Dr. Widen’s research program applies an interdisciplinary life course approach to the intersection of nutrition sciences with reproductive, perinatal, pediatric and nutritional epidemiology. The goal of Dr. Widen’s research is to develop and apply advanced analytic methods and interdisciplinary approaches to rigorously evaluate the role of nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life on short and long-term health.

Widen leads a nutritional phenotyping pregnancy cohort study, Mother Infant NutriTion Study (MINT), and is Co-PI of Mothers and CAreGivers Investing in Children (MAGIC), a mother-caregiver-infant feeding intervention program among low-income English and/or Spanish speaking families that focuses on healthy eating during infancy and responsive caregiving. In addition, she leads several other projects focused on maternal and child nutrition among high-risk populations, including examining pregnancy outcomes among women with twin gestations and women with obesity, and investigating maternal and offspring body composition among HIV-exposed and unexposed dyads in Kenya and Uganda. Widen has received many accolades including a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, and an Early Career Award from the Thrasher Research Fund.