Research Studies

The Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS) is the largest follow-up study of the health of African-American women yet conducted. The purpose is to identify and evaluate causes and preventives of cancers and other serious illnesses in African-American women. Current BWHS research:

• Somatic Mutations and Their Etiological Determinants for Breast Cancer in African American Women
• Testing Scalable Communication Modalities for Returning Breast Cancer Genetic Research Results to African American Women
• A Prediction Model to Simultaneously Estimate Personal Risk of Breast Cancer and Death from Other Causes in Women Aged 55 and Older
• Comprehensive molecular characterization of endometrial cancer, etiologic heterogeneity, and racial disparities
• Socio-environmental context in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) disparities
• Addressing racial disparities in lung cancer screening
• Nutrient Insufficiency and Risk of Paclitaxel-induced Peripheral Neuropathy-Second Resubmission
• Determinants of the racial/ethnic disparity in MGUS risk: An epidemiologic study in 4 cohorts
• Understanding the Contribution of Colorectal Cancer Tumor Characteristics to Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Survival
• Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Inflammatory Index, and Circulating Endocannabinoids/Oxylipins in Relation to Colorectal Carcinogenesis in Black Women
• Risk factors for Parkinson’s disease among participants in the Black Women’s Health Study
• The Influence of Structural Racism on Incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in Black women
• Psychosocial stress and molecular profiles of breast tumors from U.S. Black women
• Neighborhood Disadvantage, Tumor Characteristics, and Breast Cancer Survival in U.S. Black Women
• Breast Cancer Drivers in Black Women: Society to Cells
• Dietary Carbohydrate Quality and Circulating Bile Acids in Relation to Colorectal Carcinogenesis in Black Women
• Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Among US Black Women
• Advancing breast cancer risk prediction in national cohorts: the role of mammogram-based deep learning
• Evaluating the Feasibility of Lung Cancer Screening in High-risk Black Women
• Lifetime stressors and Alzheimer’s Disease genetic variants and biomarkers in relation to cognitive decline among Black Women’s Health
  Study participants
• Geospatially modeled environmental risk factors for lymphoid malignancies
• The impact of biobehavioral factors and aspirin on ovarian cancer biology
• The role of biobehavioral factors and anti-inflammatory medications on the ovarian tumor immune response
• Examination of factors influencing the racial disparity in fibroid incidence
• PROSPECT: Pathways, Risk factors, and mOleculeS to Prevent Early-onset Colorectal Tumors
• Harnessing DNA methylation in peripheral blood for improved colorectal cancer prevention
• Cardiometabolic health and risk of breast cancer in Black women

Centers for Excellence in Birth Defects Research and Prevention
The Slone Epidemiology Center is participating in the Massachusetts Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, one of seven such centers currently funded by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (CDC). These centers conduct surveillance and research aimed at the prevention of birth defects.

• Improving Care Giver Adherence to Recommended Infant Care Practices (SMARTER)
• Support via Online Social Networks to Promote Safe Infant Care Practices Toward Reducing Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality (SUPERSONIC)
• Get Social Media and Risk-Reduction Training (GET SMART)
• Social Media and Risk-reduction Training for Preterm Infant Care Practices (SMART Preemie)

• Establishing a Brain Health Index From the Sleep Electroencephalogram
• Changing Contraceptive Patterns and Ovarian Cancer Risk
• Expanding the Pipeline to Graduate Research in Alzheimer?s Disease and Related Dementias (EPGRAD) Program
• The Effects of COVID-19 on the Clinical Care of People with Alzheimer’s Disease
• Cognitive heterogeneity in those with high Alzheimer’s Disease Risk

• Air Pollution and Risk of Incident Hypertension and Diabetes in U.S. Black Women

• AMP-AD Data Coordination Center Supplement – Lowering Barriers of Access and Use: Framingham Generation 1 Brain Aging Data

• Analyses/Archiving of BDS (PHIS) Data

• Apolipoprotein L1 variants and risk of preeclampsia and preterm birth in African American women

• Assessment of industrial emissions in the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS) cohort

• Assessment of Modifiable Factors Influencing Survival in Black Women with Breast Cancer

• Behavioral Surveillance of Acetaminophen Users: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Dosing Behavior

