Erica P. Gunderson, PhD

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
2000 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 627-2647 (phone)
erica.gunderson@kp.org

Erica P. Gunderson, Ph.D., is a perinatal epidemiologist studying the lasting effects of childbearing (pregnancy and lactation) on women’s future health. Before joining the DOR, Dr. Gunderson worked for over 14 years in community-based public health nutrition programs, and high-risk perinatal multi-disciplinary clinical care settings, including management of women with diabetes before, during and after pregnancy, and preterm birth prevention. Dr. Gunderson’s current research interests center on lactation and long-term effects on women’s health, including its impact among women with a previous history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Her work focuses on lactation duration and intensity in relation to development of type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, and early atherosclerosis in women, as well as biological signals. Dr. Gunderson has conducted numerous longitudinal studies (pre-pregnancy to several years post-weaning) that examined effects of pregnancy and lactation on changes in biomarkers and chronic disease risk factors, including blood lipids, glucose and metabolic indices, blood pressure, and body adiposity (visceral fat and overall body fat).

Current Position(s):

Research Scientist II, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

Primary Research Interests:

Epidemiology of obesity in women during the childbearing years – gestational weight gain, visceral fat and postpartum weight retention.
Lactation and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in women during mid life.
Lactation and effects post-weaning on biomarkers of cardiometabolic disease risk.
Gestational diabetes mellitus: long-term effects on women’s health.
Breastfeeding and growth during early infancy.
Epidemiology of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

Lactation and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in CARDIA Women

The goals of our study are to prospectively examine whether longer duration of lactation is associated with development of type 2 DM in women of reproductive age during the 25-year CARDIA study period (1986-2011) and assess changes in risk factors.
Funder: Nat. Inst.of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease
Principal Investigator: Gunderson, Erica

Pregravid Blood Pressure & Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: SGA and Preterm Birth

Funder: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Principal Investigator: Gunderson, Erica

Lactation and Glucose Tolerance after GDM Pregnancy – SWIFT, Study of Women, Infant Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes

This study examines whether lactation prevents or delays the development of type 2 diabetes in a large, population-based sample of women with a recent pregnancy complicated by GDM in Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
Funder: Nat. Inst. of Child Health and Human Dev.
Principal Investigator: Gunderson, Erica

ARRA Supplement to Lactation and Glucose Tolerance after GDM Pregnancy – SWIFT, Study of Women, Infant Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes

Breastfeeding and Infant Growth among GDM Offspring – SWIFT Offspring Study

This Clinical Research Award prospectively examines the relation of infant feeding method (breastfeeding intensity and duration) to growth and adiposity during the first year of life among the offspring of women with GDM, and changes in postpartum adiposity in their mothers in Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
Funder: American Diabetes Association
Principal Investigator: Gunderson, Erica

Influence of Pregnancy and Lactation on Risk Factors for CVD and Type 2 Diabetes

This career development award is to evaluate the influence of pregnancy and lactation on development of type 2 diabetes, and the impact on total and central adiposity and changes in other risk factors for CVD and diabetes in young women. Training component includes coursework and data analyses in genetic epidemiology and body composition measurements.
Funder: Nat. Inst.of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease
Principal Investigator: Gunderson, Erica

Prospective Study of Childbearing and Correlates of Insulin Resistance in Nondiabetic Women

Secondary analyses of data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study of 2,787 U.S. women (18-30 yrs at baseline) through 20 years of follow-up. This study examines, among nondiabetic women, whether pregnancy and lactation are independently associated with unfavorable changes in correlates of insulin resistance and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and incidence of the metabolic syndrome by GDM status controlling for pre-pregnancy glycemia.
Funder: American Diabetes Association
Principal Investigator: Gunderson, Erica

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research