Faculty

Institution

Unit

Venue

Ayesha Sania

Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University

Affiliations

Columbia University

P&S

P&S Clinical

PSY Developmental Neurosci

Ayesha Sania is an Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University Medical Center. Her research focuses on the developmental origins of health and disease, investigating how prenatal exposures—including maternal obesity, alcohol and tobacco use, and maternal mood—shape child neurodevelopment, executive function, and psychopathology. She leads the Khula Study, a prospective cohort in South Africa and Malawi examining executive function development in the first 1000 days. Her recent work includes using EEG power to assess in utero alcohol and tobacco exposure effects, developing machine-learning approaches for imputing longitudinal prenatal data, and combining developmental and sleep measures for autism screening. Her research spans global health, epidemiology, and pediatrics, with active collaborations across Africa and the United States.

Honors

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Ayesha Sania

Columbia University

Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center

You can click a keyword to filter the displayed items

public health maternal health pediatrics global health epidemiology child development neonatology population health covid-19 obstetrics and gynaecology sars-cov-2 preterm birth demography communicable diseases public health preparedness early childhood development child nutrition developmental epidemiology alcohol (drug) mental health developmental psychology respiratory medicine reproductive health covid-19 pandemic virus eradication medical virology tropical medicine clinical laboratory obstetrics fetal medicine child health south africa risk factors prenatal exposure southern african studies preventive medicine human nutrition tobacco use gestational diabetes eeg signal processing infectious disease modelling ethnic discrimination sleep medicine race relations prospective cohort studies meta-analysis population nutrition malnutrition intrauterine growth restriction environmental influences child health outcomes alcohol consumption childhood stunting child neurology early childhood facies analysis social-emotional development open research psychosocial research vision research psychophysics human physiology social epidemiology social medicine disease control virus epidemiology disease surveillance disease transmission country levels cherg datasets gestational age neurodevelopmental status middle-income countries population attributable fraction pooled analysis infant mortality risk

Notable Scholarly Works

Notable Federal Grants

Collaborators

Maternal Obesity and Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Are Associated With Child Development: Results From the Safe Passage Study. PLoS ONE (2026)

public healthalcohol (drug)early childhood developmentchild developmentbehavioural geneticsadolescent healthchild nutritionobstetrics and gynaecologymaternal healthsubstance useobesitydevelopmental sciencedevelopmental psychopathologypediatric obesityhealth sciencespediatricspregnancy hypertension

K-Nearest Neighbor Algorithm for Imputing Missing Longitudinal Prenatal Alcohol Data. Advances in Drug and Alcohol Research (2025)

k-nearest neighbor algorithmdata miningbiostatisticsmissing datastatisticsdata science

Characterizing Developing Executive Functions in the First 1000 Days in South Africa and Malawi: The Khula Study. Wellcome Open Research (2024)

Michal R ZieffMarlie MilesEmmie MbaleEmma EastmanLorna GinnellSteven C R WilliamsDerek K JonesDaniel C AlexanderPeter A. WijeratneLaurel J Gabard-DurnamVanja Klepac-CerajKevin S BonhamNicolò PiniAyesha SaniaMaristella LucchiniSean DeoniWilliam P FiferMelissa GladstoneDima AmsoKirsten A Donald

child developmentkhula studyopen researchsouthern african studiessouth africaanthropology

Combining Developmental and Sleep Health Measures for Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening: An Echo Study. Pediatric Research (2024)

Lauren C. ShuffreyBrandon RennieXiuhong LiNoya GalaiNicolò PiniAnahid AkbaryanAkram AlshawabkehJudy AschnerJulianna Collazo VargasLauren CostelloViren D’SaSean DeoniAnne DunlopAmy J. ElliottWilliam P. FiferJonica HashDaphne Koinis-MitchellJin-Shei LaiBennett L. LeventhalJohnnye LewisMaristella LucchiniKristen L. McArthurSantiago MoralesSara S. NozadiThomas G. O’ConnorT. Michael O’SheaGrier P. PageCathi PropperAyesha SaniaCoral ShusterEmily ZimmermanAmy E. Margolis

public healthchild developmentdevelopmental epidemiologysleep health measureschild healthpediatricsecho studyhealth policy

