Mollie E. Barnard, ScD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
barnard@bu.edu
Education:
BA, Biology, Swarthmore College
ScM, Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
ScD, Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Research interests:
Dr. Mollie Barnard is a molecular and genetic epidemiologist whose research focuses on the etiology of breast and ovarian cancers and the elimination of racial disparities in cancer outcomes. She leverages large, diverse epidemiologic cohorts linked with molecular data to identify modifiable risk factors and biologic pathways that can be translated into prevention and survivorship strategies. Dr. Barnard is Principal Investigator of an American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant investigating how cardiometabolic health influences breast cancer risk, tumor biology, and immune profiles among Black women. By combining prospective cohort data with tumor gene expression and immune infiltration analyses, this work seeks to uncover mechanisms driving aggressive disease and to identify opportunities for targeted screening, prevention, and treatment. Her prior research has examined the role of inflammation in ovarian carcinogenesis. Findings from her work on anti-inflammatory drug use and ovarian cancer risk indicated that the inverse association between aspirin use and ovarian cancer risk may be specific to low-dose aspirin. In related work, she demonstrated that women with deep infiltrating endometriosis and/or ovarian endometriomas have a substantially greater risk of ovarian cancer compared to those with less severe endometriosis subtypes.
Active studies:
- Cardiometabolic health and risk of breast cancer in Black women
01/01/2025 – 12/31/2028 (PI)
American Cancer Society, Inc.
- The role of biobehavioral factors and anti-inflammatory medications on the ovarian tumor immune response
04/01/2024 – 03/31/2029 (Subcontract PI)
Oregon Health & Science University NIH NCI
5R01CA276224-03
- The impact of biobehavioral factors and aspirin on ovarian cancer biology
09/19/2023 – 08/31/2028 (Subcontract PI)
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute NIH NCI
5U54CA163068-12
- Changing contraceptive patterns and ovarian cancer risk
07/01/2022 – 03/31/2026 (Subcontract PI)
The Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Inc. NIH NCI
5R01CA258679-05
Selected recent publications:
- Lawson-Michod KA, Johnson CE, Barnard ME, Davidson NR, Collin LJ, Nix DA, Huff CD, Berchuck A, Salas LA, Greene CS, Marks JR, Peres LC, Doherty JA, Schildkraut JM. Homologous recombination deficiency and survival in ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma by self-reported race. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2025 Sep 04. PMID: 40905821; DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-25-0762;
- Yao S, Wei L, Hu Q, Liu S, Manojlovic Z, Fiorica PN, Long M, Zirpoli GR, Cai Q, Long J, Ping J, Barnard ME, Jin Y, Murakami M, Wang J, Zhu Q, Davis W, Chen J, Ondracek RP, Khoury T, Gandhi S, Takabe K, Ko N, Sanderson M, Hong CC, Bandera EV, Craig DW, Ambrosone CB, Palmer JR, Zheng W, Carpten JD. Mutational landscape of triple-negative breast cancer in African American women. Nat Genet. 2025 Sep; 57(9):2166-2176. PMID: 40858906; DOI: 10.1038/s41588-025-02322-y;
- Barnard ME, Qin B, Emerson MA, Holder EX, Dunn MR, Sarkar S, Xu NN, Li Y, Ambrosone CB, Bandera EV, Palmer JR, Troester MA, Hyslop T. Associations between social drivers of health and breast cancer stage at diagnosis among U.S. Black women. NPJ Breast Cancer. 2025 Aug 06; 11(1):85. PMID: 40770199; PMCID: PMC12328792; DOI: 10.1038/s41523-025-00804-0;
- Jia G, Ping J, Tao R, Long J, Liu L, Xu S, Munro HM, Ambs S, Barnard ME, Chen Y, Choi JY, Gao YT, Garcia-Closas M, Gu J, Hu JJ, Iwasaki M, John EM, Kweon SS, Matsuda K, Matsuo K, Nathanson K, Nemesure B, Olopade OI, Pal T, Park SK, Park B, Press MF, Sanderson M, Sandler DP, Yao S, Zheng Y, Adejumo PO, Ahearn T, Brewster AM, Hennis AJM, Ito H, Kubo M, Lee ES, Low SK, Makumbi T, Ndom P, Noh DY, O’Brien KM, Olshan AF, Oluwasanu MM, Park MH, Reid S, Yamaji T, Zirpoli G, Butler EN, Huang M, Ntekim A, Weinberg CR, Li B, Huo D, Kang D, Ambrosone C, Troester MA, Haiman CA, Shu XO, Palmer JR, Guo X, Zheng W. Integrating multi-ancestry genomic and proteomic data to identify blood risk biomarkers and target proteins for breast cancer genetic risk loci. Int J Cancer. 2025 Nov 15; 157(10):2071-2080. PMID: 40658085; PMCID: PMC12406259; DOI: 10.1002/ijc.70041;
- Barnard ME, Poole EM, Huang T, Sood AK, Kubzansky LD, Tworoger SS. Caregiver burden and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in the Nurses’ Health Studies. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 Feb 05; 194(2):362-369. PMID: 38973733; PMCID: PMC11815502; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwae185;
- Holder EX, Bigham Z, Nelson KP, Barnard ME, Palmer JR, Bertrand KA. Mammographic density and breast cancer risk among Black American women. Int J Cancer. 2025 Mar 15; 156(6):1173-1180. PMID: 39425554; PMCID: PMC11738672; DOI: 10.1002/ijc.35223;
- Barnard ME, Farland LV, Yan B, Wang J, Trabert B, Doherty JA, Meeks HD, Madsen M, Guinto E, Collin LJ, Maurer KA, Page JM, Kiser AC, Varner MW, Allen-Brady K, Pollack AZ, Peterson KR, Peterson CM, Schliep KC. Endometriosis Typology and Ovarian Cancer Risk. JAMA. 2024 Aug 13; 332(6):482-489. PMID: 39018030; PMCID: PMC11255975; DOI: 10.1001/jama.2024.9210;
- *Davidson NR, *Barnard ME, Hippen AA, Campbell A, Johnson CE, Way GP, Dalley BK, Berchuck A, Salas LA, Peres LC, Marks JR, Schildkraut JM, Greene CS, Doherty JA. Molecular Subtypes of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer across Racial Groups and Gene Expression Platforms. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024 Aug 01; 33(8):1114-1125. PMID: 38780898; PMCID: PMC11294000; DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-24-0113;
- *Barnard ME, *Wang X, Petrick JL, Zirpoli GR, Jones D, Johnson WE, Palmer JR. Psychosocial stressors and breast cancer gene expression in the Black Women’s Health Study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2024 Apr; 204(2):327-340. PMID: 38127176; PMCID: PMC11232497; DOI: 10.1007/s10549-023-07182-w;
- Barnard ME, DuPré NC, Heine JJ, Fowler EE, Murthy DJ, Nelleke RL, Chan A, Warner ET, Tamimi RM. Reproductive risk factors for breast cancer and association with novel breast density measurements among Hispanic, Black, and White women. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2024 Apr; 204(2):309-325. PMID: 38095811; PMCID: PMC10948301; DOI: 10.1007/s10549-023-07174-w;