Nancy L. Heard-Costa, PhD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Expertise includes: Data management - both phenotype and genetic in nature, including storage , maintenance, quality control; Genetic data cleaning - both in unrelated and related individuals; Pedigree creation, verification and maintenance; Forensic analysis of genetic samples - identification of incorrect, cryptic duplicate, and related subject; Statistical analysis -from univariate to multivariate and more complex models, including design, implementation and interpretation/conclusion; Genetic statistical analysis - linkage, association and meta-analysis, including design, implementation and interpretation/conclusion; and Human Medical Genetics theory and practice.

Publications

  • Published 1/20/2026

    Francis L, Beiser A, Lu S, Kujawa SG, Heard-Costa N, Kolo FB, Kamboh MI, Bernal R, Welling DB, Alcabes RL, Himali JJ, Seshadri S. Hearing loss in the young-old is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. J Alzheimers Dis. 2026 Feb; 109(3):1142-1148. PMID: 41555782.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/13/2026

    Lee S, English AC, Peloso GM, Bis JC, Boerwinkle E, Choi SH, Heard-Costa NL, Lin H, Xia R, Seshadri S, Destefano AL, Fornage M, Sedlazeck FJ. The Impact of Structural Variation on Alzheimer's Disease in the Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project. Res Sq. 2026 Jan 13. PMID: 41646303.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/13/2026

    Nagarajan P, Kurniansyah N, Lee J, Gharib SA, Xu Y, Zhang Y, Spitzer B, Faquih T, Zhou H, Boerwinkle E, Chen H, Gottlieb DJ, Guo X, Heard-Costa NL, Hidalgo BA, Levy D, Liu PY, Mei H, Montalvan R, Mukherjee S, North KE, O'Connor GT, Palmer LJ, Patel SR, Psaty BM, Purcell SM, Raffield LM, Rich SS, Rotter JI, Saxena R, Smith AV, Stone KL, Zhu X, Cade BE, Sofer T, Redline S, Wang H. Genome-wide gene by sleepiness interaction analysis for sleep apnea. Sleep. 2026 Jan 13; 49(1). PMID: 40736211.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/1/2025

    Shubert NMA, Yao S, Naeini MK, Trpchevska N, Bishop C, Bizaki-Vallaskangas A, Broer L, Castellana F, Christensen K, Hjelmborg JVB, Concas MP, Santin A, Girotto G, Nardone GG, Iacoviello L, Mengel-From J, Gallagher S, Gudjonsson A, Gudnason V, Heard-Costa NL, Seshadri S, Hoffman HJ, Li CM, Kaprio J, Rämö J, Saarentaus E, Kettunen J, Krebs K, Kähler AK, Launer LJ, Leonard H, Nalls MA, Magnusson PKE, van Meurs J, Milani L, Mäkitie A, Oosterloo BC, Nygaard M, Palviainen T, Pratt S, Quaranta N, Sardone R, Satizabal CL, Schweinfurth JM, Shiroma E, Simonsick E, Spankovich C, Sullivan PF, Goedegebure A, Nagtegaal AP, Pyott SJ, Cederroth CR, Freidin MB, Williams FM. Integrating GWAS meta-analysis with human brain cell mapping implicates the amygdala and the midbrain in the pathogenesis of tinnitus. medRxiv. 2025 Dec 01. PMID: 41378354.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/26/2025

    Xu H, Gupta S, Dinsmore I, Kollu A, Cawley AM, Anwar MY, Chen HH, Petty LE, Seshadri S, Graff M, Below JE, Brody JA, Chittoor G, Fisher-Hoch SP, Heard-Costa NL, Levy D, Lin H, Loos RJF, Mccormick JB, Rotter JI, Mirshahi T, Still CD, Destefano A, Cupples LA, Mohlke KL, North KE, Justice AE, Liu CT. Integrating genetic and transcriptomic data to identify genes underlying obesity risk loci. Int J Obes (Lond). 2025 Nov; 49(11):2346-2357. PMID: 41006818.

    Read at: PubMed

Other Positions

  • Center Faculty Member, Framingham Heart Study
    Framingham Heart Study

Education

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham, PhD
  • Boston University School of Public Health, MPH
  • Ripon College, BA