Megan Veenema Smith, DrPH, MPH

Research Interests

Child Psychiatry; Chronic Disease; Mental Health; Stress, Psychological; Urban Health; Women's Health; Substance-Related Disorders; Healthcare Disparities; Psychiatry and Psychology

Public Health Interests

Mental Health; Social determinants of health; Social inequalities; Social networks; Stress; Substance abuse; Urban health; Women's Health

Research Organizations

Psychiatry: Center for Wellbeing of Women and Mothers | MOMS Partnership | Psychology Section | Psychotherapy Development Center

Faculty Research

School of Public Health

Office of Cooperative Research

Research Summary

The basis of my clinical research work is my belief that the successful prevention of poor childhood outcomes requires an alternative understanding of women’s mental and physical health problems beginning in the preconception period. Mental and physical illness, I believe, should be conceptualized as constructs in dynamic relation to the social, historical, cultural, economic, and political context in which families reside. This framework has driven my research thus far in specific projects related to the psychiatric and social epidemiology of depression in pregnancy and prevention of mental illness in women and children.

Specialized Terms: Mental health promotion and prevention in children and families; Mental illness in pregnancy and parenting; Community-based mental health research; Community-based participatory research in mental health; Gender disparities in mental illness

Extensive Research Description

Advocating for the reduction of racial, ethnic and gender disparities in health has been a driving force in my research thus far. My research is focused on low-income, racial and ethnic minority women who suffer from mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. A major portion of this work includes investigations into the occurrence and treatment of illnesses in pregnancy, the postpartum period, and during the parenting years. I am interested in not only the impact of maternal psychopathology on a woman’s own morbidity, but also the impact on her parenting style and the long term health and developmental outcomes of her children. Current projects include determining the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions to treat perinatal mood and substance use disorders in novel community settings and investigating the impact of perinatal depressive, anxiety and substance use disorders on birth outcomes and long term parent-child interaction.

New Haven Mental health Outreach for Mothers (MOMS) Partnership

Momba Smartphone application for new mothers

Pink and Blue Kids Study (follow-up of children born to women in the Yale Stress & Pregnancy Study)

MoMba Livelong Study for Perinatal Smoking 

Gene by Environment Study of post traumatic stress disorder and preterm birth

Biomarkers of resilience and adversity in parent-child dyads 

Project LAUNCH and Circle of Security Evaluation studies 

Selected Publications

• Neurobehavioral Assessment of Infants Born at Term and In Utero Exposure to Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

  Smith, MV, Mayes LC, Sung A, Shah B, , Klein DS, Yonkers KA. Neurobehavioral Assessment of Infants Born at Term and In Utero Exposure to Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Early Human Development, 2012 Sep 20. pii: S0378-3782(12)

• Does Antidepressant Use Attenuate The Risk Of A Major Depressive Episode In Pregnancy?

  Yonkers KA, Gotman N, Smith MV , Forray A, Belanger K, Brunetto W, Lin H, Burkman RT, Zelop CM, Lockwood CJ. Does Antidepressant Use Attenuate The Risk Of A Major Depressive Episode In Pregnancy? Epidemiology, 2011:22; 848-854.

• Integrating social epidemiology into public health research and practice: the case of maternal depression

  Smith MV, Lincoln A. (2010) "Integrating social epidemiology into public health research and practice: the case of maternal depression." American Journal of Public Health, In Press.

• Perinatal depression and birth outcomes in a Healthy Start project.

  Smith MV, Shao L, Lin H, Howell H, Yonkers KA. (2010) “Perinatal depression and birth outcomes in a Healthy Start project.” Maternal and Child Health Journal, In press

• Do the PHQ-8 and the PHQ-2 Accurately Screen for Depressive Disorders in a Sample of Pregnant Women?

  Smith MV, Gotman N, Lin H, Yonkers KA. (2010) Do the PHQ-8 and the PHQ-2 Accurately Screen for Depressive Disorders in a Sample of Pregnant Women? General Hospital Psychiatry, In Press

• Typical Somatic Symptoms of Pregnancy and Their Impact on a Diagnosis of Major or Minor Depressive Disorder.

  Yonkers KA, Smith MV, Gotman N, Belanger K. (2009) Typical Somatic Symptoms of Pregnancy and Their Impact on a Diagnosis of Major or Minor Depressive Disorder. General Hospital Psychiatry, 31(4): 327-333. PMID: 19555792

• Success of mental health referral among pregnant and postpartum women with psychiatric distress.

