Allen James Wilcox is an American epidemiologist who heads the reproductive epidemiology group at the

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) conducts research into the effects of the environment on human disease, as one of the 27 institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is located in the Rese ...

(NIEHS).

Education

Wilcox received his BA degree from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1968 and his MD from the

University of Michigan Health System Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan Health System or UMHS before 2017) is the wholly owned academic medical center of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Medicine includes the Universi ...

in 1973. He later received both his MPH and PhD from the

UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is the public health school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is accre ...

(formerly known as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health) in 1976 and 1979, respectively.

Career

Wilcox began working at the NIEHS in 1979, where he helped establish their epidemiology branch and served as its chief from 1991 to 2001. He became a senior investigator at the NIEHS's epidemiology branch in 2001.

Research

Wilcox's research falls into three categories: fertility and pregnancy, the use of

birth weight Birth weight is the body weight of a baby at its birth. The average birth weight in babies of European descent is , with the normative range between . On average, babies of South Asian and Chinese descent weigh about . As far as low birth weight ...

and

preterm delivery Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm birth is between 2 ...

in perinatal research, and

fetal development Prenatal development () includes the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal devel ...

and child health. In 1988, he published a study that found that 31% of pregnancies ended in

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...

s, and in 1994, he published a study that found a strong link between the environment in which people live and work and the risk of

birth defect A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can ...

s in their children. In 1995, he published a study that found that women had the best chance of conceiving a child if they had sex on the day of

ovulation Ovulation is the release of eggs from the ovaries. In women, this event occurs when the ovarian follicles rupture and release the secondary oocyte ovarian cells. After ovulation, during the luteal phase, the egg will be available to be fertilized ...

, with the odds of conception falling sharply thereafter. The same study found that the period during which women had the highest chance of conceiving lasted six days, including the five days before ovulation and the day of the ovulation itself.

Honors, awards and positions

Wilcox has served as the president of the

American Epidemiological Society The American Epidemiological Society is an American honorary society dedicated to epidemiology. It was established in 1927, and has held annual meetings since 1968. It is the oldest epidemiology organization in the United States. Past members of the ...

, the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research, and the

Society for Epidemiologic Research The Society for Epidemiologic Research (abbreviated SER) is a learned society dedicated to epidemiology. It was originally proposed in 1967 by Abraham Lilienfeld, Milton Terris, and Brian MacMahon, and was founded the following year. Their motiva ...

. He received an honorary Ph.D. from the

University of Bergen The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...

in 2008.

Editorial activities

Wilcox has been the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the peer-reviewed journal ''

Epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

'' since 2001.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Allen James American public health doctors Living people Medical journal editors National Institutes of Health people Place of birth missing (living people) University of Michigan Medical School alumni UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health alumni Year of birth missing (living people)