Meet the IPHRC Researchers
Kelli Ryckman, PhD
Kelli K. Ryckman, PhD, is Professor of Epidemiology and Pediatrics at the University of Iowa. Dr. Ryckman is a maternal-child health epidemiologist with expertise in statistics, genetics, and metabolomics. Her research is focuses on the epidemiologic, genetic, and metabolic pathways that contribute to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. She serves as PI on the PROMPT R01 study (HD102381) as one of three multiple-PIs with Dr. Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski (UCSF) and Dr. Elizabeth Rogers (UCSF). She also directs the HRSA-funded MCH Catalyst Training Program that is developing and providing maternal-child health curriculum for graduate students in the College of Public Health.
Nancy Weathers
Ms. Weathers supports all aspects of the IPHRC including overseeing subject recruitment and sample collection, IRB communications, data use agreements and research agreements, clinical data extraction and management. Ms. Weathers has substantial project management expertise and is leads efforts organizing activities with the Community Advisory Board.
John M. Dagle, PhD, MD
Dr. Dagle is Professor of Pediatrics and Biochemistry at the University of Iowa. He is also Associate Director of the Iowa State-wide Perinatal Program. Dr. Dagle is a neonatologist with a primary research focus on identifying genetic and metabolic mechanisms responsible for the major morbidities of preterm birth.
Stephanie Radke, MD
Dr. Radke is Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Iowa. She serves as the Assistant Quality and Safety Officer for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Iowa and is the co-founder and director-elect to the state of Iowa’s Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (IMQCC). Her research interests focus on utilizing data to identify disparities, guide initiatives, and improve the care for women, birthing people, and their newborns in Iowa.
Ece Demir Lira, Ph.D
Dr. Demir Lira is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa. Her expertise is in developmental cognitive neuroscience, with a special emphasis on parental background factors, parental input and child neurocognitive development in typical and atypically-developing populations.
Hyunkeun (Ryan) Cho, PhD
Dr. Cho is Associate Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Iowa. Dr. Cho’s primary research focuses on longitudinal data analysis, risk-predictive modeling, precision medicine and clinical trials.
Allison M Momany, Ph.D
Dr. Momany is a clinical child psychologist in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa. Her research focuses on risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., ADHD, Autism). She is especially interested in neurodevelopmental sequale following preterm birth and neonatal morbidities, and the extent to which genetic and epigenetic differences are implicated in adverse neurodevelopmental. Her research also incorporates protective factors, such as positive parenting practices, to investigate ways to promote resilience in infants who experience early adversity. Clinically, Dr. Momany conducts neuropsychological assessments for children and adolescents, provides Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for young children exhibiting disruptive behavior, and is trained as a gender-affirming provider.
Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski, PhD, MS
Dr. Jelliffe-Pawlowski is Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics in the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. She is a HOPE Consortium Founder and serves as its lead. She has expertise in the biomarker prediction of adverse pregnancy and infant outcomes. She also serves as Director of Discovery and Precision Health for the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative and is PI of the HOPE and the CPPOP studies. She also serves as a PI on the PROMPT study as one of three multiple-PIs with Dr. Elizabeth Rogers (UCSF) and Dr. Kelli Ryckman.
Elizabeth Rogers, MD
Dr. Rogers is Professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco. She is also Associate Vice Chair for Faculty Development, Director of the Intensive Care Nursery ROOTS Small Baby Program, and a HOPE Consortium Founder. Dr. Rogers also serves as Primary Lead of Newborn and Pediatric Investigation for the HOPE COVID-19 study and serves as a PI on the PROMPT study as one of three multiple-PIs with Dr. Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski (UCSF) and Dr. Kelli Ryckman.
Karen Tabb Dina, Ph.D., MSW
Dr. Tabb Dina is Associate Professor of Social Work at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has designed and carried out clinical registry studies in six healthcare systems and in two countries. Dr. Tabb Dina’s research is focused on women’s health, mental health research and health disparities. Dr. Tabb Dina also leads the Perinatal Connect Women’s Health Coalition patient advisory board.