  Smith MV, Shao L, Howell H, Wang H, Poschman K, Yonkers KA. (2009). Success of mental health referral among pregnant and postpartum women with psychiatric distress. General Hospital Psychiatry, 31(2): 155-162. PMID: 19269536.

• Ethnically Diverse Mothers’ Views on the Acceptability of Screening for Depressive Symptoms during Pediatric Well-Child Visits

  Feinberg E, Smith MV, Naik, R. (2009) Ethnically Diverse Mothers’ Views on the Acceptability of Screening for Depressive Symptoms during Pediatric Well-Child Visits. Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved, 20(3): 780-797. PMID: 19648705

• Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in a community sample of low-income pregnant women

  Smith MV, Poschman, K, Cavaleri MA, Howell HB, Yonkers KA. (2006) Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in a community sample of low-income pregnant women. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(5): 881-884. PMID: 16648330.

• Screening for and detection of depression, panic disorder & PTSD in public-sector obstetric clinics.

  Smith MV, Rosenheck RA, Cavaleri MA, Howell HB, Poschman K, Yonkers KA. (2004). Screening for and detection of depression, panic disorder & PTSD in public-sector obstetric clinics. Psychiatric Services, 55(4): 407-414. PMID: 15067153 .

• Diaper need and its impact on parent health

  Smith MV, Kruse A, Weir A, Goldblum J. Diaper need and its impact on parent health. Pediatrics, 2013, 132(2):253-9. PMCID:

• Understanding Disparities in Subpopulations of Women Who Smoke

  Smith MV, Ramsay C, & Mazure C. (2013). Understanding Disparities in Subpopulations of Women Who Smoke. Curr Addict Reports. 2014 1;1(1):69-74. PMCID:

• Postpartum depressive symptoms and maternal sensitivity: an exploration of possible social media-based indicators Luisa ABT, Callinan LS, Mayes LC, Smith MV. Postpartum depressive symptoms and maternal sensitivity: an exploration of possible social media-based indicators. Arch Womens Meant Health. 2016
• Mobile ascertainment of smoking status through breath: a machine learning approach Valencia S, Smith MV, Atyabi A, Shic F. Mobile ascertainment of smoking status through breath: a machine learning approach. Proceedings of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Full List of PubMed Publications

