Barrett Welch, Ph.D., MPH

Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Environmental Health
Welch, Barrett

Summary

Barret Welch's research focuses on understanding how chemical exposures from our environment can influence the immune system, particularly during pregnancy. He gained interest in this field through experiences working with a cohort in Bangladesh, in which his research showed that heavy metal exposure during pregnancy may impair children's ability to mount effective vaccine responses. His current work assesses how maternal inflammation may mediate the influence of exposure to chemicals found in everyday consumer products. The goal of his ongoing work is to use innovative technologies and biostatistics to provide evidence about the maternal immune system response to such chemical exposures, as well as how immunity influences pregnancy outcomes.

Research interests

  • Environmental epidemiology
  • Maternal and child health
  • Exposure to chemical mixtures
  • Metabolomics

In the news

Selected publications

  • Welch, B. M., Bommarito, P. A., Cantonwine, D. E., Motsinger-Reif, A., Edin, M. L., Zeldin, D. C., Meeker, J. D., McElrath, T. F. & Ferguson, K. K. (2024). Predictors of upstream inflammation and oxidative stress pathways during early pregnancy. Free Radical Biology and Medicine.
  • Welch, B. M., Keil, A. P., Buckley, J. P., Engel, S. M., James-Todd, T., Zota, A. R., Alshawabkeh, A. N., Barrett, E. S., Bloom, M. S., Bush, N. R., Cordero, J. F., Dabelea, D., Eskenazi, B., Lanphear, B. P., Padmanabhan, V., Sathyanarayana, S., Swan, S. H., Ferguson, K. K. & Pooled Phthalate and Preterm Birth Study Group. (2023). Racial and ethnic disparities in phthalate exposure and preterm birth: A pooled study of 16 U.S. cohorts. Environmental Health Perspectives, 131(12), 127001.
  • Welch, B. M., McNell, E. E., Edin, M. L. & Ferguson, K. K. (2022). Inflammation and oxidative stress as mediators of the impacts of environmental exposures on human pregnancy: Evidence from bioactive lipids. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 238, 108179.
  • Welch, B. M., Keil, A. P., Buckley, J. P., Calafat, A. M., Christenbury, K., Engel, S. M., O’Brien, K. M., Rosen, E., Ferguson, K. K. & Pooled Phthalate and Preterm Birth Study Group. (2022). Associations between prenatal urinary biomarkers of phthalate exposure and preterm birth: A pooled study of 16 U.S. cohorts. JAMA Pediatrics, 176(9), 930-939.
  • Welch, B. M., Keil, A. P., van T’ Erve, T. J., Deterding, L. J., Williams, J. G., Lih, F. B., Cantonwine, D. E., McElrath, T. F. & Ferguson, K. K. (2020). Longitudinal profiles of plasma eicosanoids during pregnancy and size for gestational age at delivery: A nested case-control study. PLOS Medicine, 17(8), e1003238.
  • Welch, B. M., Keil, A. P., Bommarito, P. A., van T’ Erve, T. J., Deterding, L. J., Williams, J. G., Lih, F. B., Cantonwine, D. E., McElrath, T. F. & Ferguson, K. K. (2021). Longitudinal exposure to consumer product chemicals and changes in plasma oxylipins in pregnant women. Environment International, 152, 106494.
  • Welch, B. M., Branscum, A., Geldhof, G. J., Ahmed, S. M., Hystad, P., Smit, E., Afroz, S., Megowan, M., Golam, M., Sharif, O., Rahman, M., Quamruzzaman, Q., Christiani, D. C. & Kile, M. L. (2020). Evaluating the effects between metal mixtures and serum vaccine antibody concentrations in children: A prospective birth cohort study. Environmental Health, 19(1), 43.
  • Welch, B. M., Smit, E., Cardenas, A., Hystad, P., & Kile, M. L. (2018). Trends in urinary arsenic among the U.S. population by drinking water source: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2014. Environmental Research, 162, 8-17.

Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 2019 to 2022
  • Ph.D. in Public Health, Oregon State University, 2019
  • MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health, Oregon State University, 2016