Kathleen Rasmussen
Kathleen Rasmussen
Professor Emerita
Division of Nutritional Sciences
Office

227 Savage Hall

Biography

Dr. Kathleen M. Rasmussen is the Nancy Schlegel Meinig Professor of Maternal and Child Nutrition in the Division of Nutritional Sciences and International Professor of Nutritional Science at Cornell University. She received her AB degree from Brown University in molecular biology and both her ScM and ScD degrees from Harvard University in nutrition. Professor Rasmussen is internationally known for her research on maternal and child nutrition. Her research has included studies in experimental species, observational and intervention studies in human subjects in the US and several developing countries, and epidemiologic studies based on data from medical records and large cohorts. She and her students have established that interventions to improve maternal nutritional status can increase the volume and improve the composition of human milk and, thereby, improve infant nutritional status. They have also shown that women who are overweight or obese at conception have problems establishing and maintaining breastfeeding and have babies who are heavier at one year of age than those of normal-weight women. In addition, they have shown that there is a trade-off between meeting the needs of the pregnant or lactating mother and the needs of her fetus/breastfed infant, respectively.  Most recently, her students have explored many aspects of the process of using human milk expression to meet breastfeeding goals. 

Professor Rasmussen has been a member of several expert committees at the Institute of Medicine. She served as the chair of the Committee on Reexamination of IOM Pregnancy Weight Guidelines, and more recently  as the Chair of the Committee to Review WIC Food Packages. Her research was recognized by the Agnes Higgins Award of the American Public Health Association in 2012 and the Macy-Gyorgy Award of the International Society for Research on Human Milk and Lactation in 2016. She the Conrad A. Elvehjem Award for Public Service in Nutrition from the American Society for Nutrition in 2017.

Professor Rasmussen developed and has served as program director for two NIH-sponsored training grants in maternal and child nutrition. She teaches a nationally recognized course in maternal and child nutrition for graduate students that supports these training grants. She also teaches a unique course on public health nutrition for undergraduate students. In 2006, she was the first recipient of the Excellence in Nutrition Education Award from the American Society for Nutrition.  Continuing her long interest in mentoring the future leaders in nutrition, Dr. Rasmussen helped to develop the Dannon Nutrition Leadership Institute in 1998 and served as its principal faculty member until it ended in 2017. She received the Dannon Institute Mentorship Award from the American Society for Nutrition in 2009.

At Cornell, Professor Rasmussen was previously the division's Director of Graduate Studies and is currently the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Division of Nutritional Sciences.  She was elected by the University Faculty to serve as the Associate Dean and Secretary of the University Faculty and subsequently as a member of Cornell's Board of Trustees elected by the University Faculty.

Broadly, we are studying the relationship between maternal nutritional status during the reproductive period and short- and long-term maternal and child health outcomes.  In the US and elsewhere, we have been studying the association between maternal obesity and reduced duration of breastfeeding, why this occurs, and the consequences that it has for both maternal health and infant feeding practices.  We are also investigating how the now-widespread practice of breast milk expression, specifically how it affects maternal health and infant feeding practices. With colleagues in Scandinavia, we are studying the effects of reproduction in general, and lactation in particular, on long-term maternal health.

 

Professor Rasmussen teaches a graduate course on maternal and child nutrition (NS6140)  in the fall semester and an undergraduate course on public health nutrition (NS4500) in the spring semester.  She advises graduate students in the Field of Nutrition and undergraduate students in the Nutrition and  the Human Biology, Health and Society majors; she also advises undergraduates in research.

NS 4500 : Public Health Nutrition 

NS 6140 : Topics in Maternal and Child Nutrition

 Peer-reviewed Publications Since 2015

Monterrosa EC, Frongillo EA, Neufeld LM, Egan KA, Ramakrishnan U, Rasmussen KM.  Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index is not associated with infant and young child feeding in low-income Mexican children 1-24 mo old.  Mat Child Nutr 2015;11:215-8..  doi: 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2012.00461.x. Epub 2012 Oct 15.