• Bilateral Oophorectomy, Hysterectomy, and Cancer Risk

• Birth Defects Study (Pregnancy Health Interview Study)

• Black Women’s Health Study samples for a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of lymphoid malignancies

• Boston University Fever Study (BUFS)

• Breast Cancer Genetic Study in African-ancestry Populations

• Breast Cancer Risk Prediction Models among African-American Women

• Bupropion and Cardiac Birth Defects

• Case-Control Study of Breast Cancer (Toronto)

• Case-Control Study of Breast Cancer in South African Women

• Case-Control Study of Cervical Cancer in South African Women

• Case-Control Study of Colon and Rectal Cancer

• Case-Control Study of Hemifacial Microsomia (HFM) and Drug Use

• Case-Control Study of Major Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding (UGIB) and Gastric Ulceration

• Case-Control Study of Statin Use and Large Bowel Cancer (C2K)

• Case-Control Study on the Association of Upper GI Bleeding and Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in Japan

• Case-Control Surveillance of Serious Illnesses and Drugs

• The Child and Adolescent Learning and Living Study (CALLS)

• Cognitive Heterogeneity in Those with High Alzheimer’s Disease Risk

• COVID-19 Infection, African American Women, and Cardiovascular Health

• Diet, Physical Activity, and Type 2 Diabetes in Black Women

• Dietary Glycemic Load and Risk of Birth Defects

• Effect of Urban Form on Exercise and BMI in Black Women

• Endocrine Disruptors and Male Genital Malformations

• Endometrial Cancer in Black Women

• Endometriosis in the Black Women’s Health Study

• Epidemiology of Breast Cancer Subtypes in African-American Women

• Evaluation of Case Reports of Aplastic Anemia in Felbamate Users

• Evaluation of the Feasibility of a Study of Potential Clinical Sequelae from Brain Hyperintensity Due to Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents

• Evaluation of the Thalidomide Fetal Exposure Prevention Program (Thalidomide Survey)

• Exploring Factors Related to Racial Disparities in Ovarian Cancer Incidence and Survival: The OCWAA Consortium

• A Feasibility Study of Thromboembolic Events and All-Cause Mortality among Patients Treated with Beriplex or Plasma for VKA Reversal

• Follow-up of DES Exposed Cohorts

• Gene Polymorphisms in Relation to Cancer and Other Illnesses

• Gene Polymorphisms in Relation to Cancer in Black Women

• Genetic Admixture Study of Uterine Fibroids

• Genetic and Non-genetic Risk for Hirschsprung Disease

• Genetic Variants and Gene-Environment Interactions in Relation to Breast Cancer Incidence in African-American Women

• Hemifacial Microsomia: Psychosocial and Other Sequelae

• Herbal Medicine Use in Minority Populations in the U.S.

• HLA Region Genetics and Lupus in Black Women

• Improving Asthma Outcomes Through Spirometry Distance Learning

• Improving Breast Cancer Risk Prediction for African American Women: Consideration of Estrogen Receptor Subtype-Specific Risk Factors

• Infant Care Practices Study (ICPS)

• Injectable Contraceptives and Bone Ultrasound Measures

• Interaction Between Low Birthweight and Obesity-associated Polymorphisms in Relation to Adult BMI in U.S. Black Women

• Intermittent Hypoxia and Caffeine in Infants Born Preterm (ICAF)

• International Agranulocytosis and Aplastic Anemia Study (IAAAS)

• International Case-Control Study of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS)

• International Study of Severe Anaphylaxis

• Interview Study on Pregnancy and Clubfoot

• Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infection and NSAID Use in Children with Varicella (GAS-NF)

• Investigation of Genetic Study of the Genetic Mutations in Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia in a Large Cohort of Black Women Across the United States

• Mammographic Density and Breast Cancer Risk in African American Women

• Multicenter Study (United States) of Agranulocytosis, Aplastic Anemia, and Thrombocytopenic Purpura

• Multicenter Study of Gastroschisis and Small Intestinal Defects (SIA)

