Laura Maria Grajeda Diaz

Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Global Health Institute

Laura Grajeda Díaz is an environmental epidemiologist whose research focuses on the effects of early-life environmental exposures—particularly household air pollution—on cardiopulmonary health across the life course, with an emphasis on epigenetic mechanisms. Her work aims to inform early-life interventions and prevention strategies for cardiopulmonary disease. She integrates causal inference methods, exposure science, and molecular epidemiology with community-based field research. Dr. Grajeda Díaz also has research interests in infectious disease surveillance. She has extensive experience conducting epidemiologic studies in low-resource settings in Guatemala.

Education

PhD, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Georgia, USA, 2025, Epidemiology
MSc, Biostatistics and Bioinformtics, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain, 2019, Biostatistics
MSPH, International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA, 2012, Global Disease Epidemiology and Control
BS, Biochemistry and Microbiology, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala, 2006

Honors, Awards, and Achievements

2023 – Ann and Tipton Golias International Travel Fund in Epidemiology. University of Georgia
2022 – Karen and Jim Holbrook Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in Global Health, University of Georgia
2021 – Excellence in research, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
2019 – Award to teachers of excellence, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala

Research Interests

Household air pollution exposure
Cardiopulmonary outcomes
Life course health
Infectious disease surveillance

Selected Publications

Grajeda LM, Castellanos K, Díaz-Artiga A, López MR, Ramirez A, Petrovick T, Barraza-Villarreal A, Thompson LM,
Jabbarzadeh S, Wang J, Waller L, Clark ML, Lovvorn AE, Eckhardt CM, Hoekstra NE, Johnson MA, Pillarisetti A, Prada D,
Baccarelli AA, Shen Y, Knight J, Naeher LP, Clasen T, Peel J, Mccollum ED, Mccracken JP. Early-life liquefied petroleum
gas cooking intervention and lung function in Guatemalan children: A randomized clinical trial. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2026
Apr 17; PubMed PMID: 42001209

Grajeda L, Petrovick T, Castellanos K, Diaz-Artiga A, Lopez M, Barraza-Villareal A, Thompson L, Shen Y, Knight J, Naeher
L, Clasen T, Peel J, McCollum E, McCracken J. Reliability sub-study of pulmonary oscillometry of Guatemalan preschool
children from the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial. ERJ Open Research. Forthcoming.

McCracken JP, McCollum ED, Steenland K, Nicolaou L, Kirby MA, Grajeda LM, Rosa G, Mukeshimana A, Ndagijimana F,
Balakrishnan K, Thangavel G, Garg SS, Sambandam S, Mukhopadhyay K, Aravindalochanan V, Díaz-Artiga A, Castañaza A,
Thompson LM, Chiang M, Hartinger SM, Simkovich SM, Waller LA, Chang HH, Jabbarzadeh S, Wang J, Chen Y, Naeher
LP, Pillarisetti A, Johnson M, Williams KN, Underhill LJ, Papageorghiou AT, Clasen TF, Peel JL, Checkley W. Exposure to
Household Air Pollution From Biomass Cooking and Severe Pneumonia in Infants. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Oct
1;8(10):e2538721. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12573034.

McCollum ED, McCracken JP, Kirby MA, Grajeda LM, Hossen S, Moulton LH, Simkovich SM, Goodman-Palmer D, Rosa
G, Mukeshimana A, Balakrishnan K, Thangavel G, Garg SS, Castañaza A, Thompson LM, Diaz-Artiga A, Papageorghiou AT,
Davila-Roman VG, Underhill LJ, Hartinger SM, Williams KN, Nicolaou L, Chang HH, Lovvorn AE, Rosenthal JP, Pillarisetti
A, Ye W, Naeher LP, Johnson MA, Waller LA, Jabbarzadeh S, Wang J, Chen Y, Steenland K, Clasen TF, Peel JL, Checkley
W. Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass Cooking and Severe Infant Pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 2024 Jan 4;390(1):32-43.
PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10768798.

Grajeda LM, McCracken JP, Berger-González M, López MR, Álvarez D, Méndez S, Pérez O, Cordón-Rosales C, Zinsstag J.
Sensitivity and representativeness of one-health surveillance for diseases of zoonotic potential at health facilities relative to
household visits in rural Guatemala. One Health. 2021 Dec;13:100336. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8524745.