Kendra D Sims
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology - Boston University School of Public Health
Biography
My research as an epidemiologist focuses on understanding how community-level factors reduce the disproportionate burden of morbidity and premature mortality among groups vulnerable to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). I aim to elucidate pathways linking the economic and policy environment with CVD and dementia risk among older adults. I have multidisciplinary training in causal inference, public policy simulation, and chronic disease epidemiology. I also have experience with disparate types of datasets: observational cohorts, electronic health records, and an established simulation platform that quantifies the health and economic benefits of potential public policy interventions. A key aspect of my work is translation to public health impact. I am invested in quantifying at scale the population-level strategies that allow adults to afford to engage in preventive health behaviors, maintain their community networks, and, ultimately, age in place. Additionally, I am committed to facilitating high-impact and sustainable research careers for trainees belonging to backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in academia, healthcare, and biotech.
Education
- Oregon State University, PhD Field of Study: Public Health/Epidemiology
- Boston University, MPH Field of Study: Epidemiology
- Williams College, BA Field of Study: English/Psychology
Websites
Publications
- Published on 3/10/2026
Velez M, Buto PT, Pederson AM, Weuve J, Murchland AR, Wang J, Glymour MM, Sims KD. Associations of unmet dental care needs due to cost with incident cardiovascular disease and dementia: a prospective study in the All of Us cohort. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2026 Mar 10; 81(4). PMID: 41678708.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 1/29/2026
Willis MD, Sheng C, Lovett SM, Feldscher T, Sims KD, Francis B, Hicks JM, Holder EX, Wise LA, Cozier YC, Wesselink AK. Historical Neighborhood Redlining and Fertility in a Cohort of US Black Women. Epidemiology. 2026 Mar 01; 37(2):268-277. PMID: 41397260.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 12/2/2025
Ackley SF, Andrews RM, Seaman C, Flanders M, Chen R, Wang J, Lopes G, Sims KD, Buto P, Ferguson E, Allen IE, Glymour MM. Trends in the distribution of P values in epidemiology journals: a statistical, P-curve, and simulation study. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 Dec 02; 194(12):3630-3639. PMID: 40838582.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 11/1/2025
Hennessy S, Penko J, Bellows BK, Coxson PG, Boylan R, Sims KD, Beatty A, Inoue K, Shi I, Decker SR, Khan SS, Yeh RW, Moran, AE, Kazi DS. Cost-Effectiveness of Semaglutide for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in US adults. JAMA Cardiology. 2025.
- Published on 10/28/2025
Mensah MO, Muir KJ, Travers Altizer J, Amonoo HL, Arons A, Brown CE, McElroy LM, Sims KD. Expanding Pathways to Major Journals for Early-Career Researchers. JAMA. 2025 Oct 28; 334(16):1428-1430. PMID: 40965897.
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- Published on 10/16/2025
Hill-Jarrett T, Cintron D, Sims KD, Mayeda ER, Whitmer R, Gilsanz P, Mungas M, Glymour MM. Evaluating the Measurement Invariance of the Everyday Discrimination Scale Among Older Black Men and Women. Journal of Black Psychology. 2025; 0(0).
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- Published on 9/25/2025
Kazi DS, Abdullah AR, Arnold SV, Basu A, Bellows BK, Breathett K, Chew DS, Cohen DJ, DeJong C, Heidenreich PA, Hennessy S, Hernandez I, Isaza N, Joynt Maddox KE, Navar AM, Pandya A, Sims KD, Varghese MS, Zühlke L. 2025 AHA/ACC Statement on Cost/Value Methodology in Clinical Practice Guidelines (Update From 2014 Statement): A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2026 Mar 10; 87(9):1177-1206. PMID: 41003462.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 9/25/2025
Kazi DS, Abdullah AR, Arnold SV, Basu A, Bellows BK, Breathett K, Chew DS, Cohen DJ, DeJong C, Heidenreich PA, Hennessy S, Hernandez I, Isaza N, Joynt Maddox KE, Navar AM, Pandya A, Sims KD, Varghese MS, Zühlke L. 2025 AHA/ACC Statement on Cost/Value Methodology in Clinical Practice Guidelines (Update From 2014 Statement): A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2025 Nov 04; 152(18):e332-e358. PMID: 40997143.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 9/18/2025
Pederson AM, Buto P, Zimmerman SC, Sims KD, Murchland AR, Wang J, Glymour MM, Weuve J, Gilsanz P, Chi F, Whitmer RA, Brennan AT. Clinical modifiers of the association between type 1 diabetes and dementia incidence. medRxiv. 2025 Sep 18. PMID: 41001474.
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- Published on 9/3/2025
Sims KD, Neilands TB, Johnson JK, Tabb LP, Safford MM, Lovasi GS, Judd SE, Bibbins-Domingo K, Glymour MM. Neighborhood characteristics and incident myocardial infarction in US older adults: evaluation in 2 nationwide cohorts. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 Sep 03; 194(9):2733-2743. PMID: 40302120.
Read At: PubMed
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