Kirkegaard H, Storving H, Rasmussen KM, Abrams B, Sørensen TIA, Nohr EA.  Maternal weight change from prepregnancy throughout 7 years postpartum–the influence of behavioral factors.  Obesity 2015;23:870-878. 

Kirkegaard H, Nohr EA, Rasmussen KM, Storving H, Sørensen TIA, Lewis CE, Gunderson EP.  Maternal prepregnancy waist circumference and BMI associated with gestational weight gain and breastfeeding behavior: the CARDIA study.  Am J Clin Nutr 2015;102:393-401.

O’Sullivan EJ, Perrine CG, Rasmussen KM.  Early breastfeeding problems mediate the negative association between maternal obesity and exclusive breastfeeding at 1 month an 2 months postpartum.  J Nutr 2015;145:2369-78.

Felice JP, Rasmussen KM.  Breasts, pumps and bottles, and unanswered questions.  Breastfeeding Med 2015;10:412-15.

Garner CD, Ratcliff SL, Thornburg LL, Wethington E, Howard CR, Rasmussen KM.  Discontinuity of breastfeeding care: “There’s no captain of the ship.” Breastfeeding Med 2016;11:32-39.

Felice JP, Cassano PA, Rasmussen KM. Pumping human milk in the early postpartum period: its impact on long-term practices for feeding at the breast and exclusively feeding human milk in a longitudinal survey cohort. Am J Clin Nutr  2016;103:1267-1277.

Cheikh Ismail L, Bishop DC, Pang R, Ohuma EO, Kac G, Abrams B, Rasmussen K, Barros FC, Hirst JE, Lambert A, Papageorghiou AT, Stones W, Jaffer YA, Altman DG, Noble JA, Giolito MR, Gravett MG, Purwar M, Kennedy SH, Bhutta ZA, Villar J. Gestational weight gain standards based on women enrolled in the Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study of  the INTERGROWTH-21st Project: a prospective longitudinal study.  BMJ: 2016;325:i555 (doi:10.1126/bmg.i555).

Garner CD, Rasmussen KM. Clarifying the breadth of strategies: A Response to "An alternative strategy to solve the problem of the discontinuity of breastfeeding care". Breastfeed Med. 2016:11;264-265.

O’Sullivan EJ, Geraghty SR, Rasmussen KM.  Informal milk sharing: a qualitative exploration of the attitudes and experiences of mothers.  J Hum Lact 2016;32:416-24.  Editor’s Choice.

Lignell S, Winkvist A, Bertz F, Rasmussen KM, Glynn A, Aune M, Brekke H.  Environmental organic pollutants in human milk before and after weight loss.  Chemosphere 2016;159:96-102.

Yamada R, Rasmussen KM, Felice JP.  Mothers’ use of social media to inform their practices for pumping and providing pumped milk to their infants.  Children (Basel) 2016;3(4):pii:E22.

Garner CD, McKenzie SA, Devine CM, Thornburg LL, Rasmussen KM. Obese women experience multiple challenges with breastfeeding that are either unique or exacerbated by their obesity:  discoveries from a longitudinal, qualitative study.  Matern Child Nutr 2017 Jul;13(3).  doi:10.1111/mcn.12344. [Epub 2016 Jul 25.]

O’Sullivan EJ, Geraghty SR, Rasmussen KM.  Human milk expression as a sole or ancillary strategy for infant feeding: a qualitative exploratory study.  Matern Child Nutr 2017 Jul;13(3). doi:10111/mcn.12332. [Epub 2016 Jul 25.]

Felice JP, Geraghty SR, Quaglieri CW, Yamada R, Wong AJ, Rasmussen KM. "Breastfeeding" without baby: A longitudinal, qualitative investigation of how mothers perceive, feel about, and practice human milk expression. Matern Child Nutr. 2017 Jul;(13)3. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12426. [Epub 2017 Jan 12.]

