# Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Early Risk of Maternal CVD: Influence of the External Exposome

> **NIH NIH K01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2022 · $167,207

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are the most common pregnancy complication and are associated
with an increased long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) which is also the leading cause of death for
women in the US. Emerging evidence suggests that environmental exposure during pregnancy may play an
important role in the development of HDP. However, several limitations exist, including 1) the ignorance of
residential mobility during pregnancy in exposure assessments, 2) the lack of studies considering different
subtype, onset, and severity of HDP, and 3) the lack of considerations of the totality of environment (i.e. the
exposome). While HDP have been linked to long-term CVD risk after pregnancy, limited data are available on
early maternal CVD risk (within the first five years after delivery) complicated by HDP. More importantly, no
study has focused on the impact of environmental exposures during and after pregnancy on maternal CVD risk
after pregnancy. In addition, risk assessment models of HDP predominantly rely on biomarkers that are not
ubiquitously tested among all pregnant women, and no predictive model has been developed to identify
women at higher CVD risk after pregnancy. This study builds on our prior work in the external exposome and
leverages our access to the unique statewide linked electronic health records-birth records data from the
OneFlorida Clinical Research Consortium to address multiple challenges in the field by: 1) determining the
association between pregnancy external exposome and risk of HDP, considering the subtype, onset, and
severity of HDP and accounting for pregnancy residential mobility in exposure measurements; 2) assessing
early risk of maternal CVD after pregnancy associated with HDP and the external exposome, and 3)
developing predictive models of HDP and early risk of maternal CVD after pregnancy. This research project will
be embedded in a comprehensive training program consisting of coursework, guided experiential and clinical
learning, seminars, and mentorship by an established team of experts. The training program is designed to
further my strengths and to develop new research skills while contributing to our scientific understanding of
environmental impacts on cardiovascular health among pregnant and postpartum women. The training
proposal details a five-year plan of formal and informal instruction in cardiovascular health, omics and
exposome research, biomedical informatics and data science, and professional skills. My short-term career
goals include completing coursework in all training areas, disseminating study findings through publications
and presentations, engaging in career development activities, and applying for independent R01 funding in the
third year of the award. My long-term career goal is to become an independent, collaborative, and productive
epidemiologist and health data scientist leading research programs in cardiovascular health, with a focus on its
inte...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10414064
- **Project number:** 5K01HL153797-03
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Hui Hu
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $167,207
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-06-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10414064

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10414064, Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Early Risk of Maternal CVD: Influence of the External Exposome (5K01HL153797-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10414064. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*