Assiamira Ferrara MD PhD

Assiamira Ferrara, MD, PhD, has been an investigator with the Division of Research (DOR) Kaiser Permanente Northern California since 1996. Dr. Ferrara received her medical degree from Universita' degli Studi di Napoli, Italy in 1987. She is a diabetologist with over 10 years of experience in the clinical care and research of diabetes. Her postdoctoral training includes: World Health Organization Seminar: Epidemiology and Public Health Aspect of DiabetesMellitus, and American Heart Association: Ten-Day Seminar on the Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. Her published research has primarily included studies of prevalence, molecular genetic, cardiovascular disease, and hormonal factors in diabetes and gestational diabetes Since she jointed the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente she has been working with Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry data where she developed a women’ health research agenda. Dr. Ferrara has developed the Kaiser Permanente Gestational Diabetes Registry, overseeing database architecture design, identification of incident cases and maintenance. She is an active member of the American Diabetes Association’s Council for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, American Diabetes Association’s Council for Diabetes in pregnancy, American Heart Association’s Council for Epidemiology, European Diabetes Epidemiology Group. Dr. Ferrara is the principal investigator of several studies on diabetes: a study funded by the AHA on HRT and CVD risk in women with type 2 diabetes; two studies funded by NIDDK and ADA to examine the association between maternal glycemia and perinatal complications in women without GDM, in order to identify new lower glucose cut-point for GDM. Dr. Ferrara is the principal investigator of two studies funded by CDC: study on secular trend of GDM and diabetes in pregnancy, and a study on type 2 diabetes among adolescents.

Dr. Ferrara's current research interests include: epidemiology of diabetes and gestational diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hormones and menopause.

Current Positions:

	Scientist, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
	Affiliate Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, 2002-present

Primary Research Interests:

	Epidemiology of diabetes
	Cardiovascular disease
	Hormones
	Gestational diabetes
	Menopause

Current Research Projects:

	Does Pregnancy Glycemia Predict Perinatal Complications Among Women Without Gestational Diabetes Mellitus? (ADA)
	Gestational Diabetes: Diagnostic Criteria and Outcomes (NIDDK)
	Incidence of Lung Cancer, COPD, Pneumonia, and Pulmonary Fibrosis among Persons with and without Diabetes Mellitus
	Is Past Use of Hormonal Contraceptives Associated With Increased Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus?

Completed Research Projects (partial listing):

	Hormone Replacement Therapy and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Type II Diabetics (AHA)
	Pilot Study of Trends and Risks in Gestational Diabetes (CDC)
	Type 2 Diabetes among Children and Adolescents: Case Definitions Characteristics and Quality of Care (CDC)

Selected Publications:

