Profiles

Sonia Hernandez-Diaz, MD

Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology - Boston University School of Public Health

(617) 358-3728
shernan@bu.edu
Talbot
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Biography

Dr. Hernandez-Diaz is a Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Pharmacoepidemiology Program at the Harvard School of Public Health and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health. Her main area of research has been drug safety evaluation from observational data, with a special emphasis on the analysis of patterns of use and safety of drugs during pregnancy. She has also studied the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular safety of steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and this work triggered her involvement with newly introduced COX-2 inhibitors. Her third group of research activities concerns the application of innovative methodologic concepts to pharmacoepidemiologic studies, including the use of causal structural approaches to define confounding and selection biases that might facilitate the identification, communication, and resolution of common analytical problems.

Education

  • Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, MD Field of Study: Medicine
  • Harvard School of Public Health, DPH/DrPH Field of Study: Pharmacoepidemiology
  • Harvard School of Public Health, MPH Field of Study: Quantitative Methods

Websites

Publications

  • Published on 5/7/2026

    Ng SCW, Hernandez-Diaz S, Quinn M, Ward JR, Conant S, Lyons A, High FA. Antiseizure Medication Polytherapies During Pregnancy and the Risk of Congenital Malformations. Neurology. 2026 Jun 09; 106(11):e214984. PMID: 42096673.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 4/15/2026

    Friedrich S, Huybrechts KF, Straub L, Hernandez-Diaz S, Zhu Y, Hahn G, Mogun H, Jones HE, Connery HS, Davis JM, Gray KJ, Lester B, Terplan M, Bateman BT. Prenatal exposure to buprenorphine or methadone and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2026 Apr 15; 393:e087321. PMID: 41985931.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 4/8/2026

    Straub L, Wang SV, Hernandez-Diaz S, Bateman BT, Vine SM, Russo M, Zhu Y, Cohen L, Cesta CE, Gray KJ, Huybrechts KF. Congenital malformation risk following prenatal antipsychotic exposure: a systematic safety surveillance approach. BMJ Ment Health. 2026 Apr 08; 29(1). PMID: 41951339.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 4/5/2026

    Damkier P, van Gelder MMHJ, Huybrechts KF, Meng LC, Hernandez-Diaz S, Nielsen J, Nørgård BM, Nordeng H. Paternal use of metformin and risk of major congenital malformations: A meta-analysis of 4 studies. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2026 Jun; 92(6):1940-1943. PMID: 41937475.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/20/2026

    Hernandez-Diaz S, Huybrechts KF. Fetal Fentanyl Syndrome: An Opportunity to Quantify the Risk in Prospective Cohorts of Patients With Substance Use Disorder. J Addict Med. 2026 Mar 20. PMID: 41856958.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/11/2026

    Straub L, Hernandez-Diaz S, Bateman BT, Zhu Y, Mogun H, Wisner KL, Gray KJ, Lester B, McDougle CJ, Pennell PB, Huybrechts KF. Prenatal antiseizure drug exposure and risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2026 Mar 11; 392:e085725. PMID: 41813017.

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  • Published on 2/1/2026

    Fung K, Straub L, Bateman BT, Hernandez-Diaz S, Brill G, Zhu Y, Cohen LS, Gray KJ, Huybrechts KF. Z-Drug Use in the First Trimester of Pregnancy and Risk of Congenital Malformations. JAMA Psychiatry. 2026 Feb 01; 83(2):162-171. PMID: 41432941.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/4/2026

    Fennell C, Diseko M, Holmes LB, Mabuta J, Hernandez-Diaz S, Caniglia E, Makoni T, Mayondi G, Lockman S, Makhema J, Zash R, Shapiro RL. Prevalence of major structural congenital abnormalities detected on infant surface examination in Botswana, 2014-2022: a birth outcomes surveillance study. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2026 Jan 04; 10(1). PMID: 41490893.

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  • Published on 12/13/2025

    Sun JW, Horton DB, Savage TJ, Burcu M, Hernandez-Diaz S. Application of the Target Trial Emulation Framework to Studies in the Pediatric Population. J Pediatr. 2026 Apr; 291:114941. PMID: 41391542.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 10/4/2025

    Schatz M, Hernandez-Diaz S, Chambers CD. The VAMPSS System and the Future of Maternal Health. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2026 Jun; 14(6):1288-1291.e1. PMID: 41052723.

     Read At: PubMed

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