Ying Meng, PhD, RN, ACNP

Associate Professor

Bio

Ying Meng joined the University of Rochester School of Nursing in 2018 after working as a TL1 postdoctoral research fellow at the Clinical & Translational Science Institute at the University of Rochester. She received her MSN and PhD from the School of Nursing at the University of Rochester.

Meng’s primary research focus is the identification of biological and psychosocial risks for eating behaviors in young children. Her research also focuses on the association of nutrition with pediatric health. Her research has involved large-scale genetic/genomic studies, macronutrients and micronutrients, metabolic biomarkers, eating behaviors, and childhood obesity. Meng received various awards from the School of Nursing, the Obesity Society, and the Nutrition conference. Her research has been funded by NINR and CTSI.

Current Focus

My current research has been focused on identifying perinatal metabolic and psychosocial risks related to the development of eating behaviors in young children. My research is currently funded by NINR to assess the association of genes, psychosocial stress, and cortisol with obesogenic eating behaviors.

Meng, Y., Thornburg, L.L. Groth, S.W., Barrett, E.S., Miller, R.K., & O’Connor, T.G. (2026). Associations Between First-Trimester Cytokines and Gestational Diabetes. Diabetology. DOI: 10.3390/diabetology7020022

Duberstein, Z.T., Murphy, H., Wu, Q., Meng, Y., Wang, C., Smith, R., Salafia, C., Chowdhury, S.F., Barrett, E., Scheible, K., & Qiu, X. (2025). Do measures of general versus pregnancy-related anxiety have distinct maternal-fetal-placental biology?. Journal of affective disorders. PMID: 41224000 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.120673

Meng, Y., Yang, R., Alomeir, N., O’Connor, T.G., Rasmussen, J.M., Bidlack, F.B., & Xiao, J. (2025). Prenatal maternal salivary hormones and timing of tooth eruption in early childhood: a prospective birth cohort study.. Frontiers in oral health. PMID: 41341189 PMCID: PMC12669127 DOI: 10.3389/froh.2025.1663817

Dapilah, E., Agyei, K.G., & Meng, Y. (2025). Maternal Factors Related to Childhood Obesity in Ghana: A Scoping Review. Western Journal of Nursing Research. DOI: 10.1177/01939459251359377

Manning, S., Alkadi, A., Meng, Y., Xu, H., Wu, T.T., & Xiao, J. (2025). Early-life snack and drink consumption patterns among children: findings from a U.S. birth cohort study.. BMC oral health. PMID: 40653454 PMCID: PMC12257746 DOI: 10.1186/s12903-025-06434-z

Evans, A.T., Alur-Gupta, S., Martinez Steele, E., Meng, Y., Knutson, A.J., & Vitek, W.S. (2025). Consumption of ultra-processed foods and female infertility: a cross-sectional study.. Frontiers in public health. PMID: 40662109 PMCID: PMC12256463 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1597910

Meng, Y., Thornburg, L.L., Dreisbach, C., Orzolek, C., Kautz, A., Murphy, H.R., Rivera-Núñez, Z., Wang, C., Miller, R.K., O’Connor, T.G., & Barrett, E.S. (2025). The role of prenatal maternal sex steroid hormones in weight and adiposity at birth and growth trajectories during infancy. International Journal of Obesity. PMID: 40097707 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-025-01743-3

Kinkade, C.W., Rivera-Núñez, Z., Brinker, A., Buckley, B., Waysack, O., Kautz, A., Meng, Y., Ohman Strickland, P., Block, R., Groth, S.W., & O’Connor, T.G. (2024). Urinary mycoestrogens and gestational weight gain in the UPSIDE pregnancy cohort.. Environmental health : a global access science source. PMID: 39567992 PMCID: PMC11580541 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-024-01141-8

Kinkade, C.W., Brinker, A., Buckley, B., Waysack, O., Fernandez, I.D., Kautz, A., Meng, Y., Shi, H., Brunner, J., Ohman-Strickland, P., & Groth, S.W. (2024). Sociodemographic and dietary predictors of maternal and placental mycoestrogen concentrations in a US pregnancy cohort.. Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology. PMID: 39363096 PMCID: PMC11968447 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-024-00722-6

Kautz, A., Meng, Y., Yeh, K.L., Peck, R., Brunner, J., Best, M., Fernandez, I.D., Miller, R.K., Barrett, E.S., Groth, S.W., & O’Connor, T.G. (2024). Dietary Intake of Nutrients Involved in Serotonin and Melatonin Synthesis and Prenatal Maternal Sleep Quality and Affective Symptoms.. Journal of nutrition and metabolism. PMID: 39015539 PMCID: PMC11250910 DOI: 10.1155/2024/6611169

Yeh, K.L., Meng, Y., Fernandez, I.D., & Groth, S.W. (2024). Validation of the Weight-Related Eating Questionnaire in pregnancy.. Eating behaviors. PMID: 38823372 DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2024.101887

Alkadi, A., Alkhars, N., Manning, S., Xu, H., Sohn, M., Xiao, J. & Meng, Y. (2024). The Associations between Snack Intake and Cariogenic Oral Microorganism Colonization in Young Children of a Low Socioeconomic Status. Nutrients. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/nu16081113

Meng, Y., Thornburg, L., Dreisbach, C., Orzolek, C., Kautz, A., Murphy, H., Rivera- Núñez, Z., Wang, C., Miller, R., O'Connor, T., & Barrett, E. (2024). The role of prenatal maternal sex steroid hormones in weight and adiposity at birth and growth trajectories during infancy. Research Square. PMID: 38659862 PMCID: PMC11042427 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4178000/v1

