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Profile Details
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USD 100 /hr
Hire Alessandra P.
Canada
USD 100 /hr

Epidemiologist and Statistical Analyst | Research Expert 15+ years | Global Health | PhD | 65+ publications

Profile Summary
Subject Matter Expertise
Services
Writing Medical Writing, Technical Writing, General Proofreading & Editing
Research Feasibility Study, Scientific and Technical Research, Systematic Literature Review, Secondary Data Collection
Consulting Healthcare Consulting, Scientific and Technical Consulting
Data & AI Predictive Modeling, Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization, Big Data Analytics, Data Mining, Data Insights
Work Experience

Epidemiology Expert

Epidemiology Consulting

June 2024 - Present

Principal Investigator

Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit

June 2021 - Present

Researcher

University of the Witwatersrand

September 2015 - Present

Lecturer/Academic

University of Johannesburg

January 2014 - September 2015

Associate Lecturer

University of the Witwatersrand

January 2011 - January 2014

Education

PhD (Exercise Physiology)

University of the Witwatersrand

January 2011 - October 2014

Certifications
  • Advanced Epidemiological Methods

    London school of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

    July 2024 - Present

  • Mediation analysis

    Bristol Medical School

    July 2024 - Present

  • Advanced Survival Analysis

    Bristol Medical School

    July 2024 - Present

  • Causal Inference

    Bristol Medical School

    June 2024 - Present

Publications
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Alessandra Prioreschi, Deborah M James, Rebecca M Pearson, Antonia Smith, Shane A Norris, Kirsten L Rennie (2025). “I always wondered if my baby is able to feel my love for them” -  Development and pilot testing of two behavioural feedback strategies designed to improve maternal self-efficacy . Wellcome Open Research.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Stephanie V Wrottesley, Linda Adair, Kate A Ward, Shane A Norris (2025). The triple burden of obesity, HIV, and anaemia during pregnancy and associations with delivery outcomes in urban South Africans . South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Deborah M James, Rebecca M Pearson, Antonia Smith, Shane A Norris, Kirsten L Rennie (2025). “I always wondered if my baby is able to feel my love for them” -  Development and pilot testing of two behavioural feedback strategies designed to improve maternal self-efficacy . Wellcome Open Research.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Wiedaad Slemming, Emmanuel Cohen, Stephanie Wrottesley, Shane A. Norris, Yuqing Geng (2025). “Love, You Need to Give Your Child Love”: Mothers’ Perceptions of Nurturing Care for Young Children in South Africa . New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Lisa J Ware, Catherine E Draper, Stephen Lye, Shane A Norris (2024). Contextualising individual, household and community level factors associated with sugar-sweetened beverage intake and screen time in Soweto, South Africa . Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Cindy-Lee Dennis, Catherine S. Birken, Sarah Brennenstuhl, Hilary Brown, Rhonda C. Bell, Flavia Marini, Stephanie V. Wrottesley(2023). Predictors of preconception health knowledge among Canadian women: A nationwide cross‐sectional study . Journal of Clinical Nursing. 32. (15-16). p. 4843--4851. Wiley
Alessandra Prioreschi, Asanda Mtintsilana, Shane A. Norris, Siphiwe N. Dlamini, Lukhanyo H. Nyati, David M. Aronoff, John R. Koethe, Jeffrey A. Goldstein(2023). The impact of HIV and ART exposure during pregnancy on fetal growth: a prospective study in a South African cohort . BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 23. (1). Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Cindy-Lee Dennis, Flavia Marini, Justine Dol, Catherine Birken, Rhonda C. Bell(2023). The Canadian Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) Trial: a study protocol for monitoring fidelity of a preconception-lifestyle behaviour intervention . Trials. 24. (1). Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Cindy-Lee Dennis, Flavia Marini, Justine Dol, Catherine Birken, Rhonda C. Bell(2023). The Canadian Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) Trial: a study protocol for monitoring fidelity of a preconception-lifestyle behaviour intervention . Trials. 24. (1). Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, David M Aronoff, John Koethe, Shane A Norris, Jeffrey A Goldstein (2023). Interactions between maternal health and placental morphology on neonate body composition . Global Pediatrics.