Jennifer Klein, MD, MPH

Dr. Jennifer Klein is a pediatric and fetal cardiologist with a strong interest in health equity, with a particular focus on understanding the sociodemographic and maternal health factors that influence outcomes for mothers and their children with congenital heart disease (CHD). She earned her medical degree from Emory University and her Masters of Public Health with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health from George Washington University. Her research portfolio builds upon experiences at the intersection of pediatric cardiology and public health.   Dr. Klein strives to better understand the environmental mechanisms that cause disparities in the burden of CHD. Her current research focuses on the environment, inclusive of pollution exposure and nutrition, as predictors of adverse outcomes in CHD care. She is inspired to study putative nutrient-sensitive pathways that affect the risk for CHD within the context of sociodemographic differences. A pilot award from the Center for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science at Children’s National Hospital supported her initial research into the intersection of maternal metabolomics, nutritional habits, food security and fetal heart disease through a retrospective case-control study. Even with small sample sizes, this early work shows critical nutritional deficiencies that may lie in the risk pathway of fetal CHD. However, it is not enough for Dr. Klein to identify health vulnerabilities, she also strives to move towards developing and testing interventions to improve health outcomes for all children with CHD. Therefore, she is pursuing health intervention research aimed at improving dietary quality and food access to reduce the risk of CHD and promote better fetal health outcomes. Other current research endeavors include investigations into air pollution exposures, neighborhood location, and social factors, as drivers of increased mortality after cardiac surgery.