Julie R. Palmer, ScD, MPH

Karin Grunebaum Cancer Research Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Palmer is a cancer epidemiologist based at the Slone Epidemiology Center, with research projects spanning cancer early detection, etiology, and survivorship. Her primary focus is on elucidating reasons for the disproportionately high incidence of hormone receptor negative breast cancer in U.S. Black women and on understanding and reducing racial disparities in breast cancer mortality. She is a founding leader of the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS), a prospective cohort study of 59,000 self-identified Black women who enrolled in 1995 and have been followed by biennial questionnaire since that time. Her breast cancer research within the BWHS includes work on risk prediction models for breast cancer in U.S. Black women, identifying differences in childbearing patterns as a contributing cause to the excess incidence of estrogen receptor negative breast cancer in Black women, and investigating the interrelationships of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and inflammation on breast cancer risk. Her current grants support work on somatic mutations, epigenetics, and gene expressions profiles in breast cancer tumors from African American women, setting the stage for a better understanding of the role of epidemiologic and genetic factors in etiology and prognosis. Dr. Palmer has served on many NIH and external advisory committees, including as Chair of the NIH Cancer, Cardiovascular, and Sleep Epidemiology Study Section, 2015-2017, and Co-Chair of a Working Group for the National Cancer Advisory Board, NCI, 2018-2019. Dr. Palmer was awarded the AACR Distinguished Lectureship on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in 2017. She has served as a Komen Scholar since 2018 and as a Breast Cancer Research Foundation Investigator since 2023.

Publications

  • Published 5/7/2026

    Jia G, Liu L, Ping J, Fiorica PN, Guo X, Tao R, Li B, Gu J, John EM, Olopade OI, Press MF, Brewster AM, Olshan AF, Zirpoli G, Butler EN, Huang M, Huo D, Palmer JR, Haiman CA, Ambrosone CB, Troester MA, Long J, Yao S, Zheng W. African ancestry and risk variants associated with triple-negative breast cancer susceptibility in African American women. Genome Med. 2026 May 07. PMID: 42098873.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/29/2026

    Ogunwole SM, Bertrand KA, Palmer JR, Bennett WL, Zeng Y, Jennings JM, Amoah AA, Boyer T, Cozier YC, Thorpe RJ. Experiences of Racism and Risk of Preeclampsia in the Black Women's Health Study. Hypertension. 2026 Apr 29. PMID: 42052660.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/5/2026

    Peoples AR, Obón-Santacana M, Kim AE, Kawaguchi ES, Fu Y, Qu C, Moratalla-Navarro F, Morrison J, Lin Y, Arndt V, Berndt SI, Bien SA, Bishop DT, Bouras E, Brenner H, Buchanan DD, Campbell PT, Chan AT, Chang-Claude J, Conti DV, Corley DA, Devall MA, Dimou N, Drew DA, Gruber SB, Gunter MJ, Harlid S, Harrison TA, Hoffmeister M, Hsu L, Huyghe JR, Keku TO, Kundaje A, Lewinger JP, Li L, Lynch BM, Le Marchand L, Martín V, Murphy N, Newton CC, Ogino S, Hardikar S, Ose J, Pai RK, Palmer JR, Papadimitriou N, Pardamean B, Pellatt AJ, Pinchev M, Platz EA, Potter JD, Rennert G, Ruiz-Narvaez EA, Sakoda LC, Schoen RE, Shcherbina A, Stern MC, Su YR, Thomas CE, Tian Y, Tsilidis KK, Um CY, van Duijnhoven FJB, Van Guelpen B, Visvanathan K, Wang J, White E, Wolk A, Woods MO, Wu AH, Ulrich CM, Peters U, Gauderman WJ, Moreno V. Genetic risk factors modulate the association between physical activity and colorectal cancer. BMC Med. 2026 Feb 05; 24(1). PMID: 41645200.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/27/2026

    Mitra PR, Bertrand KA, Pfeiffer RM, Palmer JR, Ramireddy S, Hyer M, Fan S, Strohsnitter WC, Aagaard KM, Huo D, Titus L, Troisi R, Gierach GL. Prenatal diethylstilbestrol exposure and risk of benign breast disease: The National Cancer Institute Diethylstilbestrol Follow-up Study. Int J Cancer. 2026 Jun 15; 158(12):3101-3111. PMID: 41590827.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/1/2025

    O'Brien KM, Keil AP, Taylor JA, Weinberg CR, Polley EC, Yadav S, Boddicker NJ, Hu C, Ambrosone CB, Anton-Culver H, Auer PL, Bodelon C, Brantley K, Burnside ES, Chen F, Domchek SM, Eliassen AH, Haiman CA, Hodge JM, Kraft P, Lacey JV, Lindstroem S, Martinez ME, Nathanson KL, Neuhausen SL, Olson JE, Palmer JR, Patel AV, Penney KL, Ruddy KJ, Scott CG, Teras LR, Trentham-Dietz A, Vachon CM, Weitzel JN, Yao S, Zirpoli G, Couch FJ, Sandler DP. Pathogenic Variants, Family History, and Cumulative Risk of Breast Cancer in US Women. JAMA Oncol. 2025 Dec 01; 11(12):1458-1469. PMID: 41066089.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 513 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Professor, Epidemiology
    Boston University School of Public Health
  • Director, Slone Epidemiology Center
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Co-Director, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • Harvard University, ScD
  • Boston University, MPH
  • Boston University, BS
  • Brown University, BA

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