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Rebecca Pearson, Linda Richter, Fiona Bennin, Helene Theunissen, Sarah J Cantrell, Dumsile Maduna, Deborah Lawlor, Shane A Norris (2023). Protocol for the PLAY Study: a randomised controlled trial of an intervention to improve infant development by encouraging maternal self-efficacy using behavioural feedback . BMJ Open.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Rebecca Pearson, Linda Richter, Fiona Bennin, Helene Theunissen, Sarah J Cantrell, Dumsile Maduna, Deborah Lawlor, Shane A Norris(2023). Protocol for the PLAY Study: a randomised controlled trial of an intervention to improve infant development by encouraging maternal self-efficacy using behavioural feedback . BMJ Open. 13. (3). p. e064976. {BMJ}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Emmanuel Cohen, Wiedaad Slemming, Stephanie V. Wrottesley, Shane A. Norris(2023). Maternal perceptions of infant's body weight and childhood obesity in South Africa: A qualitative study in Soweto . Children & Society. Wiley
Alessandra Prioreschi, Cindy-Lee Dennis, Catherine S. Birken, Sarah Brennenstuhl, Stephanie Wrottesley, Flavia Marini, Rhonda C. Bell, Mark S. Tremblay (2023). Describing 24-hour movement behaviours among preconception and recently pregnant Canadian parents: who do we need to target? . Behavioral Medicine.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Catherine Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Stephanie Redinger, Tamsen Rochat, Dale E. Rae, Lisa J. Ware, Stephen J. Lye, Shane A. Norris(2022). Cross-sectional associations between mental health indicators and social vulnerability, with physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep in urban African young women . International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 19. (1). Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Stephanie Victoria Wrottesley, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert, Shane A. Norris(2022). Anti-inflammatory diets reduce the risk of excessive gestational weight gain in urban South Africans from the Soweto First 1000-Day Study (S1000) . European Journal of Nutrition. 61. (8). p. 3929--3941. Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Lisa K Micklesfield, Andrea Kolkenbeck-Ruh, Gudani Mukoma, Rihlat Said-Mohamed, Lisa J Ware, Molebogeng Motlhatlhedi, Stephanie V Wrottesley, Shane A Norris(2022). The Healthy Aging Adult South Africa report card: a systematic review of the evidence between 2013 and 2020 for middle-aged South African men and women . Cardiovascular Journal of Africa. 33. (4). p. 38--57. Clinics Cardive Publishing
Alessandra Prioreschi, Larske M Soepnel, Michelle C McKinley, Sonja Klingberg, Catherine E Draper, Shane A Norris, Lisa J Ware (2022). Evaluation of a Text Messaging Intervention to Promote Preconception Micronutrient Supplement Use: Feasibility Study Nested in the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative Study in South Africa . JMIR Formative Research.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Ken K Ong, Emanuella De Lucia Rolfe, Kate Westgate, Lisa K Micklesfield, Soren Brage (2022). Associations between abdominal adiposity, body size and objectively measured physical activity in infants from Soweto, South Africa . Maternal and Child Health Journal.
Alessandra Prioreschi, John R. Koethe, David M. Aronoff, Jeffrey A. Goldstein, Shane A. Norris (2022). Relationships between adiposity distribution and metabolic health in preconception women in South Africa . Obesity Science & Practice.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Shane A. Norris (2022). Describing correlates of early childhood screen time and outdoor time in Soweto, South Africa . Infant and Child Development.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Shane A Norris, Catherine E Draper, CM Smuts, Lisa J Ware, Cindy-Lee Dennis, Philip Awadalla, D Bassani, Zulfiqar Bhutta, Laurent Briollais, et al.(2022). Building knowledge, optimising physical and mental health and setting up healthier life trajectories in South African women (<i>Bukhali</i>): a preconception randomised control trial part of the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) . BMJ Open. 12. (4). p. e059914. {BMJ}
