World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman

Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman

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Best Female Scientists
2025

D-Index & Metrics

Best Female Scientists

D-Index
108
Citations
42009
World Ranking
979
National Ranking
596

Medicine

D-Index
113
Citations
45369
World Ranking
4969
National Ranking
2699

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2025 - Research.com Best Female Scientists Award

Overview

Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman is affiliated with Harvard University in the United States and has made substantial contributions to the field of medicine, with 345 publications primarily focused on pediatrics, perinatology, child health, and related subfields. Their research extends into health, toxicology, mutagenesis, public health including environmental and occupational health, obstetrics, gynecology, as well as nutrition and dietetics.

The main topics of their work encompass birth, development, and health; gestational diabetes research and management; obesity, physical activity, and diet; heavy metal exposure and toxicity; pregnancy and preeclampsia studies; per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research; and epigenetics and DNA methylation.

Among recent research publications authored or co-authored by Rifas-Shiman are the following:

  • Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and maternal and neonatal thyroid function in the Project Viva Cohort: A mixtures approach, 2020, Environment International
  • Epigenome-wide meta-analysis of blood DNA methylation in newborns and children identifies numerous loci related to gestational age, 2020, Genome Medicine
  • DNA methylation and body mass index from birth to adolescence: meta-analyses of epigenome-wide association studies, 2020, Genome Medicine
  • Neighborhood Child Opportunity Index and Adolescent Cardiometabolic Risk, 2021, PEDIATRICS
  • Early-pregnancy plasma per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) concentrations and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in the Project Viva cohort, 2022, Environment International

Rifas-Shiman frequently collaborates with several researchers who have contributed significantly to their publication record. These frequent co-authors include Emily Oken, Marie-France Hivert, Izzuddin M. Aris, Jorge E. Chavarro, and Andrés Cárdenas.

Their work has been featured across multiple influential publication venues, including:

  • Circulation
  • Environmental Research
  • ISEE Conference Abstracts
  • Environment International
  • JAMA Network Open

Best Publications

  • Risk of overweight among adolescents who were breastfed as infants

    Matthew W. Gillman;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;Carlos A. Camargo;Catherine S. Berkey

  • Family dinner and diet quality among older children and adolescents.

    Gillman Mw;Rifas-Shiman Sl;Frazier Al;Rockett Hr

  • The Prevalence and Geographic Distribution of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis in the United States

    Michael D. Kappelman;Michael D. Kappelman;Sheryl L. Rifas–Shiman;Ken Kleinman;Dan Ollendorf

  • Maternal intake of vitamin D during pregnancy and risk of recurrent wheeze in children at 3 y of age

    Carlos A Camargo;Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman;Augusto A Litonjua;Janet W Rich-Edwards

  • Maternal Gestational Diabetes, Birth Weight, and Adolescent Obesity

    Matthew W. Gillman;Sheryl Rifas-Shiman;Catherine S. Berkey;Alison E. Field

  • Direct health care costs of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in US children and adults.

    Michael D. Kappelman;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;Carol Q. Porter;Daniel A. Ollendorf

  • Reducing antibiotic use in children: a randomized trial in 12 practices.

    Jonathan A. Finkelstein;Robert L. Davis;Robert L. Davis;Scott F. Dowell;Joshua P. Metlay

  • Impact of maternal body mass index and gestational weight gain on pregnancy complications: An individual participant data meta-analysis of European, North American and Australian cohorts

    Susana Santos;Ellis Voerman;Pilar Amiano;Henrique Barros

  • Association of Gestational Weight Gain With Adverse Maternal and Infant Outcomes

    LifeCycle Project-Maternal Obesity;Ellis Voerman;Susana Santos;Susana Santos

  • Short sleep duration in infancy and risk of childhood overweight.

    Elsie M. Taveras;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;Emily Oken;Erica P. Gunderson

  • Racial/Ethnic Differences in Early Life Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity

    Elsie M. Taveras;Matthew W. Gillman;Ken Kleinman;Janet W. Rich-Edwards

  • Maternal body mass index, gestational weight gain and the risk of overweight and obesity across childhood: An individual participant data meta-analysis

    Ellis Voerman;Susana Santos;Bernadeta Patro Golab;Bernadeta Patro Golab;Pilar Amiano

  • Predictors of Change in Physical Activity During and After Pregnancy: Project Viva

    Mark A. Pereira;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;Ken P. Kleinman;Janet W. Rich-Edwards

  • Timing of solid food introduction and risk of obesity in preschool-aged children

    Susanna Y. Huh;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;Elsie M. Taveras;Elsie M. Taveras;Emily Oken

  • Maternal gestational weight gain and offspring weight in adolescence.

    Emily Oken;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;Alison E. Field;A Lindsay Frazier

  • Weight status in the first 6 months of life and obesity at 3 years of age.

    Elsie M. Taveras;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;Mandy B. Belfort;Ken P. Kleinman

  • Post-PCV7 Changes in Colonizing Pneumococcal Serotypes in 16 Massachusetts Communities, 2001 and 2004

    Susan S. Huang;Richard Platt;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;Stephen I. Pelton

  • Infant Growth Before and After Term: Effects on Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants

    Mandy B. Belfort;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;Thomas Sullivan;Carmel T. Collins

  • Association of Consumption of Fried Food Away From Home With Body Mass Index and Diet Quality in Older Children and Adolescents

    Elsie M. Taveras;Catherine S. Berkey;Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman;David S. Ludwig

  • Association of Gestational Weight Gain With Adverse Maternal and Infant Outcomes

    Ellis Voerman;Susana Santos;Hazel Inskip;Pilar Amiano

Frequent Co-Authors

Emily Oken
Emily Oken Harvard University
Matthew W. Gillman
Matthew W. Gillman National Institutes of Health
Diane R. Gold
Diane R. Gold Harvard University
Marie-France Hivert
Marie-France Hivert Harvard University
Elsie M. Taveras
Elsie M. Taveras Harvard University
Ken Kleinman
Ken Kleinman University of Massachusetts Amherst
Janet W. Rich-Edwards
Janet W. Rich-Edwards Harvard University
Augusto A. Litonjua
Augusto A. Litonjua University of Rochester Medical Center
Carlos A. Camargo
Carlos A. Camargo Harvard University
Andrea Baccarelli
Andrea Baccarelli Columbia University

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