Meng, Y., Thornburg, L.L., Hoeger, K.M., Núñez, Z.R., Kautz, A., Evans, A.T., Wang, C., Miller, R.K., Groth, S.W., O’Connor, T.G., & Barrett, E.S. (2023). Association between sex steroid hormones and subsequent hyperglycemia during pregnancy. Frontiers in Endocrinology. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1213402

Meng, Y., & Kautz, A. (2022). An evidence review of the association of immune and inflammatory markers with obesity-related eating behaviors. Frontiers in Immunology. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.902114

Groth, S.W., Meng, Y., Yeh, K.L., & Fernandez, I.D. (2021). Influence of Appetite and Perceived Ability to Control Cravings on Excessive Gestational Weight Gain. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing. DOI: 10.1016/j.jogn.2021.08.097

Yu, Y., Fernandez, I.D., Meng, Y., Zhao, W., & Groth, S.W. (2021). Gut hormones, adipokines, and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines/markers in loss of control eating: A scoping review. Appetite. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105442

Meng, Y., Groth, S.W., Hodgkinson, C.A., & Mariani, T.J. (2021). Serotonin system genes contribute to the susceptibility to obesity in Black adolescents. Obesity Science & Practice. PMID: 34401202 PMCID: PMC8346375 DOI: 10.1002/osp4.511

Groth, S.W., Fernandez, I.D., Block, R.C., Thurston, S.W., Wong, E., Brunner, J., Mayo, N., Kapula, N., Yu, Y., Meng, Y., Yeh, K., Kinkade, C.W., Thornburg, L.L., O'Conner, T.G., & Barrett, E.S. (2021). Biological changes in the pregnancy-postpartum period and subsequent cardiometabolic risk—UPSIDE MOMS: A research protocol. Research in Nursing and Health. PMID: 33993510 PMCID: PMC8378197 DOI: 10.1002/nur.22141

O'Connor T., Best M., Brunner J., Ciesla A.A., Cunning A., Kapula N., Kautz A., Khoury L., Macomber A., Meng Y., Miller R.K., Murphy H., Salafia C.M., Vallejo Sefair A., Serrano J., & Barrett E. (2021). Cohort profile: Understanding Pregnancy Signals and Infant Development (UPSIDE): a pregnancy cohort study on prenatal exposure mechanisms for child health.. BMJ open. PMID: 33795306 PMCID: PMC8021752 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044798

Meng Y., Lohse B., & Cunningham-Sabo L. (2020). Sex modifies the association between the CLOCK variant rs1801260 and BMI in school-age children. PloS one. PMID: 32785234 PMCID: PMC7423126 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236991

Meng, Y., Wu, T., Billings, R., Kopycka-Kedzierawski, D.T., & Xiao, J. (2019). Human genes influence the interaction between Streptococcus mutans and host caries susceptibility: a genome-wide association study in children with primary dentition. International Journal of Oral Science. PMID: 31148553 PMCID: PMC6544625 DOI: 10.1038/s41368-019-0051-4

Meng, Y., Groth, S., & Stewart, P. (2018). Determinants of gestational weight gain: The impact of diet, genes, and energy expenditure. The FASEB Journal. DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.lb304

Holland, M.L., Groth, S.W., Smith, J.A., Meng, Y., & Kitzman, H. (2018). Low birthweight in second children after nurse home visiting. Journal of Perinatology. PMID: 30214029 PMCID: PMC6279547 DOI: 10.1038/s41372-018-0222-8

Meng, Y., & Groth, S.W. (2018). Fathers Count: The Impact of Paternal Risk Factors on Birth Outcomes. Maternal and Child Health Journal. PMID: 29218490 PMCID: PMC5892832. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-017-2407-8

Meng, Y., Groth, S.W., & Li, D. (2018). The Association between Obesity-Risk Genes and Gestational Weight Gain Is Modified by Dietary Intake in African American Women.. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. PMID: 29686896 PMCID: PMC5852892 DOI: 10.1155/2018/5080492

Groth, S.W., Holland, ML., Smith, J.A., Meng, Y., & Kitzman, H. (2017). Effect of Gestational Weight Gain and Pregnancy Body Mass Index in Adolescent Mothers on Weight and Body Mass Index of Adolescent Offspring. Journal of Adolescent Health. PMID: 28711316 PMCID: PMC5654683 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.05.005

Meng, Y., Groth, S.W., Stewart, P., & Smith, J. A. (2017). An exploration of the determinants of gestational weight gain in African American women: Genetic factors and energy expenditure. Biological Research for Nursing. PMID: 29161908 PMCID: PMC5896561 DOI: 10.1177/1099800417743326

Meng, Y., Groth, S., Quinn, J.R., Bisognano, J., & Wu, T.T. (2017). An Exploration of Gene-Gene Interactions and Their Effects on Hypertension. International Journal of Genomics. PMID: 28642868 PMCID: PMC5470022 DOI: 10.1155/2017/7208318

Groth, S.W., Holland, M.L., Kitzman, H., & Meng, Y. (2013). Gestational weight gain of pregnant african american adolescents affects body mass index 18 years later. JOGNN - Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing. PMID: 24003870 PMCID: PMC3810949 DOI: 10.1111/1552-6909.12230

Groth, S.W., Morrison-Beedy, D., & Meng, Y. (2012). How Pregnant African American Women View Pregnancy Weight Gain. JOGNN - Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing. PMID: 22789036 PMCID: PMC3473094 DOI: 10.1111/j.1552-6909.2012.01391.x