Examining the Impact of Prenatal Maternal Internalizing Symptoms and Socioeconomic Status on Children's Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Psychopathology. Developmental Psychobiology (2024)

Alexis HernandezAyesha SaniaMaureen E. BowersStephanie C. LeachMarco McSweeneyLydia YoderWilliam FiferAmy J. ElliottLauren ShuffreyVirginia RauhDeana Around HimNathan A. FoxSantiago Morales

frontal alpha asymmetrydevelopmental psychologychild developmentpsychopathologysocioeconomic statusdevelopmental biologydevelopmental psychopathology

In Utero Exposure to Alcohol and Tobacco and Electroencephalogram Power During Childhood. JAMA Network Open (2024)

Nicolò PiniAyesha SaniaShreya RaoLauren C. ShuffreyJ. David NugentMaristella LucchiniMarco McSweeneyChristine HockettSantiago MoralesLydia YoderKatherine ZieglerMatthew S. PerzanowskiNathan A. FoxAmy J. ElliottMichael M. MyersWilliam P. Fifer

alcohol (drug)utero exposurechild developmentelectroencephalogram powerpediatricstobacco use

Maternal Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (Gdm) Moderates the Association Between Birth Weight and Eeg Power in Healthy Term‐Age Newborns. Developmental Psychobiology (2024)

Lauren C. ShuffreyNicolò PiniHan MeiCynthia RodriguezLissete A. GimenezJennifer R. BarbosaDaianna J. RodriguezYael RayportAyesha SaniaCatherine MonkWilliam P. Fifer

gestational diabetesdiabetespreterm birthpsychologymaternal healthbirth weightmaternal gestational diabeteseeg powerdiabetes mellitus

Prenatal Risk Factors for Child Executive Function at 3–5 Years of Age: The Roles of Maternal Mood, Substance Use, and Socioeconomic Adversity in a Prospective Cohort Study. BMC Pediatrics (2024)

Yael K. RayportSantiago MoralesLauren C. ShuffreyChristine W. HockettKatherine ZieglerShreya RaoWilliam P. FiferAmy J. ElliottAyesha Sania

maternal moodmaternal healthsocioeconomic adversitychild executive functionpediatricsprenatal risk factorsprospective cohort studies

Assessment of Neurodevelopment in Infants With and Without Exposure to Asymptomatic or Mild Maternal Sars-Cov-2 Infection During Pregnancy. JAMA Network Open (2023)

Morgan R. FiresteinLauren C. ShuffreyYunzhe HuMargaret KyleMaha HussainCatherine BiancoViolet HottSabrina P. HymanMia KylerCynthia RodriguezMelanie Tejeda RomeroHelen Tzul LopezCarmela AlcántaraDima AmsoJudy AustinJennifer M. BainJennifer BarbosaAshley N. BattarbeeAnn BrunoSharon EttingerPam Factor-LitvakSuzanne GilboaSylvie GoldmanCynthia Gyamfi-BannermanPanagiotis ManiatisRachel MarshTyler MorrillMirella MouradRebecca MuhleGabriella Newes-AdeyiKimberly G. NobleKally C. O’ReillyAnna A. PennLawrence ReichleAyesha SaniaVera SemenovaWendy G. SilverGrace SmotrichAlan T. TitaNim TottenhamMichael VarnerMartha G. WelchNoelia ZorkDonna GareyWilliam P. FiferMelissa S. StockwellCatherine MonkFatimah DawoodDani Dumitriu

public healthsars-cov-2child developmentcovid-19child neurologymaternal healthdevelopmental neurobiologyinfectious diseasespediatricsneonatology

Association of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Perinatal Maternal Depression With Early Childhood Behavioral Problems: An Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (Echo) Study. Child Development (2023)

