Erin LeBlanc, MD, MPH, is an epidemiologist and board-certified adult endocrinologist. Her research focuses on conditions that affect women, including menopause, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, and vitamin D deficiency.
Currently, Dr. LeBlanc co-leads the GO MOMs study, which is examining the association between glycemic changes and pregnancy and newborn complications. She also leads the Prepare and PrepareD studies on the effects of a pre-pregnancy weight loss program on mother and child pregnancy and postpartum health. All of these studies are funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
She is also the PI of Sleep for Health, a randomized clinical trial examining whether a sleep treatment called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) results in lower blood sugar levels in people who have prediabetes, which is also funded by NIDDK. She led the Portland site of the D2d study, a multicenter study examining the effects of vitamin D on diabetes risk. She was a co-investigator on De Por Vida, a study on the effects of a weight loss intervention in Hispanics with diabetes or prediabetes. Dr. LeBlanc has led or been involved in several systematic evidence reviews to support the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, including reviews on obesity treatment, screening for vitamin D deficiency, healthy weight gain during pregnancy, and screening for childhood diabetes.
Dr. LeBlanc was a co-investigator on the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, a nearly 30-year-old study that is linking its database with Medicare claims data for ~10,000 women to examine relationships between aging and cognitive function, physical performance, bone mineral density, and body weight. She also served as the principal investigator for the Women’s Health Initiative study, which examined heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. She also led a study assessing risk factors associated with fractures among people taking bisphosphonates.
Dr. LeBlanc came to CHR in 2009 from Oregon Health & Science University. She graduated cum laude from the Yale University School of Medicine. Following her internal medicine residency at Stanford University and before joining OHSU, she completed fellowships in women’s health and endocrinology at the Portland VA Medical Center and Oregon Health & Science University. She remains an affiliate assistant professor of endocrinology at OHSU.
Selected Current Studies
- GO MOMs (NIDDK)
- Prepare and PrepareD (NIDDK)
- MatTrack (NIDDK)
- Systematic Evidence Reviews to Support the USPSTF (AHRQ)
- D2d: Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (NIDDK)
Selected Publications
- LeBlanc ES, Hillier TA. The Impact of Gestational Weight Gain on Glucose and Insulin Physiology in Pregnancy-Does Timing Matter? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2022 Feb 17;107(3):e1303-e1304. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgab745. PMID: 34634099 PMCID: PMC8851914
- LeBlanc ES, Smith NX, Vesco KK, Hillier TA, Stevens VJ. Weight Loss Prior to Pregnancy and Early Gestational Glycemia: Prepare, a Randomized Clinical Trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021 Jul 27;dgab547.
- LeBlanc ES, Smith NX, Vesco KK, Paul IM, Stevens VJ. Weight loss prior to pregnancy and subsequent gestational weight gain: Prepare, a randomized clinical trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2021 Jan;224(1):99.e1-99.e14. [Epub 2020 Jul 18]
- LeBlanc ES, Pratley RE, Dawson-Hughes B, Staten MA, Sheehan PR, Lewis MR, Peters A, Kim SH, Chatterjee R, Aroda VR, Chadha C, Neff LM, Brodsky IG, Rosen C, Desouza CV, Foreyt JP, Hsia DS, Johnson KC, Raskin P, Kashyap SR, O'Neil P, Phillips LS, Rasouli N, Liao EP, Robbins DC, Pittas AG. D2d Research Group. Baseline characteristics of the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study: A contemporary prediabetes cohort that will inform diabetes prevention efforts. Diabetes Care 2018 Aug;41(8):1590-1599. PMCID: PMC6054501
- LeBlanc ES, Smith NX, Nichols GA, Allison MJ, Clarke GN. Insomnia is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the clinical setting. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care 2018 Dec 26;6(1):e000604. PMCID: PMC6326337
- LeBlanc ES, Patnode CD, Webber EM, Redmond N, Rushkin M, O’Connor EA. Behavioral and pharmacotherapy weight loss interventions to prevent obesity-related morbidity and mortality in adults: Updated evidence report and systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. JAMA 2018;320(11):1172–1191.
- LeBlanc ES, Rizzo JH, Pedula KL, Yaffe K, Ensrud KE, Cauley JA, Cawthon PM, Cummings SR, Hillier TA; Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group. Long-term weight trajectory and risk of hip fracture, falls, impaired physical function, and death. J Am Geriatr Soc 2018 Oct;66(10):1972-1979. PMCID: PMC6181783
- LeBlanc ES, Kapphahn K, Hedlin H, Desai M, Parikh NI, Liu S, Parker DR, Anderson M, Aroda V, Sullivan S, Woods, NF, Waring ME, Lewis CE, Stefanick M. Reproductive history and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in postmenopausal women: Findings from the Women’s Health Initiative. Menopause 2017 Jan;24(1):64-72. PMCID: PMC5477993
- LeBlanc ES, Zakher B, Daeges M, Pappas M, Chou R. Screening for vitamin D deficiency: A systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Int Med 2015 Jan 20;162(2):109-122.
- LeBlanc ES, Chou R. Vitamin D and falls: Fitting new data with current guidelines. JAMA Intern Med 2015 May;175(5):712-3.
- LeBlanc ES, Rizzo JH, Pedula KL, Ensrud KE, Cauley J, Hochberg M, Hillier TA. for the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Associations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and weight gain in elderly women. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2012 Oct;21(10):1066-73. PMCID: PMC3466912