. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 May; 120(5):702-7. View Abstract
  55. Low-level environmental lead exposure in childhood and adult intellectual function: a follow-up study. Environ Health. 2011 Mar 30; 10:24. View Abstract
  56. Risk of death is not increased in children with simple febrile seizures. J Pediatr. 2009 Jan; 154(1):150-1. View Abstract
  57. Febrile seizures and risk of death. Lancet. 2008 Aug 09; 372(9637):429-30. View Abstract
  58. No association between parental or subject occupation and brain tumor risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 Jul; 17(7):1835-7. View Abstract
  59. Preventing stroke among children with sickle cell anemia: an analysis of strategies that involve transcranial Doppler testing and chronic transfusion. Pediatrics. 2007 Oct; 120(4):e1107-16. View Abstract
  60. Does albendazole affect seizure remission and computed tomography response in children with neurocysticercosis? A Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Child Neurol. 2007 Feb; 22(2):135-42. View Abstract
  61. X-linked creatine transporter defect: a report on two unrelated boys with a severe clinical phenotype. J Inherit Metab Dis. 2006 Feb; 29(1):214-9. View Abstract
  62. Creatine deficiency syndrome: A case of defective creatine transport presenting with episodic dystonia. Annals of Neurology. 2003; 54(Suppl. 7):S157. View Abstract

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