Mailing Address:
Harvard Medical School
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention
133 Brookline Avenue, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02215

Email:
Elsie_Taveras@harvardpilgrim.org

Phone: (617) 509-9928
Fax: (617) 859-8112

Staff Assistant: Lori Gilman

Websites:
Center for Child Health Care Studies
Obesity Prevention Program
One Step Ahead Program

Elsie Taveras, MD

Dr. Taveras is an Assistant Professor of Ambulatory Care and Prevention and Pediatrics, and is a pediatrician and health services researcher who works with DACP's Center for Child Health Care Studies. She also co-directs DACP's Obesity Prevention Program. Her research interests include nutrition and physical activity as they affect child health and childhood obesity prevention. Dr. Taveras is a recipient of the Physician Faculty Scholars Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to examine opportunities for childhood obesity prevention among underserved populations. Dr. Taveras trained in Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Boston and Boston Medical Center and received her Master's Degree in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She is also the Director of the One Step Ahead clinic, a multidisciplinary childhood overweight prevention and early management program at Children's Hospital Boston.

• Taveras EM, Capra AM, Braveman PA, Jensvold NG, Escobar GJ, Lieu TA. Clinician support and psychosocial risk factors associated with breastfeeding discontinuation. Pediatrics 2003;112:108-115.
• Taveras EM, Li R, Grummer-Strawn L, Richardson M, Marshall R, Rego V, Miroshnik I, Lieu TA. Opinions and practices of clinicians associated with continuation of exclusive breastfeeding. Pediatrics 2004;113:e283-e290.
• Taveras EM, Li R, Grummer-Strawn L, Richardson M, Marshall R, Rego V, Miroshnik I, Lieu TA. Mothers' and clinicians' perspectives on breastfeeding counseling during routine preventive visits. Pediatrics 2004;113:e405-e411.
• Taveras EM, Durousseau S., Flores G. Childhood fever beliefs and practices: A study of a multiethnic and socio-economically diverse sample of parents. Pediatr Emerg Care 2004;20:(9)579-587.
• Taveras EM, Rifas-Shiman S, Field AE, Frazier AL, Colditz GA, Gillman MW. Influence of media figures on adolescent physical activity. J Adolescent Health 2004;35:41-50.
• Taveras EM, Scanlon KS, Birch L, Rifas-Shiman SL, Rich-Edwards JW, Gillman MW, Association of breastfeeding with maternal control of infant feeding at age 1 year Pediatrics 2004;114:e577-e583.
• Taveras EM, Rifas-Shiman SL, Berkey CS, Rockett HRH, Field AE, Frazier AL, Colditz GA, Gillman MW. Family dinner and adolescent overweight. Obes Res 2005;13:900-906.
• Taveras EM, Berkey CS, Rifas-Shiman SL, Ludwig DS, Rockett HRH, Field AE, Colditz GA, Gillman MW. The association of fried food consumption away from home with body mass index and diet quality in older children and adolescents. Pediatrics 2005;116:e518-e524.
• Sandora TJ, Taveras EM, Shih MC, Resnick EA, Lee GM, Ross-Degnan D, Goldmann DA. A randomized controlled trial of a multifaceted intervention including alcohol-based hand sanitizer to reduce illness transmission in the home. Pediatrics, 2005,116:587-594.
• Gupta RS, Shuman S, Taveras EM, Kulldorff M, Finkelstein JA. Opportunities for health promotion education in child care. Pediatrics 2005;116:e499-e505.
• Oken E, Huh SY, Taveras EM, Rich-Edwards JW, Gillman MW. Associations of maternal prenatal smoking with child adiposity and blood pressure. Obes Res 2005;13(11):2021-2028.
• Taveras EM, Camargo Jr. CA, Rifas-Shiman SL, Oken E, Gold DR, Weiss ST, Gillman MW. Association of birth weight with asthma-related outcomes at age 2 years. Pediatr Pulm 2006;41(7):643-648.
• Taveras EM, Sandora TJ, Shih M, Ross-Degnan D, Goldmann DA, and Gillman MW. The association of television and video viewing with fast food intake in preschool-age children. Obesity 2006;14:2034-2041.
• Taveras EM, Rifas-Shiman SL, Scanlon KS, Grummer-Strawn LM, Sherry B, Gillman MW. To what extent is the protective effect of breastfeeding on overweight explained by decreased maternal feeding restriction? Pediatrics 2006;118(6):2341-2348.
• Gillman MW, Rich-Edwards JW, Huh S, Majzoub JA, Oken E, Taveras EM, Rifas-Shiman SL. Maternal corticotropin-releasing hormone levels during pregnancy and offspring adiposity. Obesity 2006;14(9):1647-53.
• Taveras EM, LaPelle N, Gupta RS, Finkelstein JA. Planning for health promotion in low-income preschool child care settings: focus groups of parents and child care providers. Ambul Pediatr 2006;6(6):342-6.
• Taveras EM, Field AE, Berkey CS, Rifas-Shiman SL, Frazier AL, Colditz GA, Gillman MW. Longitudinal relationship between television viewing and leisure-time physical activity during adolescence. Pediatrics 2007;119(2):e314-9.
• Oken E, Taveras EM, Popoola F, Rich-Edwards JW, Gillman MW. Television, walking and diet: associations with postpartum weight retention. Am J Prev Med 2007;32:305-311.
• Taveras EM, Sobol AM, Hannon C, Finkelstein DF, Wiecha J, Gortmaker SL. Youths' perception of overweight-related prevention counseling at a primary care visit. Obesity 2007;15:831-836.
• Oken E, Taveras EM, Kleinman KP, Rich-Edwards JW, Gillman MW. Gestational weight gain and child adiposity at age 3 years. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007;196(4):322.e1-8.
• Spears BA, Barlow SE, Ervin C, Ludwig DL, Saelens B, Schetzina KE, Taveras EM. Recommendations for treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. Pediatrics 2007;120(4):S254-88.
• Gunderson EP, Rifas-Shiman SL, Oken E, Rich-Edwards JW, Kleinman KP, Taveras EM, Gillman MW. Fewer hours of sleep at six months postpartum is associated with substantial weight retention at one year postpartum. Am J Epidemiol 2008;167(2):178-87.
• Taveras EM, Gortmaker SL, Mitchell K, Gillman MW. Overweight counseling in primary care: The roles of race/ethnicity and parent overweight. Obesity, 2008; DOI: 10.1038/oby.2008.264.
• Taveras EM, Rifas-Shiman SL, Oken E, Gunderson E, Gillman MW. Short sleep duration in infancy and risk of childhood overweight. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 2008;162(4):305-11.
• Taveras EM, Rifas-Shiman SL, Camargo CA, Gold DR, Litonjua AA, Oken E, Weiss ST, Gillman MW. Higher adiposity in infancy associated with recurrent wheeze in a prospective cohort of children. J Allergy Clin Immun 2008, 121(5):1161-1166.e3.
• Miller SA, Taveras EM, Rifas-Shiman SL, Gillman MW. Association of television viewing with poor diet quality in young children. Int J Pediatr Obes 2008, in press.
• Gillman MW, Rifas-Shiman SL, Kleinman K, Oken E, Rich-Edwards JW, Taveras EM. Developmental origins of childhood overweight: Potential public health impact. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2008, in press.