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 4/8/2026

    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 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.

     Read At: PubMed
  • 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. 2025 Oct 04. PMID: 41052723.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/25/2025

    Sun S, Donahue MA, Rocha RB, Sankaranarayanan M, Newhouse JP, Hernandez-Diaz S, Tsai AC, Haneuse S, Moura LMVR. Gabapentin Treatment Patterns Among Older Patients After Hospital Discharge for Acute Ischemic Stroke. medRxiv. 2025 Sep 25. PMID: 41040730.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/5/2025

    Thai TN, Smolinski NE, Nduaguba S, Zhu Y, Bird S, Straub L, Bateman BT, Hernández-Díaz S, Huybrechts KF, Rasmussen SA, Winterstein AG. Development and validation of an algorithm to predict stillbirth gestational age in Medicaid billing records. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 Aug 05; 194(8):2295-2303. PMID: 39307537.

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  • Published on 7/16/2025

    Hernandez-Diaz S, Quinn M, Conant S, Lyons A, Paik H, Ward J, Bui E, Hauser WA, Yerby M, Voinescu PE, Hirtz DG, High FA, Holmes LB. Use of Antiseizure Medications Early in Pregnancy and the Risk of Major Malformations in the Newborn. Neurology. 2025 Aug 12; 105(3):e213786. PMID: 40669027.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 7/5/2025

    Choi HM, Huybrechts KF, Hernandez-Diaz S, Qiu X, Leung M, James P, Shupler M, Huang W, Wei Y, Zanobetti A, McDougle CJ, Schwartz J, Coull B, Weisskopf M, Papatheodorou S. Preconception, prenatal and early childhood exposure to green space and risk of neurodevelopmental delays: a national cohort study among Medicaid enrollees. Environ Int. 2025 Aug; 202:109666. PMID: 40639188.

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  • Published on 5/7/2025

    Straub L, Wang SV, Hernandez-Diaz S, Gray KJ, Vine SM, Russo M, Mittal L, Bateman BT, Zhu Y, Huybrechts KF. Hierarchical clustering analysis to inform classification of congenital malformations for surveillance of medication safety in pregnancy. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 May 07; 194(5):1436-1447. PMID: 39123096.

     Read At: PubMed

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