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Marie Thoma

Associate Professor, Family Science

Marie Thoma is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Science at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. She received her PhD from the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health and her MHS from the Department of Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH).

Contact

mthoma@umd.edu

SPH | Room 1142

(301) 405-4012

Departments/Units

Areas of Interest

Core Faculty

Reproductive Health; Perinatal Health; Maternal Health; Infant Health; Epidemiology

Dr. Thoma is a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist/population health scientist focusing on the measurement, influences, and impact of maternal and infant health, and reproductive health, including infertility, at the population level. Her robust research program aims to optimize outcomes, enhance data and methods, and translate research into evidence-based policies and programs underpinning these areas. Through her research she strives to create a world where individuals of all backgrounds can freely pursue their reproductive goals and access services safely and equitably.

Dr. Thoma’s research has been published in JAMA, Obstetrics and GynecologyAmerican Journal of Public Health, Human Reproduction, Fertility and Sterility, and American Journal of Preventive Medicine and highlighted in several media outlets, including the New York Times, News&Observer, Health JournalismUSA Today, and Global Health Now. Her interview with Population Reference Bureau underscores the "time is now" for addressing our maternal health crisis. 

PhD, Population, Family, and Reproductive Health

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

MHS, Biostatistics

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

BA, Anthropology

University of Pennsylvania

FMSC 310 Maternal Child and Family Health

FMSC 740 Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology

FMSC 210 Reproductive Health Equity (new course)

 

  1. De Silva DA, Anderson EA, Kim J, Ting Lee ML, Thoma ME. The association between prenatal food insecurity and breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding duration: A longitudinal study using Oregon PRAMS and PRAMS-2, 2008-2015. Breastfeeding Medicine, 2024. Accepted.
  2. Biswas R, Thoma M, Kong X. Functional data analysis to characterize disease patterns in frequent longitudinal data: application to bacterial vaginal microbiota patterns using weekly Nugent scores and identification of pattern-specific risk factors. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2023 Oct 26;23(1):251.
  3. Eliason EL, Thoma ME, Steenland MW. Differences in Use of Fertility Treatment Between People With Medicaid and Private Health Insurance Coverage in the United States. Womens Health Issues. 2023 Jul-Aug; 33(4): 367-373.
  4. Thoma ME, Declercq ER. Changes in Pregnancy-Related Mortality Associated With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic in the United States. Obstet Gynecol. 2023;141(5):911-917.