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 6/6/2026

    Barnard ME, Xu NN, Holder EX, Jones D, Nayor M, Ko NY, Palmer JR. Hypertension, use of antihypertensive medications and breast cancer survival among Black women. Breast Cancer Res. 2026 Jun 06. PMID: 42251447.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/30/2026

    Ping J, Jia G, Cai Q, Guo X, Wang J, Tao R, Li B, Bauer JA, Xie Y, Ambs S, Barnard ME, Chen Y, Choi JY, Gao YT, Garcia-Closas M, Gu J, Hu JJ, Iwasaki M, John EM, Kweon SS, Li CI, Matsuda K, Matsuo K, Nathanson KL, Nemesure B, Olopade OI, Pal T, Park SK, Park B, Press MF, Sanderson M, Sandler DP, Yao S, Zheng Y, Ahearn T, Brewster AM, Falusi A, Hennis AJM, Ito H, Kubo M, Lee ES, Makumbi T, Mapoko BSE, Noh DY, O'Brien KM, Ojengbede O, Olshan AF, Park MH, Reid S, Yamaji T, Zirpoli G, Butler EN, Huang M, Low SK, Obafunwa J, Weinberg CR, Zhang H, Zhao H, Ambrosone CB, Cote ML, Huo D, Haiman CA, Kang D, Palmer JR, Troester MA, Shu XO, Long J, Zheng W. Multi-ancestry transcriptome-wide association studies uncover insights into breast cancer genetics and biology. Nat Commun. 2026 May 30. PMID: 42218145.

    Read at: PubMed

  • 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 5/5/2026

    Petrick JL, Castro-Webb N, Zirpoli GR, Nelson KP, Palmer JR, Pfeiffer RM. Validation of a colorectal cancer risk prediction model in US Black women. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2026 May 05. PMID: 42083882.

    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

View All 517 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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