McKenzie K. Jancsura
McKenzie Jancsura has a passion for improving maternal health outcomes. Her research investigates immunological pathways associated with preeclampsia and leverages behavioral and social interventions to modulate the immune response in pregnancy. Her research has investigated cytokines and DNA methylation across pregnancy to identify prediction tools for preeclampsia. She also explores how factors like diet, physical activity and stress impact the immune milieu in pregnancy as possible intervention targets to prevent pregnancy complications. Her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research, the Heilbrunn Nurse Scholars Award, and the nuMoM2b Heart Health Study. Through this program of research, Jancsura hopes to develop clinically useful tools to predict risk of preeclampsia and develop interventions to mitigate the risk to improve outcomes for mothers and babies. As a faculty member in the College of Nursing, she teaches in undergraduate programs and mentors students at all levels.
Jancsura’s clinical experiences include labor and delivery, postpartum, well-women care and primary care in community health settings. Her clinical experiences informed her program of research as she watched families struggle with the uncertainty surrounding a preeclampsia diagnosis and the lasting health impacts. Jancsura completed her postdoctoral training in nursing and genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, PhD in nursing at Case Western Reserve University, and BSN and BA in international studies and global health at the University of Iowa.
News
New data finds stress, anxiety and depression spike for those feeling the weight of a “culture of achievement”
Is the status of “perfect parent” attainable?
Researchers leading a national dialogue about parental burnout from The Ohio State University College of Nursing and the university’s Office of the Chief Wellness Officer say “no,” and a new study finds that pressure to try to be “perfect” leads to unhealthy impacts on both parents and their children.
Groundbreaking study provides a promising solution for preventing a major complication of pregnancy
According to the World Health Organization, more than 15 million babies are born preterm every year. More than one million of those babies lose their lives. Methods to predict risk for and prevent preterm birth are few and far between.