Felice JP, Geraghty SR, Quaglieri CW, Yamada R, Wong AJ, Rasmussen KM. “Breastfeeding” but not at the breast: mothers’ descriptions of providing pumped human milk to their infants via other containers and caregivers.  Matern Child Nutr. 2017;Jan 12. doi:10.1111/mcn.12425. [epub ahead of print] 

O’Sullivan EJ, Rasmussen KM.  Development, construct validity, and reliability of the questionnaire on infant feeding: a tool for measuring contemporary infant-feeding behaviors.  J Acad Nutr Diet   2017;117:1983-90.  doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2017.05.006.

Rasmussen KM, Felice JP, O’Sullivan EJ, Garner CD, Geraghty SR.  The meaning of “breastfeeding” is changing and so must our language about it. 2017;12:510-14. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2017.0073. 

Rasmussen KM, Whaley SE, Pérez-Escamilla R, Ross AC, Baker SS, Hatfield T, Latulippe ME. New opportunities for breastfeeding promotion and support in WIC: Review of WIC Food Packages, Improving Balance and Choice.  J Nutr Educ Behav 2017 Jul - Aug;49(7S2):S197-S201.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2017.04.007.

Leonard SA, Rasmussen KM, King JC, Abrams B.  Trajectories of maternal weight from prepregnancy through postpartum and associations with childhood obesity.  Am J Clin Nutr 2017;106:1295-1301.  doi:10.3945/ajcn.117.158683.

Rasmussen KM, Pérez-Escamilla R, Baker SS.  Fruit juice and fruit in the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children food packages.  Letter to the Editor.  JAMA Pediatr 2017; 171:1229-30.  doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.3559.

Rasmussen KM.  Association of resting energy expenditure with fat gain during pregnancy. Editorial.  Am J Obstet Gynecol.  2017;217:387-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2017.06.031.

Fox EL, Pelto GH, Rasmussen KM, Debrosse MG, Rouzier VA, Pape JW, Pelletier DL.  Who knows what: An exploration of the infant feeding message environment and intra-cultural differences in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Matern Child Nutr 2018;14:e12537  doi: 10.1111/mcn.12537.

Zongrone AA, Menon P, Pelto GH, Habicht J-P, Rasmussen KM, Constas MA, Vermeylen F, Khaled A, Saha KK, Stoltzfus RJ.  The pathways from a behavior change communication intervention to infant and young child feeding in Bangladesh are mediated and potentiated by maternal self-efficacy.  J Nutr.  2018;148:259-266. doi: 10.1093

McKenzie SA, Garner CD, Rasmussen KM.  Experiences and perspectives about breastfeeding in “public”“ a qualitative exploration among normal-weight and obese mothers. J Hum Lact.  2018;34:760-766. doi: 10.1177/0890334417751881.

Yourkavitch J, Rasmussen KM, Pence BW, Aiello A, Ennett S, Bengtson AM, Chetwynd E, Robeinson W. Early, regular breast milk pumping may lead to early breast milk feeding cessation. Publ Health Nutr. 2018 ;21:1726-36. doi: 10.1017/S1368980017004281.

El Arifeen S, Ekström E-C, Frongillo EA, Hamadani J, Khan A, Naved RT, Rahman A, Raqub R, Rasmussen KM, Wagatsuma Y, Persson LÅ.  Cohort profile: the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab (MINIMat) Cohort in Bangladesh.  Internat J Epidemiol. 2018;47:1737-1738e. doi:10.1093/ije/dyy102.

Kirkegaard H, Bliddal M, Størving H, Rasmussen KM, Gunderson EP, Køber L, Sørensen TIA, Nohr EA. Breastfeeding and later maternal risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease–the role of overall and abdominal obesity.  Prev Med.  2018;114:140-148. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.06.014.