	Cocozza S, Porcellini A, Riccardi G, Monticelli A, Condorelli GL, Ferrara A, Pianese L, Miele C, Capaldo B, Beguinot F, Varrone S. NIDDM associated with a mutation of the kinase domain of the insulin receptor gene. Diabetes 1992;4:521-6.
	Porcellini A, Cocozza S, Monticelli A, Pianese L, Riccardi G, Ferrara A, Varrone S. Mutation in insulin receptor-gene Val996 in white NIDDM patients [Letter]. Diabetes Care 1992;15:591-2.
	Vaccaro O, Imperatore G, Ferrara A, Palombino R, Riccardi G. Epidemiology of diabetes in southern Italy: a case finding method based on drug prescription. J Clin Epidemiol 1992;45:835-9.
	Petruziello A, Formisano P, Miele C, Di Finizio B, Riccardi G, Ferrara A, Beguinot L, Beguinot F. Defective insulin action in fibroblast from non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients with Gln1152 insulin receptor mutation. J Clin Endocrinol Metabol 1993;77:409-12.
	Vaccaro O, Imperatore G, Ferrara A, Palombino R, Riccardi G. General practitioner's management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Does it comply with the recommended standard? Diab Nutr Metab 1994;7:123-9.
	Ferrara A, Barrett-Connor EL, Edelstein SL. Hyperinsulinemia does not increase the risk of fatal cardiovascular disease in elderly men or women without diabetes: the Rancho Bernardo study, 1984 to 1991. Am J Epidemiology 1994;140;857-69.
	Ferrara A, Barrett-Connor EL, Wingard L, Edelstein SL. Gender differences in insulin levels in older adults and the effect of body size, estrogen replacement therapy and glucose tolerance status: the Rancho Bernardo study, 1984-1987. Diabetes Care 1995;18:220-5.
	Wingard DL, Barrett-Connor E, Ferrara A. Is insulin really a heart disease factor? Diabetes Care 1995;18: 1299-1304.
	Imperatore G, Rivellese AA, Galasso R, Celentano E, Iovine C, Ferrara A, Riccardi G, Vaccaro O. Lipoprotein (a) concentration in NIDDM: a population-based study. Metabolism 1995; 44:1293-7.
	Barrett-Connor E, Ferrara A. Dehydroepiandrosterone, dehypdroepiandrosterone sulfate, obesity, waist-hip ratio and noninsulin-dependent diabetes in postmenopausal women: the Rancho Bernardo study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996:81:59-64.
	Ferrara A, Barrett-Connor E, Shan J. Total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol decrease with age in older men and women. The Rancho Bernardo study 1984-1994. Circulation 1997;96:37-43.
	Barrett-Connor E, Ferrara A. Isolated postchallenge hyperglycemia (IPH) and the risk of fatal cardiovascular disease in older men and women: the Rancho Bernardo study. Diabetes Care 1998;21:1236-9.
	Karter AJ, Rowell SE, Ackerson LM, Mitchell BD, Ferrara A, Selby JV, Newman B. Excess maternal transmission of type II diabetes: the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry. Diabetes Care 1999;22:938-43.
	Oman D, Reed D, Ferrara A. Do elderly women have more physical disability than men? Am J Epidemiol 1999;150:834-42.
	Karter A, Ferrara A, Darbinian J, Ackerson L, Selby J. Self-monitoring of blood glucose: language and financial barriers in a managed care population with diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care 2000;23:477-83.
	Iribarren C, Karter AJ, Go AS, Ferrara A, Liu JY, Sidney S, Selby JV. Glycemic control and heart failure among adult patients with diabetes. Circulation 2001;103:2668-73.
	Ferrara A, Karter AJ, Ackerson LM, Liu JY, Selby JV. Hormone replacement therapy is associated with better glycemic control in women with type 2 diabetes : the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry. Diabetes Care: 2001; 24:1144-50.
	Karter AJ, Ackerson LM, Darbinian JA, D'Agostino RB, Ferrara A, Liu J, Selby JV. Self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and glycemic control: the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes registry. Am J Med 2001;111:1-9.
	Selby JV, Karter AJ, Ackerson LM, Ferrara A, Liu J. Developing a prediction rule from automated clinical data bases to identify high risk patients in a large population with diabetes. Diabetes Care 2001; 24(9):1547-55.
	Ferrara A, Karter AJ, Selby JV. Hormone replacement therapy and glycemic control:evidence from observational studies and randomized clinical trials. [Response to Dr. Aquilar-Salinas et al.] Diabetes Care 2002;25(1):246-247.
	Karter AJ, Ferrara A, Liu JY, Ackerson LM, Selby JV. Ethnic disparities in diabetic complications in an insured population: The Northern California Diabetes Registry. JAMA 2002;287(19):2519-27.
	Ferrara A, Quesenberry CP, Karter AJ, Njoroge CW, Jacobson AS, Selby JV; Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry. Current use of unopposed estrogen and estrogen plus progestin and the risk of acute myocardial infarction among women with diabetes: the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry, 1995-1998. Circulation 2003 Jan 7;107(1):43-8
	Karter AJ, Thom DH, Liu J, Moffet HH, Ferrara A, Selby JV. Use of antibiotics is not associated with decreased risk of myocardial infarction among patients with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003 Jul;26(7):2100-6.
	Cohn BA, Cirillo PM, Wolff MS, Schwingl PJ, Cohen RD, Sholtz RI, Ferrara A, Christianson RE, van den Berg BJ, Siiteri PK. Related Articles, Links DDT and DDE exposure in mothers and time to pregnancy in daughters. Lancet. 2003 Jun 28;361(9376):2205-6.
	Hedderson MM, Ferrara A, Sacks DA. Gestational diabetes mellitus and lesser degrees of pregnancy hyperglycemia: association with increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth. Obstet Gynecol. 2003 Oct;102(4):850-6
	Karter AJ, Parker MM, Moffet HH, Ahmed AT, Ferrara A, Liu JY, Selby JV. Missed appointments and poor glycemic control: an opportunity to identify high-risk diabetic patients. Med Care 2004;42:110-5.
	Ferrara A, Kahn HS, Quesenberry CP, Riley C, Hedderson MM. An increase in the Incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus: Northern California, 1991-2000. Obstet Gynecol 2004;103:526-33.
	Ferrara A, Williamson DF, Karter AJ, Thompson TJ, Kim C. Sex Differences in Quality of Health Care Related to Ischemic Heart Disease Prevention in Patients With Diabetes: The Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) study, 2000-2001. Diabetes Care. 2004 Dec;27(12):2974-6.