Lauren C. ShuffreySantiago MoralesMelanie H. JacobsonMichelle Bosquet EnlowAkhgar GhassabianAmy E. MargolisMaristella LucchiniKecia N. CarrollRosa M. CrumDana DabeleaArielle DeutschWilliam P. FiferBrandon GoldsonChristine W. HockettW. Alex MasonLisette T. JacobsonThomas G. O'ConnorNicolò PiniYael RayportAyesha SaniaLeonardo TrasandeRosalind J. WrightSeonjoo LeeCatherine Monk

public healthenvironmental influencesgestational diabetesdevelopmental psychologyearly childhood developmentchild developmentdevelopmental epidemiologyperinatal maternal depressiongestational diabetes mellituspsychologychild psychologychild health outcomeschild healthdevelopmental sciencebehavioral sciences

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Ayesha Sania

Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University

Affiliations

Columbia University

P&S

P&S Clinical

PSY Developmental Neurosci

Honors

Create free account to unlock more features

Experiences

Create free account to unlock more features

Education

Create free account to unlock more features

Ayesha Sania

Columbia University

Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center

You can click a keyword to filter the displayed items

Notable Scholarly Works

Notable Federal Grants

Collaborators

Maternal Obesity and Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Are Associated With Child Development: Results From the Safe Passage Study. PLoS ONE (2026)

K-Nearest Neighbor Algorithm for Imputing Missing Longitudinal Prenatal Alcohol Data. Advances in Drug and Alcohol Research (2025)

k-nearest neighbor algorithmdata miningbiostatisticsmissing datastatisticsdata science

Characterizing Developing Executive Functions in the First 1000 Days in South Africa and Malawi: The Khula Study. Wellcome Open Research (2024)

child developmentkhula studyopen researchsouthern african studiessouth africaanthropology

Combining Developmental and Sleep Health Measures for Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening: An Echo Study. Pediatric Research (2024)

public healthchild developmentdevelopmental epidemiologysleep health measureschild healthpediatricsecho studyhealth policy

Examining the Impact of Prenatal Maternal Internalizing Symptoms and Socioeconomic Status on Children's Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Psychopathology. Developmental Psychobiology (2024)

Alexis HernandezAyesha SaniaMaureen E. BowersStephanie C. LeachMarco McSweeneyLydia YoderWilliam FiferAmy J. ElliottLauren ShuffreyVirginia RauhDeana Around HimNathan A. FoxSantiago Morales

frontal alpha asymmetrydevelopmental psychologychild developmentpsychopathologysocioeconomic statusdevelopmental biologydevelopmental psychopathology

In Utero Exposure to Alcohol and Tobacco and Electroencephalogram Power During Childhood. JAMA Network Open (2024)

alcohol (drug)utero exposurechild developmentelectroencephalogram powerpediatricstobacco use

Maternal Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (Gdm) Moderates the Association Between Birth Weight and Eeg Power in Healthy Term‐Age Newborns. Developmental Psychobiology (2024)

Lauren C. ShuffreyNicolò PiniHan MeiCynthia RodriguezLissete A. GimenezJennifer R. BarbosaDaianna J. RodriguezYael RayportAyesha SaniaCatherine MonkWilliam P. Fifer

gestational diabetesdiabetespreterm birthpsychologymaternal healthbirth weightmaternal gestational diabeteseeg powerdiabetes mellitus

Prenatal Risk Factors for Child Executive Function at 3–5 Years of Age: The Roles of Maternal Mood, Substance Use, and Socioeconomic Adversity in a Prospective Cohort Study. BMC Pediatrics (2024)

Yael K. RayportSantiago MoralesLauren C. ShuffreyChristine W. HockettKatherine ZieglerShreya RaoWilliam P. FiferAmy J. ElliottAyesha Sania

maternal moodmaternal healthsocioeconomic adversitychild executive functionpediatricsprenatal risk factorsprospective cohort studies

Assessment of Neurodevelopment in Infants With and Without Exposure to Asymptomatic or Mild Maternal Sars-Cov-2 Infection During Pregnancy. JAMA Network Open (2023)

public healthsars-cov-2child developmentcovid-19child neurologymaternal healthdevelopmental neurobiologyinfectious diseasespediatricsneonatology

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10 / page