Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS)

The 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. Among the diseases being studied are breast cancer, colon cancer, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, uterine fibroids, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis. The study began in 1995, when 59,000 black women from all parts of the United States enrolled through postal questionnaires. The women provided demographic and health data on the 1995 baseline questionnaire, including information on weight, height, smoking, drinking, contraceptive use, use of other selected medications, illnesses, reproductive history, physical activity, diet, use of health care, and other factors. The participants are followed through biennial questionnaires to determine the occurrence of cancers and other illnesses and to update information on risk factors. Completion of follow-up questionnaires by members of the 1995 cohort has exceeded 80% in each cycle of follow-up. Information on outcomes is validated through medical record review. Validation studies of diet, anthropometric measures, and physical activity have been completed. In a genetic component, saliva samples are being obtained from participants; DNA from the samples will serve as a resource for testing hypotheses about gene-environment interactions.
For more information, please visit the BWHS participants’ website.
Investigators and Study Staff
Investigators:
Julie R. Palmer, Sc.D., Principal Investigator
Slone Epidemiology Center
Kimberly Bertrand, Sc.D., Principal Investigator
Slone Epidemiology Center
Yvette Cozier, D.Sc., Principal Investigator
Slone Epidemiology Center
Patricia F. Coogan, D.Sc.
Slone Epidemiology Center
Jessica Petrick, Ph.D.
Slone Epidemiology Center
Lynn Rosenberg, Sc.D.
Slone Epidemiology Center
Shanshan Sheehy, M.D., M.Sc., Sc.D.
Slone Epidemiology Center
Gary Zirpoli, Ph.D.
Slone Epidemiology Center
Study Staff:
- Delia Russell, MPH, Project Coordinator
- Patricia Simmons, MS, Project Coordinator – Blood Collection Study and BWHS Insomnia Treatment Study
- Carolyn Conte, MPH, Project Coordinator – Cognitive Health Study
- Lisa Crowell
- Lauren Delp
- Dianne Dunn
- Nastia Dynkin
- Cassandra Edwards
- Rebekah Goldstein, MPH
- Hannah Lord
- Maria Petzold
- Renee Pittman
- Oleg Starobinets
- Lisa Wood
- Nora Xu, MSPH
Study Details
Source of Funding:
National Cancer Institute
Study Period:
1994 to present
Special Studies
- Mammographic Density and Breast Cancer Risk in African American Women
- Improving Breast Cancer Risk Prediction for African American Women: Consideration of Estrogen Receptor Subtype-Specific Risk Factors
- 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
- Somatic Mutations and Their Etiological Determinants for Breast Cancer in African American Women
- Pregnancy Complications in Relation to Stroke Risk 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
- Apolipoprotein L1 variants and risk of preeclampsia and preterm birth in African American women
- 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
- Investigation of Genetic Study of the Genetic Mutations in Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia in a Large Cohort of Black Women Across the United States
- Psychosocial stress and molecular profiles of breast tumors from U.S. Black women
Contact Information
Black Women’s Health Study
72 East Concord Street, L-7
Boston, MA 02118
1 (800) 786-0814
Email Delia Russell at drussell@bu.edu