• Multicenter Study of Persistent Gestational Trophoblastic Disease

• Myocardial Infarction and Oral Contraceptive Use in Women under 50

• Myocardial Infarction in Young Men in Relation to Vasectomy

• National Analgesic Nephropathy Study (NANS)

• National Pediatric Diarrhea Surveillance Study

• Nested Case-Control Study of Maternal Herpes Viruses in Relation to Gastroschisis

• Neurobehavioral Assessment of Pediatric Sleep (NAPS)

• Oral Microbiome and Lung Cancer Risk

• Oxalobacter formigenes and Other Factors in Urolithiasis

• Patient Registries at Slone: Myeloma and MDS

• Pediatric Drug Surveillance (PeDS) Program

• Pharmacogenetic Determinants of Human Birth Defects

• Phthalates in Medications and Risk of Male Genital Defects

• Post-marketing Surveillance of Drugs Used to Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome Using a Pharmacy-based Cohort (IBS)

• Pre-pregnancy Obesity in Relation to Preterm Birth and Macrosomia

• Pregnancy Complications in Relation to Stroke Risk in African American Women

• Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO)

• Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Women: Bladder Health Scientific and Data Coordinating Center

• A Prospective Investigation of the Oral Microbiome and Pancreatic Cancer

• Prospective Study of Diet and Fibroids

• Psychosocial Factors and Risk of Incident Asthma

• Psychosocial Factors and Risk of Uterine Fibroids in Black Women

• Psychosocial Outcomes in Early Elementary Aged Children with Craniofacial Malformations

• Psychosocial Stressors in Relation to Oral Health in African American Women

• Reducing Health Disparities for Black Women in the Treatment of Insomnia

• Relationships between Parity, Breastfeeding and ER- Breast Cancer in African American Women: Elucidating the Biologic Underpinnings at the Molecular and Cellular Level

• Risk Factors for Folic Acid-resistant Spina Bifida

• Risk Factors for Molecular Subtypes of NHL: A Prospective Evaluation

• Role of Religiosity/Spirituality Measures in Health

• Sarcoidosis in the Black Women’s Health Study

• SCOR Network

• SCOR Survey on Acute Otitis Media and Obesity (2004)

• SCOR Survey on Acute Otitis Media and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (2006)

• Slone Survey™

• Slone-ADDI Data Curation Project

• Social Confounders for Health Outcomes Linked to Education (SCHOOL)

• Social Media and Risk-reduction Training for Infant Care Practices (SMART)

• Sociodemographic Disparities in SLE Incidence: Behavioral and Psychosocial Factors

• The Study of Attitudes and Factors Effecting Infant Care Practices (SAFE)

• The Study of Attitudes and Factors Effecting PREterm infant care Practices (SAFE-PREP)

• Study of Myocardial Infarction in Women in Relation to Contraceptive and Noncontraceptive Estrogen Use

• Study of Myocardial Infarction in Women in Relation to Oral Contraceptive Use

• Study of Prostate Cancer in Relation to Vasectomy

• Study of Risk Factors for Myocardial Infarction in Men under Age 55

• Study of Serious Infections in Children (GAS-NF)

• SUID-Reducing Infant Care Practices Among Opioid-Exposed Newborns

• Survey of Accutane Use in Women

• Survey of Isotretinoin Use in Women

• Survey of Mouthwash Use

• Teratogenicity of Drugs Most Commonly Used in Pregnancy

• Thai Studies of Aplastic Anemia and Agranulocytosis

• Thailand Leukemia Study

• Uncoupling Obesity from Breast Cancer in African American Women

• Understanding the Genetic Risk Underlying Racial Disparities in Uterine Fibroids

• Use of a Physician-based Social Networking Site to Enroll Patients in Observational Research

• Vaccine Use in Pregnancy

• Vaccines And Medications in Pregnancy Surveillance System (VAMPSS)

• Vietnam Aplastic Anemia Incidence Survey

• Vitamin B12 Status, Cognitive Decline and Incident Dementia

• Weight Gain, Type 2 Diabetes, and Factors that Affect Neuroendocrine Function

• The Why Obesity Study

• Xylitol for the Prevention of Acute Otitis Media in Children (Feasibility Study)

• Xylitol Syrup for the Prevention of Acute Otitis Media in Otitis-Prone Children