A. Heather Eliassen

A. Heather Eliassen is an American public health researcher who is a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research considers the epidemiology of breast cancer and the identification of modifiable risk factors to reduce breast cancer risk.

A. Heather Eliassen
Alma materHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dartmouth College
Scientific career
InstitutionsHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
ThesisLifestyle factors and risk of breast cancer (2004)
Doctoral advisorSusan Hankinson

Early life and education

Eliassen studied history at Dartmouth College.[1] She moved to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for graduate studies, where she majored in epidemiology. Her doctoral research considered lifestyle factors for breast cancer, which she investigated alongside Susan Hankinson.[2]

Research and career

Eliassen studies lifestyle factors and breast cancer risk.[3] She made use of the Nurses' Health Study to better understand how women adapt their lifestyles to reduce their risk of breast cancer. She showed that adolescent consumption of red meat was associated with premenopausal breast cancer, whilst intake of poultry resulted in a lower risk.[4] Additionally, she showed that high fiber[5] cruciferous and orange vegetables reduce the risk of breast cancer.[6][7]

Eliassen's research has shown that weight loss and increased exercise can reduce breast cancer risk after menopause.[1][8][9] She also showed that increased levels of carotenoids in blood reduced breast cancer risk, with low risk of lethal breast cancer in people with high levels of carotenoids. Eliassen showed that high levels of circulating trans fatty acids was positively correlated with breast cancer risk, which was particularly high for overweight women.[1]

In 2007, Eliassen was made Director of the Brigham and Women's Hospital Biorepository and in 2009 Associated Director of the Nurses' Health Study.[10][11]

Selected publications
  • Long H Nguyen; David A Drew; Mark S Graham; Amit D Joshi; et al. (July 30, 2020). "Risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers and the general community: a prospective cohort study". Lancet Public Health. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30164-X. ISSN 2468-2667. PMID 32745512. Wikidata Q98194003.
  • Kyriaki Michailidou; Sara Lindström; Joe Dennis; Jonathan Beesley; et al. (October 23, 2017). "Association analysis identifies 65 new breast cancer risk loci". Nature. 551 (7678): 92–94. Bibcode:2017Natur.551...92M. doi:10.1038/NATURE24284. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 5798588. PMID 29059683. Wikidata Q45979098.
  • A Heather Eliassen; Graham Colditz; Bernard Rosner; Walter C Willett; et al. (July 1, 2006). "Adult weight change and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer". JAMA. 296 (2): 193–201. doi:10.1001/JAMA.296.2.193. ISSN 0098-7484. PMID 16835425. Wikidata Q47330282.

References
  1. "A. Heather Eliassen". Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. January 5, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  2. "Lifestyle factors and risk of breast cancer". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  3. "Heather Eliassen – Society for Epidemiologic Research". February 9, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  4. Farvid, Maryam S.; Cho, Eunyoung; Chen, Wendy Y.; Eliassen, A. Heather; Willett, Walter C. (April 15, 2015). "Adolescent meat intake and breast cancer risk: Adolescent meat intake and breast cancer risk". International Journal of Cancer. 136 (8): 1909–1920. doi:10.1002/ijc.29218. PMC 4342753. PMID 25220168.
  5. "Higher dietary fiber intake in young women may reduce breast cancer risk". February 1, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  6. Farvid, Maryam S.; Chen, Wendy Y.; Rosner, Bernard A.; Tamimi, Rulla M.; Willett, Walter C.; Eliassen, A. Heather (April 2019). "Fruit and vegetable consumption and breast cancer incidence: Repeated measures over 30 years of follow‐up". International Journal of Cancer. 144 (7): 1496–1510. doi:10.1002/ijc.31653. ISSN 0020-7136. PMC 6440478. PMID 29978479.
  7. Sifferlin, Alexandra (December 7, 2012). "Certain Fruits and Vegetables Linked to Lower Breast Cancer Risk". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  8. Fortner, Renée Turzanski; Brantley, Kristen D.; Tworoger, Shelley S.; Tamimi, Rulla M.; Rosner, Bernard; Farvid, Maryam S.; Holmes, Michelle D.; Willett, Walter C.; Eliassen, A. Heather (January 1, 2023). "Physical activity and breast cancer survival: results from the Nurses' Health Studies". JNCI Cancer Spectrum. 7 (1): pkac085. doi:10.1093/jncics/pkac085. ISSN 2515-5091. PMC 9893869. PMID 36477805.
  9. "Brisk walkers have lower breast cancer risk: study". Reuters. October 28, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  10. "Biorepository consent form fact sheet". Nurses' Health Study. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  11. "Principal investigators". Nurses' Health Study. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
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