Craig J. Newschaffer, PhD

Professor and Director of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute

General Info
Bio
Research & Publications

Departments and Research Centers

Epidemiology and Biostatistics
EARLI

Research Focus

Environmental determinants of autism spectrum disorders
Autism spectrum disorders
Gene-environment interaction
Neurological disorders

Education

PhD, Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University
SM, Health Policy and Management, Harvard University School of Public Health
BS, Biology, Boston University
BA, Public Relations, Boston University

Awards and Honors

2001, Top 5% Manuscript Reviewer 1996-2001, Medical Care
1996, Teacher of the Year, Saint Louis University School of Public Health
1989-1993, National Cancer Institute Training Grant Recipient, Johns Hopkins University

Bio Abstract

Craig J. Newschaffer, Ph.D.

Craig Newschaffer is founding director of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University and a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Drexel University School of Public Health. The mission of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute is to apply the public health sciences to questions whose answers can improve the quality of life for individuals with autism and their families. Dr. Newschaffer is an epidemiologist whose main research focus is the discovery of modifiable autism risk factors. He is principal investigator of an NIH Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) research network that implements the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI) a large cohort study designed specifically to study pre, peri- and neonatal autism risk factors and biomarkers by following mothers of children with autism at the start of subsequent pregnancies. Dr. Newschaffer has also been a site PI on several other major autism epidemiology initiatives, including both the ADDM Network and SEED Study, and currently leads a project exploring innovative approaches to autism case confirmation for the National Children’s Study (NCS). He is a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology and serves as an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Epidemiology and on the editorial boards of Autism Research and the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Recent Research

EARLI Study: EARLI is a network of research sites that will enroll and follow 1,200 mothers of children with autism at the start of another pregnancy and document the newborn child’s development through three years of age. The EARLI Study will examine possible environmental risk factors for autism and study whether there is any interplay between environmental factors and genetic susceptibility.

Selected Publications

Yudell M, Tabor HK, Dawson G, Rossi J, Newschaffer CJ and the Working Group in Autism Risk Communication and Ethics. Priorities for autism spectrum disorders risk communication and ethics. Autism. Aug 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Newschaffer CJ, Croen LA, Fallin MD, Hertz-Picciotto I, Nguyen DV, Lee NL, Berry CA, Farzadegan H, Hess HN, Landa RJ, Levy SE, Massolo ML, Meyerer SC, Mohammed SM, Oliver MC, Ozonoff S, Pandey J, Schroeder A, Shedd-Wise, KM. Infant siblings and the investigation of autism risk factors. J Neurodev Disord. 4:7; 2012.

Croen LA, Connors SL, Matevia M, Qian Y, Newschaffer C, Zimmerman AW. Prenatal exposure to β2-adrenergic receptor agonists and risk of autism spectrum disorders. J Neurodev Disord. 2011 Aug 27.

Schendel DE, Diguiseppi C, Croen LA, Fallin MD, Reed PL, Schieve LA, Wiggins LD, Daniels J, Grether J, Levy SE, Miller L, Newschaffer C, Pinto-Martin J, Robinson C, Windham GC, Alexander A, Aylsworth AS, Bernal P, Bonner JD, Blaskey L, Bradley C, Collins J, Ferretti CJ, Farzadegan H, Giarelli E, Harvey M, Hepburn S, Herr M,Kaparich K, Landa R, Lee LC, Levenseller B, Meyerer S, Rahbar MH, Ratchford A,Reynolds A, Rosenberg S, Rusyniak J, Shapira SK, Smith K, Souders M, Thompson PA,Young L, Yeargin-Allsopp M. The Study to Explore Early Development (SEED): A Multisite Epidemiologic Study of Autism by the Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE) Network. J Autism Dev Disord. 2012 Oct;42(10):2121-40.

Rice C, Nicholas J, Baio J, Pettygrove S, Lee L-C, Van Naarden Braun K, Doernberg N, Cunniff C, Newschaffer C, Meaney FJ, Charles J, Washington A, King L, Kolotos M, Mancilla K, Mervis CA, Carpenter L, Yeargin-Allsopp M. Changes in Autism Prevalence in Four Areas of the United States. Disabil Health J. 3(3):186-201; 2010.

Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Principal Investigators, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders--autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, United States, 2006. MMWR Surveill Summ. 58(SS10):1-20; 2009.

