Zuccolo Group
In the Zuccolo group, epidemiologists, statisticians and data scientists analyse highly-dimensional complex data to improve our understanding of maternal and child health, with a particular focus on intergenerational effects. We develop new data pipelines and phenotype captures, while applying cutting edge methods for robust inference to inform knowledge translation. We describe health and health behaviours trends and trajectories emerging in contemporary populations, study their determinants, identify predictors of vulnerability and risk, and investigate how families and particularly parent-offspring interactions, shape individuals’ health and wellbeing. The resulting evidence will help to prioritise and inform the design of family-level or parent-focussed interventions to support maternal, child, and adolescent health.
FUNDING
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship – Albert Navarro Gallinad
ALUMNI
- Molly Van der Heiden: Bristol Medical School student intern
- Elham Bahari Kheirjoui: Università degli Studi di Milano MSc student intern
Group members
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Luisa Zuccolo
Research Group Leader -
Maeregu Woldeyes Arisido
Postdoc -
Alice Sofia Calvello
Undergraduate Intern -
Sandra Mickwitz
Undergraduate Intern -
Albert Navarro Gallinad
Health Data Scientist -
Valeria Nazzari
PhD Student -
Linda Repetto
Genetic Epidemiologist
Publications
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02/2023 - Paedriatic and Perinatal Epidemiology
Bounding the average causal effect in Mendelian randomisation studies with multiple proposed instruments: An application to prenatal alcohol exposure and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Background As large-scale observational data become more available, caution regarding causal assumptions remains critically important. This may be especially true for Mendelian randomisation (MR), an increasingly popular approach. Point estimation in MR usually requires strong, often implausible homogeneity assumptions beyond the core instrumental conditions. Bounding, which does not require homogeneity assumptions, is infrequently applied in […]
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01/2023 - Epidemiology
Partial Identification of the Average Causal Effect in Multiple Study Populations: The Challenge of Combining Mendelian Randomization Studies
Background: Researchers often use random-effects or fixed-effects meta-analysis to combine findings from multiple study populations. However, the causal interpretation of these models is not always clear, and they do not easily translate to settings where bounds, rather than point estimates, are computed. Methods: If bounds on an average causal effect of interest in a well-defined […]
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12/2022 - BMC Infectious Diseases
COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: views and vaccination uptake rates in pregnancy, a mixed methods analysis from SAIL and the Born-In-Wales Birth Cohort
Background Vaccine hesitancy amongst pregnant women has been found to be a concern during past epidemics. This study aimed to (1) estimate COVID-19 vaccination rates among pregnant women in Wales and their association with age, ethnicity, and area of deprivation, using electronic health record (EHR) data linkage, and (2) explore pregnant women’s views on receiving […]
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12/2022 - Nature
Genetic diversity fuels gene discovery for tobacco and alcohol use
Tobacco and alcohol use are heritable behaviours associated with 15% and 5.3% of worldwide deaths, respectively, due largely to broad increased risk for disease and injury1–4. These substances are used across the globe, yet genome-wide association studies have focused largely on individuals of European ancestries5. Here we leveraged global genetic diversity across 3.4 million individuals […]
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10/2022 - Journal of the American Heart Association
Alcohol Intake and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Negative Control Analysis in the ALSPAC Cohort
Background Alcohol intake increases blood pressure yet estimates of associations between maternal intake and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are sparse and range from null to a protective effect. Here we estimated the association of maternal drinking during pregnancy with preeclampsia and gestational hypertension (separately and jointly, as HDP). We used partner’s alcohol intake as […]
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