March of Dimes, the organization working to improve the health of moms and babies, has recognized Kimberly O’Brien, professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, with the Agnes Higgins Award in Maternal Fetal Nutrition for her research on iron, vitamin D and calcium in pregnancy. The award will be presented to O’Brien at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) on April 24-28, 2025, in Honolulu. 

O'Brien’s work has revealed invaluable insights into how these micronutrients are metabolized during pregnancy and distributed among the mother, fetus and placenta, findings that help move the field closer to establishing prenatal dietary intake recommendations that optimize maternal, fetal and neonatal health while minimizing risk of adverse birth outcomes. 

“I’m thrilled to honor Dr. O’Brien as this year’s well-deserved Agnes Higgins Award recipient,” said Dr. Emre Seli, March of Dimes chief scientific adviser. “Her groundbreaking research on how micronutrients like iron are processed and distributed during pregnancy has significantly advanced our understanding of what moms and babies need to thrive. By using tracer techniques, she has provided a detailed picture of how these vital nutrients support a healthy pregnancy and baby. Her work is not only unique but essential, offering critical insights that pave the way for improved maternal and infant health.” 

For more than three decades, O’Brien has been leading research to understand how essential nutrients, like iron and calcium, are absorbed and used during pregnancy. Her work focuses on uncovering the factors—such as hormones and diet—that influence how these nutrients are shared between the mother, placenta, and baby to meet their unique needs. Using advanced technology, her lab is one of the few worldwide that employs safe techniques to "trace" how these nutrients move through the body and reach the baby. This unique approach has provided invaluable insights into the once-mysterious world of micronutrient metabolism in pregnancy.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award, which highlights the importance of maternal and fetal nutrition and pays tribute to the legacy of Agnes Higgins,” said O’Brien. “While we’ve made progress, we must focus on nutrient intakes that support optimal health, not just prevent deficiencies. Our research aims to better identify at-risk pregnancies and targeted interventions to improve outcomes. I’m grateful to contribute to this vital work alongside March of Dimes.”

Using mass spectrometry, O’Brien has conducted groundbreaking research on the micronutrient needs of high-risk pregnant groups, such as teenage mothers and women carrying multiples. Her findings reveal that up to 40% of these women, and a quarter of their babies, are anemic at delivery, despite receiving dietary and supplemental iron. Anemia, caused by severe iron deficiency, limits the blood's ability to deliver oxygen, posing serious risks during pregnancy, including long-term cognitive impairments in babies. Her work also highlights how twins, triplets and quadruplets compete for iron stores in the womb, and she has shown that fetuses can regulate their own production of hepcidin, a hormone vital for iron metabolism.

O’Brien has further advanced the field by developing the first tracer method to track how vitamin D is absorbed and metabolized during pregnancy. She is also studying why pregnant women with darker skin or higher body fat are more prone to vitamin D deficiencies and at greater risk of delivering babies with low vitamin D levels. Her laboratory is also uncovering genetic factors that influence iron and vitamin D metabolism, paving the way to identify women at higher risk for deficiencies and to develop targeted interventions to improve outcomes for mothers and babies.