SPHIS Home » Directory » Kira C Taylor, PhD, MS
Kira C Taylor, PhD, MS
Epidemiology and Population Health
Associate Professor
Room No. 232, 485 E. Gray St
Phone: 502-852-4063
Fax: 502-852-3294
Office Hours By Appointment
kctayl04@louisville.edu
CURRICULUM VITAE
Background Information
B.A., Biology, Rice University
M.S., Biological Sciences, Stanford University
Research focus: human and molecular genetics
M.A.Ed., Science Education, Wake Forest University
Ph.D., Epidemiology, Emory University
Dissertation research: genetic and environmental influences on reproductive traits.
Research Interests
Reproductive Epidemiology
Genetic epidemiology of cardiovascular disease-related traits
Gene-environment interactions
Examination of genetic influences across populations
Women's health
Science education
Current Projects
In my research I interrogate associations between genetic variants and disease, with particular attention to gene-environment interactions and heterogeneity of genetic effects across populations. By learning how genes, pathways, and proteins interact with their environment and influence disease, we can better understand the underpinnings of the disease process, which will ultimately lead to improved prevention and treatment.
I am currently participating in genome-wide association studies and candidate gene-environment interaction studies as applied to reproductive epidemiology, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis, with a focus on women and on diverse populations.
I am interested in predictors of infertility and subfecundity, and am currently awaiting funding for a study regarding secondhand smoking and gene-smoking interactions as predictors of ovarian aging and in vitro fertilization success rates.
Selected Publications
Donneyong MM, Hornung CA, Taylor KC, Baumgartner RN, Myers JA, Eaton CB, et al. Risk of heart failure among postmenopausal women: a secondary analysis of the randomized trial of vitamin D plus calcium of the women's health initiative. Circ Heart Fail. 2015;8(1):49-56. PMID: 25398967
Yoneyama S, Guo Y, Lanktree MB, Barnes MR, Elbers CC, Karczewski KJ, et al, Keating BJ*, Taylor KC*. Gene-centric meta-analyses for central adiposity traits in up to 57 412 individuals of European descent confirm known loci and reveal several novel associations. Hum Mol Genet. 2014;23(9):2498-510. PMID: 24345515 *Joint corresponding authors.
Monda KL*, Chen GK*, Taylor KC*, Palmer C*, Edwards TL*, Lange LA, et al. A meta-analysis identifies new loci associated with body mass index in individuals of African ancestry. Nat Genet. 2013;45(6):690-6. PMID: 23583978 *Co-first authors.
Taylor KC, Carty CL, Dumitrescu L, Buzkova P, Cole SA, Hindorff L, et al. Investigation of gene-by-sex interactions for lipid traits in diverse populations from the population architecture using genomics and epidemiology study. BMC Genet. 2013;14:33. PMID: 23634756
Guo Y*, Lanktree MB*, Taylor KC*, Hakonarson H, Lange LA, Keating BJ, et al. Gene-centric meta-analyses of 108 912 individuals confirm known body mass index loci and reveal three novel signals. Hum Mol Genet. 2013;22(1):184-201. PMID: 23001569 *Co-first authors.
Liu CT*, Monda KL*, Taylor KC*, Lange L, Demerath EW, Palmas W, et al. Genome-wide association of body fat distribution in African ancestry populations suggests new loci. PLoS Genet. 2013;9(8):e1003681. PMID: 23966867 *Co-first authors.
Taylor KC, Small CM, Dominguez CE, Murray LE, Tang W, Wilson MM, et al. Alcohol, smoking, and caffeine in relation to fecundability, with effect modification by NAT2. Ann Epidemiol. 2011;21(11):864-72. PMID: 21684175
Taylor KC, Lange LA, Zabaneh D, Lange E, Keating BJ, et al. (2011) A gene-centric association scan for Coagulation Factor VII levels in European and African Americans: the Candidate Gene Association Resource (CARe) Consortium. Human Molecular Genetics 20: 3525-3534.
Dumitrescu L, Carty CL, Taylor KC, Schumacher FR, Hindorff LA, et al. (2011) Genetic determinants of lipid traits in diverse populations from the population architecture using genomics and epidemiology (PAGE) study. PLoS Genetics 7: e1002138.
Wassel CL, Lange LA, Keating BJ, Taylor KC, Johnson AD, et al. (2011) Association of genomic loci from a cardiovascular gene SNP array with fibrinogen levels in European Americans and African-Americans from six cohort studies: the Candidate Gene Association Resource (CARe). Blood 117: 268-275.
Taylor KC, Small CM, Epstein MP, Sherman SL, Tang W, et al. (2010) Associations of progesterone receptor polymorphisms with age at menarche and menstrual cycle length. Hormone Research in Paediatrics 74: 421-427.
Taylor KC, Small CM, Epstein MP, Terrell ML, Marcus M (2009) Heritability of age at menarche and menstrual cycle length in a population exposed to a brominated flame retardant. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health 2: 383-394.
Taylor KC, Jackson LW, Lynch CD, Kostyniak PJ, Buck Louis GM (2007) Preconception maternal polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and the secondary sex ratio. Environmental Research 103: 99-105.
Allen EG, Sullivan AK, Marcus M, Small C, Dominguez C, Epstein MP, Charen K, He W, Taylor KC, and Sherman SL. (2007) Examination of reproductive aging milestones among women who carry the FMR1 premutation. Human Reproduction 22: 2142-2152.