Fox EL, Pelto GH, Bar H, Rasmussen KM, Young SL, Debrosse MG, Rouzier VA, Pape JW, Pelletier DL.  Capturing changes in HIV-infected, breastfeeding mothers’ cognitive processes from before delivery to five months postpartum: An application of the pile sorting technique in Haiti.  Curr Dev Nutr. 2018;2:nzy017.  doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzy017. eCollection 2018 Jun.

O'Sullivan EJ, Geraghty SR, Rasmussen KM. Awareness and prevalence of human milk sharing and selling in the United States. Matern Child Nutr. 2018;14 Suppl 6:e12567. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12567.

Tahir MJ, Haapala JL, Foster LP, Duncan KM, Teague AM, Kharbanda EO, McGovern PM, Whitaker KM, Rasmussen KM, Fields DA, Jacobs DR Jr, Harnack LJ, Demerath EW. Higher maternal diet quality during pregnancy and lactation is associated with lower infant weight-for-length, body fat percent, and fat mass in early postnatal life.  Nutrients 2019;1:pii:E632.  doi: 10.3390/ny11030632.

O’Sullivan EJ, Geraghty SR, Cassano PA, Rasmussen KM.  Comparing alternative breast milk feeding questions to US breastfeeding surveillance questions.  Breastfeed Med 2019;14:3450355. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2018.0256.

Ragavan R, Dreibelbis C, James BL, Wong YP, Abrams B, Gernand AD, Rasmussen KM, Siega-Riz AM, Stang J, Casavale KO, Spahn JM, Stoody EE. Dietary patterns before and during pregnancy and birth outcomes: A systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr.  2019;109 (suppl 7):705S-728S. doi:  10.1093/ajcn/nqy216.

Ragavan R, Dreibelbis C, James BL, Wong YP, Abrams B, Gernand AD, Rasmussen KM, Siega-Riz AM, Stang J, Casavale KO, Spahn JM, Stoody EE. Dietary patterns before and during pregnancy and maternal outcomes: A systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;109 (suppl 7):729S-756S. doi:  10.1093/ajcn/nqy353.

Tahir MJ, Haapala JL, Foster LP, Duncan KM, Teague AM, Kharbanda EO, McGovern PM, Whitaker KM, Rasmussen KM, Fields DA, Jacobs DR Jr, Harnack LJ, Demerath EW. Association of full breastfeeding duration with postpartum weight retention in a cohort of predominantly breastfeeding women.  Nutrients 2019;1:pii:E938.  doi: 10.3390/ny11040938.

Bourassa MW, Osendarp SJM, Adu-Afarwuah S, Ahmed S, Ajello C, Allen L, Bergeron G, Black R, Christian P, Cousens S, de Pee S, De-Regil LM, Dewey K, El Arifeen S, Engle-Stone R, Fleet A, Gernand AD, Hoddinott J, Klemm R, Kraemer K, Kupka R, McLean E, Millat H, Moore SE, Ndiaye B, Neufeld L, Persson L-Å, Rasmussen KM, Shankar A, Smith E, Sudfeld C, Udomkesmalee E, Vosti SA. Review of the evidence regarding the use of antenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation in low- and middle-income countries. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2019;1444:6-21. doi: 10.1111/nyas.14121.

Rasmussen KM. At long last:  new information on the association between maternal dietary intake, the composition of human milk, and its nutrient adequacy for infants.  Am J Clin Nutr 2019;110:269-70. doi. 10.1093/ajcn/npz079.

Casavale KO, Ahuja JKC, Wu X, Li Y, Quam J, Olson R, Pehrsson P, Allen L, Balentine D, Hanspal M, Hayward D, Hines EP, McClung JP, Perrine CG, Belfort MB, Dallas D, German B, Kim J, McGuire M, McGuire M, Morrow AL, Neville M, Nommsen-Rivers L, Rasmussen KM, Zempleni J, Lynch CJ. NIH workshop on human milk composition: summary and visions. Am J Clin Nutr 2019 Sep 1;110(3):769-779.. doi: 10.1o93/ajcn/nqz123.