• Wallace LR, Weir AM, Smith MV: Policy Impact of Research Findings on the Association of Diaper Need and Mental Health. Womens Health Issues. 2017 Oct 17. PMID: 29050653
• Lange BCL, Dáu ALBT, Goldblum J, Alfano J, Smith MV: A Mixed Methods Investigation of the Experience of Poverty Among a Population of Low-Income Parenting Women. Community Ment Health J. 2017 Oct; 2017 Feb 6. PMID: 28168431
• Austin AE, Smith MV: Examining Material Hardship in Mothers: Associations of Diaper Need and Food Insufficiency with Maternal Depressive Symptoms. Health Equity. 2017; 2017 Sep 1. PMID: 29082357
• Yonkers KA, Forray A, Smith MV: Maternal Antidepressant Use and Pregnancy Outcomes. JAMA. 2017 Aug 15. PMID: 28810017
• Dáu ALBT, Callinan LS, Mayes LC, Smith MV: Postpartum depressive symptoms and maternal sensitivity: an exploration of possible social media-based measures. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2017 Feb; 2016 Jul 14. PMID: 27416930
• Claydon E, Zerwas S, Callinan L, Smith MV: Parental reflective functioning among mothers with eating disorder symptomatology. Eat Behav. 2016 Dec; 2016 Sep 14. PMID: 27718453
• Norton MK, Smith MV, Magriples U, Kershaw TS: Masculine Ideology, Sexual Communication, and Sexual Self-Efficacy Among Parenting Adolescent Couples. Am J Community Psychol. 2016 Sep; 2016 Aug 19. PMID: 27539234
• Claydon E, Austin A, Smith MV: Linking Obesity Prevention and Mental Health Promotion to Address Health Disparities. Community Ment Health J. 2016 May; 2015 Aug 25. PMID: 26303902
• Smith MV, Gotman N, Yonkers KA: Early Childhood Adversity and Pregnancy Outcomes. Matern Child Health J. 2016 Apr. PMID: 26762511
• Smith MV, Kruse-Austin A: A gender-informed model to train community health workers in maternal mental health. Eval Program Plann. 2015 Aug; 2014 Dec 10. PMID: 25534578
• Smith MV, Costello D, Yonkers KA: Clinical correlates of prescription opioid analgesic use in pregnancy. Matern Child Health J. 2015 Mar. PMID: 24951127
• Seil KS, Desai MM, Smith MV: Sexual orientation, adult connectedness, substance use, and mental health outcomes among adolescents: findings from the 2009 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Am J Public Health. 2014 Oct; 2014 Aug 14. PMID: 25121812
• Yonkers KA, Smith MV, Forray A, Epperson CN, Costello D, Lin H, Belanger K: Pregnant women with posttraumatic stress disorder and risk of preterm birth. JAMA Psychiatry. 2014 Aug. PMID: 24920287
• Motlagh MG, Smith ME, Landeros-Weisenberger A, Kobets AJ, King RA, Miravite J, de Lotbinière AC, Alterman RL, Mogilner AY, Pourfar MH, Okun MS, Leckman JF: Lessons Learned from Open-label Deep Brain Stimulation for Tourette Syndrome: Eight Cases over 7 Years. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y). 2013; 2013 Nov 1. PMID: 24255802
• Smith MV, Kruse A, Weir A, Goldblum J: Diaper need and its impact on child health. Pediatrics. 2013 Aug; 2013 Jul 29. PMID: 23897910
• Smith MV, Sung A, Shah B, Mayes L, Klein DS, Yonkers KA: Neurobehavioral assessment of infants born at term and in utero exposure to serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Early Hum Dev. 2013 Feb; 2012 Sep 20. PMID: 22999988
• Yonkers KA, Norwitz ER, Smith MV, Lockwood CJ, Gotman N, Luchansky E, Lin H, Belanger K: Depression and serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment as risk factors for preterm birth. Epidemiology. 2012 Sep. PMID: 22627901
• Yonkers KA, Gotman N, Smith MV, Forray A, Belanger K, Brunetto WL, Lin H, Burkman RT, Zelop CM, Lockwood CJ: Does antidepressant use attenuate the risk of a major depressive episode in pregnancy? Epidemiology. 2011 Nov. PMID: 21900825
• Smith MV, Lincoln AK: Integrating social epidemiology into public health research and practice for maternal depression. Am J Public Health. 2011 Jun; 2011 Apr 14. PMID: 21493925
• Smith MV, Shao L, Howell H, Lin H, Yonkers KA: Perinatal depression and birth outcomes in a Healthy Start project. Matern Child Health J. 2011 Apr. PMID: 20300813
• Palermo SD, Bloch MH, Craiglow B, Landeros-Weisenberger A, Dombrowski PA, Panza K, Smith ME, Peterson BS, Leckman JF: Predictors of early adulthood quality of life in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2011 Apr; 2010 Feb 27. PMID: 20191262
• Smith MV, Gotman N, Lin H, Yonkers KA: Do the PHQ-8 and the PHQ-2 accurately screen for depressive disorders in a sample of pregnant women? Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2010 Sep-Oct; 2010 Jun 22. PMID: 20851275
• Leckman JF, Bloch MH, Smith ME, Larabi D, Hampson M: Neurobiological substrates of Tourette's disorder. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2010 Aug. PMID: 20807062
• Yonkers KA, Smith MV, Gotman N, Belanger K: Typical somatic symptoms of pregnancy and their impact on a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2009 Jul-Aug; 2009 Apr 15. PMID: 19555792
• Smith MV, Shao L, Howell H, Wang H, Poschman K, Yonkers KA: Success of mental health referral among pregnant and postpartum women with psychiatric distress. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2009 Mar-Apr; 2008 Dec 3. PMID: 19269536
• Yonkers KA, Smith MV, Lin H, Howell HB, Shao L, Rosenheck RA: Depression screening of perinatal women: an evaluation of the healthy start depression initiative. Psychiatr Serv. 2009 Mar. PMID: 19252044
• Rogal SS, Poschman K, Belanger K, Howell HB, Smith MV, Medina J, Yonkers KA: Effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on pregnancy outcomes. J Affect Disord. 2007 Sep; 2007 Feb 8. PMID: 17291588
• Smith MV, Poschman K, Cavaleri MA, Howell HB, Yonkers KA: Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in a community sample of low-income pregnant women. Am J Psychiatry. 2006 May. PMID: 16648330
• Smith MV, Rosenheck RA, Cavaleri MA, Howell HB, Poschman K, Yonkers KA: Screening for and detection of depression, panic disorder, and PTSD in public-sector obstetric clinics. Psychiatr Serv. 2004 Apr. PMID: 15067153

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