A Prioreschi, SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, S V Wrottesley, S A Norris(2021). Physical activity and sedentary behaviours during pregnancy are associated with neonatal size at birth . South African Journal of Child Health. 15. (4). p. 201--207. South African Medical Association {NPC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Stephanie V. Wrottesley, Rebecca Pearson (2021). The headcam mother-infant interaction assessment tool: testing the feasibility and acceptability in Soweto, South Africa, using participatory engagement . Pilot and Feasibility Studies.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Lisa J Ware, Andrew W. Kim, Lukhanyo H. Nyati, Wihan Taljaard, Catherine E. Draper, Stephen J. Lye, Shane A. Norris(2021). Social vulnerability, parity and food insecurity in urban South African young women: the healthy life trajectories initiative (HeLTI) study . Journal of Public Health Policy. 42. (3). p. 373--389. Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Stephanie V Wrottesley, Wiedaad Slemming, Emmanuel Cohen, Cindy-Lee Dennis, Shane A Norris(2021). Maternal perspectives on infant feeding practices in Soweto, South Africa . Public Health Nutrition. 24. (12). p. 3602--3614. Cambridge University Press ({CUP})
Alessandra Prioreschi, Sarah H Kehoe, Stephanie Victoria Wrottesley, Lisa Ware, Catherine Draper, Kate Ward, Stephen Lye, Shane A Norris(2021). Food insecurity, diet quality and body composition: data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) pilot survey in urban Soweto, South Africa . Public Health Nutrition. 24. (7). p. 1629--1637. Cambridge University Press ({CUP})
Alessandra Prioreschi, Stephanie Victoria Wrottesley, Shane A. Norris(2021). The association between fetal growth and neonatal adiposity in urban South African infants . Pediatric Obesity. 16. (4). Wiley
Alessandra Prioreschi, Stephanie V. Wrottesley, Shane A. Norris(2021). Physical Activity Levels, Food Insecurity and Dietary Behaviours in Women from Soweto, South Africa . Journal of Community Health. 46. (1). p. 156--164. Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Stephanie V. Wrottesley, Rihlat Said-Mohamed, Lukhanyo Nyati, Marie-Louise Newell, Shane A. Norris(2021). Understanding how maternal social and biological factors are related to fetal growth in an urban South African cohort . Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. p. 1--9. Cambridge University Press ({CUP})
Alessandra Prioreschi, Glory Chidumwa, Rihlat SAID MOHAMED, Lukhanyo H. Nyati, Feziwe Mpondo, Tinashe Chikowore, Juliana Kagura, Lisa J. Ware, Lisa K. Micklesfield, Shane A. Norris(2021). Stunting in infancy, pubertal trajectories and adult body composition: the Birth to Twenty Plus cohort, South Africa . European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 75. (1). p. 189--197. Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
A Prioreschi(2020). Child Gauge 2019: Child and Adolescent Health - Leave no one behind . South African Journal of Child Health. 14. (4). p. 233. South African Medical Association {NPC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Stephanie Victoria Wrottesley, Wiedaad Slemming, Emmanuel Cohen, Shane Anthony Norris(2020). A qualitative study reporting maternal perceptions of the importance of play for healthy growth and development in the first two years of life . BMC Pediatrics. 20. (1). Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Emmanuel Cohen, Lisa J Ware, Catherine Draper, Edna Bosire, Stephen J Lye, Shane A Norris(2020). Material and Relational Difficulties: The Impact of the Household Environment on the Emotional Well-Being of Young Black Women Living in Soweto, South Africa . Journal of Family Issues. 41. (8). p. 1307--1332. {SAGE} Publications
Alessandra Prioreschi, Stephanie Victoria Wrottesley, Sarah Kehoe, Kate A. Ward, Shane A. Norris(2020). A maternal “mixed, high sugar” dietary pattern is associated with fetal growth . Maternal &amp; Child Nutrition. 16. (2). Wiley
Catherine E. Draper, Simone A. Tomaz, Linda Biersteker, Caylee J. Cook, Jacqui Couper, Monique de Milander, Kamesh Flynn, Sonja Giese, Soezin Krog, Estelle V. Lambert, et al.(2020). The South African 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Birth to 5 Years: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sitting Behavior, Screen Time, and Sleep . Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 17. (1). p. 109--119. Human Kinetics
CE Draper, A Prioreschi, LJ Ware, S Lye, SA Norris(2020). Pilot implementation of Bukhali: A preconception health trial in South Africa . SAGE Open Medicine. 8. p. 205031212094054. {SAGE} Publications
