CENTER FOR CLINICAL AND
EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESEARCH
Ellice Lieberman MD, DrPH, Director
CENTER MEMBERS
Ann Celi, MD, MPH (Investigator)
Gail Williams, BA (Center Coordinator)
Manuel Chinchilla, MA (Programmer Analyst)
Amy Zolit, RN (Medical Record Abstractor)
Claudia Stearns, BA (Research Assistant)
MISSION
The mission of the Center is to perform high quality, innovative research that will
increase our understanding of women’s reproductive health outcomes. Optimizing care
and outcomes for women and their infants during pregnancy and labor is a major goal.
The Center also provides training and mentoring in clinical epidemiologic research to
residents, fellows and other health care professionals.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN AY 2007-2008
The Center is involved in research projects covering a broad spectrum of important issues in OB
and reproductive health. These include the effects of labor management on maternal and
neonatal infection outcome and preterm birth and predictors of outcome in IVF.
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Dr. Lieberman is P.I. of the PACE/LABOR Study, a 4-year, multi-center federally
funded randomized trial examining the clinical consequences and physiologic
correlates of epidural-related intrapartum fever for mother and neonate. The study
concluded the enrollment and delivery phase with 799 women completing the
protocol and 101 infants, born to LABOR mothers, examined. Dr. Lieberman and
collaborators, Drs. Laura Riley, Drucilla Roberts, Lise Johnson and Ann Celi, are
reviewing data analysis and preparing publications. Follow-up studies are planned.
Dr. Lieberman is Co-P.I. on Critical Illness and Sepsis in Babies > 34 weeks
Gestational Age, an NISGM funded study working to: develop a quantitative model
to estimate the probability of early onset bacterial infection based on maternal risk
factors and the infants' initial clinical examination; estimate likelihood ratios for early
onset bacterial infection for components of the complete blood count and develop a
quantitative model to estimate the probability of newborns > 34 weeks gestation
developing a critical illness based on clinical findings and the results of previously
obtained laboratory tests. Dr. Lieberman and Dr. Karen Puopolo, neonatologist in
Newborn Medicine at BWH, are collaborating with Dr. Gabriel Escobar, Director of
Research, Perinatal Research Unit, Kaiser Permanente.
Dr. Lieberman is actively involved in other projects, conducting research on infant
outcome following IVF and collaborating with Drs. Patricia Finn and Ann Celi to
investigate the immunologic impact of labor management practices on the neonatal
immune system. In addition, she is collaborating with gynecologic oncology
colleagues to study trophoblastic disease.
In keeping with our teaching mission, faculty who work in collaboration with the Center serve as
research mentors for residents, fellows, medical students and public health students.
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Whifield Growden, MD, currently a GYN oncology fellow at MGH, worked in close
collaboration with Drs. Ross Berkowitz, Donald Goldstein, Colleen
Feltmate and Adam Wolfberg on a series of evaluations examining predictors of
outcome for women with trophoblastic disease. Publication is pending.
Elizabeth Greenwell, RN is performing doctoral research under Dr. Lieberman’s
supervision. Cara Osborne, ScD, MSN, CNM performed studies examining the effect
of maternal temperature elevation on fetal position among women receiving an
epidural, evaluating the impact of first birth Cesarean on subsequent stillbirth and
examined the effects of maternal SSRI use on neonatal outcomes.
Ann Celi, MD, MPH, is working on studies related to the effect of labor exposures on
maternal and pediatric outcome.
Lisa Dunn-Albanese, MD has submitted a manuscript examining the rate of
maternal intrapartum fever associated with the use of low dose epidural.
GOALS FOR AY 2008-2009
 Continue advancing our research and training agenda.