Shattuck PT, Durkin M, Maenner M, Newschaffer CJ, Mandell DS, Wiggins L, Lee LC, Rice C, Giarelli E, Kirby R, Baio J, Pinto-Martin J, Cuniff C. Timing of Identification Among Children With an Autism Spectrum Disorder: Findings From a Population-Based Surveillance Study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.48(5):474-483;2009.

Van Naarden Braun K, Schieve L, Daniels J, Durkin M, Giarelli E, Kirby RS, Lee LC, Newschaffer CJ, Nicholas J, Pinto-Martin J. Relationships between multiple births and autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disabilities: autism and developmental disabilities monitoring (ADDM) network-2002 surveillance year. Autism Res. 1(5):266-74; 2008.

Durkin MS, Maenner MJ, Newschaffer CJ, Lee L-C, Cunniff CM, Daniels JL, Kirby RS, Leavitt L, Miller L, Zahorodny W, Schieve LA. Advanced Parental Age and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Amer J Epidemiol. 168(11):1268-76; 2008.

Lee L-C, Newschaffer CJ, Lessler JT, LeeBK, Shah R, Zimmerman AW. Variation in season of birth in singleton and multiple births concordant for autism spectrum disorders. Paedatr Perinat Epidemiol. 22(2):172-9; 2008.

Lee L-C, Harrington RA, Louie BB, Newschaffer CJ. Children with autism: quality of life and parental concerns. J Autism and Dev Disorder. 38(6):1147-60; 2008.

Curran LK, Newschaffer CJ, Lee L-C, Crawford SO, Johnston MV, Zimmerman AW. Behaviors associated with fever in children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 120(6):1386-92;2007.

Newchaffer CJ, Croen, LA, Daniels J, Giarelli E, Grether JK, Levy SE, Mandell DS, Miller LA, Pinto-Martin J, Reaven J, Reynolds AM, Rice CE, Schendel D, Windham GC. The epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders. Annu Rev Public Health. 28:235-258; 2007

Lee L-C, David AB, Rusyniak J, Landa R, Newschaffer CJ. Performance of the social communication questionnaire in children receiving preschool special education services. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 1:126-38;2007.

Cheslack-Postava K, Fallin MD, Avramopoulos D, Connors SL, Zimmerman AW, Eberhart CG, and Newschaffer CJ. B2-adrenergic receptor gene variants and risk for autism in the AGRE cohort. Mol Psychiatry. 12(3):283-91;2007.

Lee L-C, Zachary AA, Leffell MS, Newschaffer CJ, Matteson KJ, Tyler JD, Zimmerman AW. HLA-DR4 in families with autism. Pediatr Neurol. 35(5):303-307; 2006.

Gallicchio L, McSorley MA, Newschaffer CJ, Thuita LW, Argani P, Hoffman SC, Helzlsouer KJ. Flame-broiled food intake, N-acetyltransferase genotypes, and the risk of developing breast cancer among women with benign breast disease. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 99(2):229-33;2006.

Zandi PP, Kalayadjian A, Avramopoulos D, Shao D, Fallin MD, Newschaffer CJ. Rh and ABO maternal-fetal incompatibility and the risk of autism. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 141(6):643-7; 2006.

dosReis S, Weiner CL, Johnson L, Newschaffer CJ. Autism spectrum disorder screening and management practices among general pediatric providers. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 27(2 Suppl):S88-94; 2006.

Connors SJ, Crowell DE, Eberhart CG, Copeland J, Newschaffer CJ, Spence SJ, Zimmerman AW. Beta-2 adrenergic receptor activation and genetic polymorphisms in autism: data from dizygotic twins. J Child Neurol. 20(11):876-884; 2005.

Newschaffer CJ, Falb MD, Gurney JG. National autism prevalence trends from US special education data. Pediatrics, 115(3):277-282; 2005.

Newschaffer CJ , Curran LK. Autism: An emerging public health problem. Public Health Rep 118(5):393-399; 2003.

Gurney JA, Fritz MS, Ness KK, Sievers P, Newschaffer CJ, Shapiro E. An analysis of prevalence trends of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Minnesota. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 157(7):622-627; 2003.

Newschaffer CJ, Fallin MD, Lee NL. Heritable and non-heritable risk factors for autism spectrum disorders. Epidemiol Rev; 24(2):137-153; 2002.

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