C E Draper, S A Tomaz, J Harbron, H S Kruger, L K Micklesfield, A Monyeki, E V Lambert, And members of the HAKSA(2019). Results from the Healthy Active Kids South Africa 2018 Report Card . South African Journal of Child Health. 13. (3). p. 130. South African Medical Association {NPC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Lisa K. Micklesfield(2019). Compliance With Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Guidelines and Associations With Abdominal Adiposity in a Sample of Infants and Toddlers From Soweto, South Africa . Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 16. (10). p. 872--879. Human Kinetics
Alessandra Prioreschi, Lisa J. Ware, Dr Edna N Bosire, Emmanuel Cohen, Catherine E. Draper, Stephen J. Lye, Shane A. Norris(2019). Environmental, Social, and Structural Constraints for Health Behavior: Perceptions of Young Urban Black Women During the Preconception Period—A Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative . Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 51. (8). p. 946--957. Elsevier {BV}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Simone A. Tomaz, Estelle D. Watson, Joanne A. McVeigh, Dale E. Rae, Rachel A. Jones, Catherine E. Draper(2019). Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Sleep, and Gross Motor Skill Proficiency in Preschool Children From a Low- to Middle-Income Urban Setting . Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 16. (7). p. 525--532. Human Kinetics
C.E. Draper, E. Bosire, A. Prioreschi, L.J. Ware, E. Cohen, S.J. Lye, S.A. Norris(2019). Urban young women's preferences for intervention strategies to promote physical and mental health preconception: A Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) . Preventive Medicine Reports. 14. p. 100846. Elsevier {BV}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Thomas Nappey, Kate Westgate, Patrick Olivier, Soren Brage, Lisa Kim Micklesfield(2018). Development and feasibility of a wearable infant wrist band for the objective measurement of physical activity using accelerometery . Pilot and Feasibility Studies. 4. (1). Springer Nature
Alessandra Prioreschi, Soren Brage, Kate Westgate, Lisa K. Micklesfield(2018). Describing the diurnal relationships between objectively measured mother and infant physical activity . International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 15. (1). Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}
Alessandra Prioreschi, Rihlat Said-Mohamed, Lukhanyo H. Nyati, Alastair van Heerden, Richard J. Munthali, Kathleen Kahn, Stephen M. Tollman, Francesc Xavier G&#243;mez-Oliv&#233;, Brian Houle, David B. Dunger, et al.(2018). Rural–urban variations in age at menarche, adult height, leg-length and abdominal adiposity in black South African women in transitioning South Africa . Annals of Human Biology. 45. (2). p. 123--132. Informa {UK} Limited
Alessandra Prioreschi, Vanessa Souza-Mello, Richard J. Munthali, Juliana Kagura, Rihlat Said-Mohamed, Emanuella De Lucia Rolfe, Lisa K. Micklesfield, Shane A. Norris (2018). The associations between adult body composition and abdominal adiposity outcomes, and relative weight gain and linear growth from birth to age 22 in the Birth to Twenty Plus cohort, South Africa . PLOS ONE.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Catherine E. Draper, Simone A. Tomaz, Susan H. Bassett, Cora Burnett, Candice J. Christie, Colleen Cozett, Monique de Milander, Soezin Krog, Andries Monyeki, et al.(2018). Results from South Africa’s 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth . Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 15. (s2). p. S406--S408. Human Kinetics
Alessandra Prioreschi, Soren Brage, Kylie D. Hesketh, Jill Hnatiuk, Kate Westgate, Lisa K. Micklesfield (2017). Describing objectively measured physical activity levels, patterns, and correlates in a cross sectional sample of infants and toddlers from South Africa . International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
A. Prioreschi, S. Brage, K. Westgate, S. A. Norris, L. K. Micklesfield(2017). Cardiorespiratory fitness levels and associations with physical activity and body composition in young South African adults from Soweto . BMC Public Health. 17. (1). Springer Nature
Alessandra Prioreschi, Sabine Rohrmann, Stephanie V. Wrottesley, Emmanuel Cohen, Ankita Reddy, Rihlat Said-Mohamed, Rhian Twine, Stephen M. Tollman, Kathleen Kahn, David B. Dunger, et al.(2017). Examining the relationships between body image, eating attitudes, BMI, and physical activity in rural and urban South African young adult females using structural equation modeling . PLOS ONE. 12. (11). p. e0187508. Public Library of Science ({PLoS})
