Prominent Epidemiologist Dies

David Barker, the physician-scientist who connected conditions in the womb and just after birth with chronic health problems in adulthood, has passed away at age 75.

Written byKate Yandell
| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

OHSU, ELIZABETH ZDUNICH

David Barker, a renowned epidemiologist and doctor, died last month (August 26). He was 75. Barker was known for his proposal that many adult diseases, such as cardiovascular problems and diabetes, are rooted during fetal development and the period just after birth.

Barker received both an M.D. and a doctorate in his native England. As a young scientist, he studied the transmission mode of the pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans in Uganda, according to an obituary in The Guardian. In the 1980s he came up with what would be called the “Barker theory,” hypothesizing that the beginnings of chronic disease appear early on in life. His seminal study on the topic, published in The Lancet in 1989, showed that low birth weight correlated with coronary hearth disease ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Share
July Digest 2025
July 2025, Issue 1

What Causes an Earworm?

Memory-enhancing neural networks may also drive involuntary musical loops in the brain.

View this Issue
Accelerating Recombinase Reprogramming with Machine Learning

Accelerating Recombinase Reprogramming with Machine Learning

Genome Modeling and Design: From the Molecular to Genome Scale

Genome Modeling and Design: From the Molecular to Genome Scale

Twist Bio 
Screening 3D Brain Cell Cultures for Drug Discovery

Screening 3D Brain Cell Cultures for Drug Discovery

DNA and pills, conceptual illustration of the relationship between genetics and therapeutic development

Multiplexing PCR Technologies for Biopharmaceutical Research

Thermo Fisher Logo

Products

waters-logo

Waters and BD's Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions Business to Combine, Creating a Life Science and Diagnostics Leader Focused on Regulated, High-Volume Testing

zymo-research-logo

Zymo Research Partners with Harvard University to Bring the BioFestival to Cambridge, Empowering World-class Research

10x-genomics-logo

10x Genomics and A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore Launch TISHUMAP Study to Advance AI-Driven Drug Target Discovery

The Scientist Placeholder Image

Sino Biological Sets New Industry Standard with ProPure Endotoxin-Free Proteins made in the USA