Peking University Institute of Reproductive and Child Health (IRCH) evolves from the Department of Health Care Epidemiology at the School of Public Health of the formerly Beijing Medical University. It became an independent institute in March 2000, shortly before the merger of the Beijing Medical University and Peking University in April 2000. In 2012, the institute returned to the School of Public Health of the new Peking University. The mission of the institute is to improve women and children’s health through conduction of perinatal epidemiological research, analyses of big data on maternal and child health, and carrying out various fundamental researches involving metabolic and molecular mechanisms. Research at IRCH focuses on establishment of large-scale birth cohort; the etiology, control, and prevention of birth defects; etiology and preventive measures of low birth weight, preterm birth, and perinatal deaths; physiological and mental impacts of Cesarean section on women and children; and exploration of analyses of big data on maternal and child health. The institute also serves as the Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health of the Ministry of Health.

INSTITUTE DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY DIRECTORS

Director: Jian-meng Liu, MD, PhD, Professor of epidemiology

Deputy Directors: Zhiwen Li, MD, PhD, Professor of epidemiology

Lin-lin Wang, MD, PhD, professor of epidemiology

SENIOR RESEARCHERS

Jianmeng Liu, MD, PhD, Professor

Research focus: Determinants of maternal and child health, currently focusing on cesarean section, pregnancy nutrition, and genetic susceptibility; development and utilization of big data on maternal and child health

Aiguo Ren, MD, PhD, Professor

Research focus: Nutritional, environmental and genetic determinants of birth defects

Rongwei Ye, MD, PhD, Professor

Research focus: Reproductive health epidemiology, birth defects prevention and control

Zhiwen Li, MD, PhD, Professor

Research focus: Reproductive health epidemiology, Environmental pollution and women and children's health

Lin-lin Wang, MD, PhD, Professor

Research focus: Molecular and nutritional epidemiology

Lei Jin, MD, PhD, Associate Professor

Rearch focus: Epidemiology of reproductive health, Birth defects prevention and control

Hong-tian Li, MD, PhD, Associate Professor

Research focus: Perinatal epidemiology; development and utilization of big data on maternal and child health

Bin Wang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor

Research focus: Exposure assessment of environment pollutants, environment pollutants and reproductive health

JUNIOR RESEARCHERS

Le Zhang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor

Research focus: Nutrition and birth defects

Yali Zhang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor

Research focus: Reproductive epidemiology

Jufen Liu, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor

Research focus: Population Health; Disability; Reproductive, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology

Yu-bo Zhou, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor

Research focus: Perinatal determinants of maternal and child health

Nan Li, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor

Research focus: Study the genetic causes of maternal and child health by the establishment of a large national cohort, molecular epidemiology, and Next-Generation Sequencing

POSTGRADUATE COURSES

> Experimental epidemiology

> Big data in medical research: management and utilization

> Reproductive and perinatal epidemiology

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

> Epidemiology

> Social Epidemiology and its Application

RESEARCH

The institute currently leads two large perinatal cohort studies funded by the National Key R&D Programs of China, and jointly implements the project of a large perinatal cohort study funded by Beingmate under the leadership of China association of maternity and child care. The institute has completed a number of projects/programs in recent years, including the China-United States Collaborative, Population-based Surveillance and Research Program for Maternal-Child and Family Health, funded by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; has established a Mother-Child Cohort, funded by Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, 2009-2011. The institute is maintaining several women and children cohorts and a BioBank containing 300,000 biospecimens (maternal blood, cord blood, placenta, urine, skull hair, etc.) from pregnant women who had normal or adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Specific areas of research:

> Establishment of perinatal cohort studies

o Control and prevention of adverse impacts of gestational complications to women with advanced age

o Nutritional, environmental and genetic determinants of birth defects and adverse pregnancy and child outcomes

> Birth defects control and prevention

o Folate and birth defects

o Gene-environment interactions in the development of birth defects

o Epigenetics and birth defects

> Long-term impact on children’s health of Caesarean section

o Physical development

o Mental and behavioral development

o Obesity and metabolic syndrome

> Nutrition, pregnancy outcomes and children’s health

o Health impact of maternal anemia or iron deficiency

o Supplementation with multiple vitamins and pregnancy outcomes

o Supplementation with multiple vitamins and children’s physical and cognitive development

> Development and utilization of big data on maternal and child health

o County-level aggregated information on maternal and child health outcomes (i.e. maternal mortality, perinatal morality, and child mortality)

o County-level aggregated information on common indicators of maternal and child health services (i.e. cesarean delivery, hospital delivery, and pre-marriage health examinations)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Room 101, Central Research Building

38 College Road, Haidian District

Beijing 100191

China

Phone: +86 10 82801136

Email: liujm@pku.edu.cn