A. Prioreschi, S. Wrottesley, C. E. Draper, S. A. Tomaz, C. J. Cook, E. D. Watson, M. N. M. Van Poppel, R. Said-Mohamed, S. A. Norris, E. V. Lambert, et al.(2017). Maternal and early life nutrition and physical activity: setting the research and intervention agenda for addressing the double burden of malnutrition in South African children . Global Health Action. 10. (1). p. 1301085. Informa {UK} Limited
Prioreschi, A., Brage, S., Westgate, K., Norris, S.A., Micklesfield, L.K.(2017). Cardiorespiratory fitness levels and associations with physical activity and body composition in young South African adults from Soweto . BMC Public Health. 17. (1).
Prioreschi, A., Munthali, R.J., Soepnel, L., Goldstein, J.A., Micklesfield, L.K., Aronoff, D.M., Norris, S.A.(2017). Incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus with HIV infection in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis . BMJ Open. 7. (3).
Alessandra Prioreschi, Mohamed A. Makda, Mohammed Tikly, Joanne A. McVeigh, Gordon Fisher(2016). In Patients with Established RA, Positive Effects of a Randomised Three Month WBV Therapy Intervention on Functional Ability, Bone Mineral Density and Fatigue Are Sustained for up to Six Months . PLOS ONE. 11. (4). p. e0153470. Public Library of Science ({PLoS})
Prioreschi, A., Micklesfield, L.K.(2016). A scoping review examining physical activity measurement and levels in the first 2 years of life . Child: Care, Health and Development. 42. (6). p. 775-783.
A. Prioreschi, M. Makda, M. Tikly, J. McVeigh(2015). Habitual Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Bone Health in Rheumatoid Arthritis . International Journal of Sports Medicine. 36. (12). p. 1021--1026. Thieme Publishing Group
Prioreschi, A., Makda, M.A., Tikly, M., McVeigh, J.A.(2015). Habitual Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Bone Health in Rheumatoid Arthritis . International Journal of Sports Medicine. 36. (12). p. 1021-1026.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Mohammed Tikly, Joanne A McVeigh(2014). A three month controlled intervention of intermittent whole body vibration designed to improve functional ability and attenuate bone loss in patients with rheumatoid arthritis . BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 15. (1). Springer Nature
A. Prioreschi, B. Hodkinson, M. Tikly, J. A. McVeigh(2014). Changes in physical activity measured by accelerometry following initiation of DMARD therapy in rheumatoid arthritis . Rheumatology. 53. (5). p. 923--926. Oxford University Press ({OUP})
Prioreschi, A., Hodkinson, B., Tikly, M., Mcveigh, J.A.(2014). Changes in physical activity measured by accelerometry following initiation of dmard therapy in rheumatoid arthritis . Rheumatology (United Kingdom). 53. (5). p. 923-926.
J. McVeigh, L. Straker, A. Prioreschi, M. Makda, M. Tikly(2014). In people with rheumatoid arthritis, bone mineral density is lower in those more sedentary and less active . Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 18. p. e14--e15. Elsevier {BV}
A. Prioreschi, B. Hodkinson, I. Avidon, M. Tikly, J. McVeigh(2013). AB1312 Higher habitual physical activity levels are protective of functional capacity and quality of life in female patients with rheumatoid arthritis regardless of disease activity . Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 71. (Suppl 3). p. 712.15--712. {BMJ}
A. Prioreschi, I. Avidon, B. Hodkinson, M. Tikly, J. McVeigh(2013). THU0498 The Clinical Utility of the Accelerometer for Measuring Habitual Physical Activity in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Longitudinal Study . Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 72. (Suppl 3). p. A332.1--A332. {BMJ}
A. Prioreschi, B. Hodkinson, I. Avidon, M. Tikly, J. A. McVeigh(2013). The clinical utility of accelerometry in patients with rheumatoid arthritis . Rheumatology. 52. (9). p. 1721--1727. Oxford University Press ({OUP})
Prioreschi, A., Hodkinson, B., Avidon, I., Tikly, M., McVeigh, J.A.(2013). The clinical utility of accelerometry in patients with rheumatoid arthritis . Rheumatology (United Kingdom). 52. (9). p. 1721-1727.
A. Prioreschi, T. Oosthuyse, I. Avidon, J. McVeigh(2012). Whole Body Vibration Increases Hip Bone Mineral Density in Road Cyclists . International Journal of Sports Medicine. 33. (08). p. 593--599. Thieme Publishing Group
Prioreschi, A., Oosthuyse, T., Avidon, I., McVeigh, J.(2012). Whole body vibration increases hip bone mineral density in road cyclists . International Journal of Sports Medicine. 33. (8). p. 593-599.
Alessandra Prioreschi, Joanne A. McVeigh, Ingrid Avidon, Tanja Oosthuyse(2011). Whole Body Vibration Increases Hip Bone Mineral Density in Well-Trained Cyclists . Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 43. (Suppl 1). p. 244. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)