Persson L-Å,, Rasmussen KM, Yang H.  Nutrition for women and children—Are we doing the right things in the right way?  PLos Med 2019;16:e1002906.  doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002906 eCollection 2019 Aug.

Heimburger DC, Hermann M, McClung JP, McGuire MK, Rasmussen KM, Troy LM, Young SL. History and perspectives on the Dannon Institute Early-Career Nutrition Leadership Institute.  Nutr Today 2019:54:165-169.

Chen SX, Rasmussen KM, Finkelstein J, Støvring H, Nøhr EA, Kirkegaard H. Maternal reproductive history and premenopausal risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease: a Danish cohort study. BMJ Open. 2019 Nov 4;9(11):e030702. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030702.

Bourassa MW, Osendarp SJM, Adu-Afarwuah S, Ahmed S, Ajello C, Bergeron G, Black R, Christian P, Cousens S, de Pee S, Dewey KG, Arifeen SE, Engle-Stone R, Fleet A, Gernand AD, Hoddinott J, Klemm R, Kraemer K, Kupka R, McLean E, Moore SE, Neufeld LM, Persson LÅ, Rasmussen KM, Shankar AH, Smith E, Sudfeld CR, Udomkesmalee E, Vosti SA. Antenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation: call to action for change in recommendation. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2019 Nov 5. doi: 10.1111/nyas.14271. [Epub ahead of print]

Gomes F, Bourassa MW, Adu-Afarwuah S, Ajello C, Bhutta ZA, Black R, Catarino E, Chowdhury R, Dalmiya N, Dwarkanath P, Engle-Stone R, Gernand AD, Goudet S, Hoddinott J, Kaestel P, Manger MS, McDonald CM, Mehta S, Moore SE, Neufeld LM, Osendarp S, Ramachandran P, Rasmussen KM, Stewart C, Sudfeld C, West K, Bergeron G. Setting research priorities on multiple micronutrient supplementation in pregnancy. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2019 Nov 6. doi: 10.1111/nyas.14267.

Expert Committee Reports Since 2015:  

Rasmussen KM, Latulippe ME, Yaktine AL, eds.  Institute of Medicine (Committee to Review WIC Food Packages, Food and Nutrition Board).  Review of WIC Food Packages:  An Evaluation of White Potatoes in the Cash Value Voucher: Letter Report.  Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2015.

Rasmussen KM, Latulippe ME, Yaktine AL, eds.  National Academy of Medicine (Committee to Review WIC Food Packages, Food and Nutrition Board).  Review of WIC Food Packages: Proposed Framework for Revisions: Interim Report. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2015.

WHO Recommendations on Antenatal Care for a Positive Pregnancy Experience. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2016 (152 pages; available at:  http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/maternal_perinatal_health/anc-positive-pregnancy-experience/en/)

National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (Committee to Review WIC Food Packages, Food and Nutrition Board).  Review of WIC Food Packages: Improving Choice and Balance: Final Report. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2017.

Articles in Books Since 2015:

Felice JP, Rasmussen KM, Geraghty SR. The evolution of breast pumps and bottles and a revolution in infant feeding. In: Ventura A, ed. Bottle Feeding: Perceptions, Practices and Health Outcomes. Hauppague, NY: Nova Scientific Publishers, Inc., 2018.

 

  • Director of Undergraduate Studies, Division of Nutritional Sciences
  • Cornell University Graduate Field Memberships: Nutrition, Epidemiology
  • Program Director, "Training in Maternal and Child Nutrition", NIH/NICHD

Director of Undergraduate Studies, Division of Nutritional Sciences

Program Director, NIH/NICHD training grant (pre- and post-doctoral) "Training in Maternal and Child Nutrition

NIH Postdoctoral trainee, Nutrition, Cornell University

Sc.D., Nutrition, Harvard University

Sc.M., Nutrition, Harvard University

A.B., Molecular Biology, Brown University

View all people