Julie Palmer
Profiles

Julie R Palmer, ScD

Professor, Epidemiology - Boston University School of Public Health

(617) 734-6006
jpalmer@bu.edu
Talbot
View Full Profile at BUMC

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.

Other Positions

  • Karin Grunebaum Cancer Research Professor, Medicine - Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • 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

Education

  • Harvard University, ScD Field of Study: Epidemiology
  • Boston University, MPH Field of Study: Epidemiology
  • Boston University, BS Field of Study: Nursing
  • Brown University, BA Field of Study: Religious Studies

Websites

Publications

  • Published on 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 on 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 on 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 on 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 on 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
  • Published on 2/5/2026

    Peoples AR, Obón-Santacana M, Kim AE, Kawaguchi ES, Fu Y, Qu C, Moratalla-Navarro F, Morrison J, Lin Y, Arndt V, Berndt SI, Bien SA, Bishop DT, Bouras E, Brenner H, Buchanan DD, Campbell PT, Chan AT, Chang-Claude J, Conti DV, Corley DA, Devall MA, Dimou N, Drew DA, Gruber SB, Gunter MJ, Harlid S, Harrison TA, Hoffmeister M, Hsu L, Huyghe JR, Keku TO, Kundaje A, Lewinger JP, Li L, Lynch BM, Le Marchand L, Martín V, Murphy N, Newton CC, Ogino S, Hardikar S, Ose J, Pai RK, Palmer JR, Papadimitriou N, Pardamean B, Pellatt AJ, Pinchev M, Platz EA, Potter JD, Rennert G, Ruiz-Narvaez EA, Sakoda LC, Schoen RE, Shcherbina A, Stern MC, Su YR, Thomas CE, Tian Y, Tsilidis KK, Um CY, van Duijnhoven FJB, Van Guelpen B, Visvanathan K, Wang J, White E, Wolk A, Woods MO, Wu AH, Ulrich CM, Peters U, Gauderman WJ, Moreno V. Genetic risk factors modulate the association between physical activity and colorectal cancer. BMC Med. 2026 Feb 05; 24(1). PMID: 41645200.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 2/2/2026

    Li JL, Zhang H, Wang X, Jia G, McClellan JC, Guo W, Sun Y, Fiorica PN, Ambs S, Barnard ME, Chen Y, Garcia-Closas M, Gu J, Hu JJ, John EM, Nathanson KL, Nemesure B, Pal T, Shu XO, Press MF, Sanderson M, Sandler DP, Troester MA, Yao S, Long J, Ahearn TU, Brewster AM, Falusi A, Kraft P, Hennis AJM, Makumbi T, Mapoko BSE, O'Brien KM, Ojengbede O, Olshan AF, Reid S, Zirpoli G, Cai Q, Butler EN, Huang M, Obafunwa J, Weinberg CR, Ambrosone C, Ping J, Tao R, Li B, Guo X, Gao G, Conti DV, Chatterjee N, Palmer JR, Olopade OI, Zheng W, Haiman CA, Huo D. Improved polygenic risk prediction models for breast cancer subtypes in women of African ancestry. Nat Genet. 2026 Mar; 58(3):560-569. PMID: 41629673.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/27/2026

    Mitra PR, Bertrand KA, Pfeiffer RM, Palmer JR, Ramireddy S, Hyer M, Fan S, Strohsnitter WC, Aagaard KM, Huo D, Titus L, Troisi R, Gierach GL. Prenatal diethylstilbestrol exposure and risk of benign breast disease: The National Cancer Institute Diethylstilbestrol Follow-up Study. Int J Cancer. 2026 Jun 15; 158(12):3101-3111. PMID: 41590827.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 12/1/2025

    O'Brien KM, Keil AP, Taylor JA, Weinberg CR, Polley EC, Yadav S, Boddicker NJ, Hu C, Ambrosone CB, Anton-Culver H, Auer PL, Bodelon C, Brantley K, Burnside ES, Chen F, Domchek SM, Eliassen AH, Haiman CA, Hodge JM, Kraft P, Lacey JV, Lindstroem S, Martinez ME, Nathanson KL, Neuhausen SL, Olson JE, Palmer JR, Patel AV, Penney KL, Ruddy KJ, Scott CG, Teras LR, Trentham-Dietz A, Vachon CM, Weitzel JN, Yao S, Zirpoli G, Couch FJ, Sandler DP. Pathogenic Variants, Family History, and Cumulative Risk of Breast Cancer in US Women. JAMA Oncol. 2025 Dec 01; 11(12):1458-1469. PMID: 41066089.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/25/2025

    Xu NN, Barnard ME, Holder EX, Rosenberg L, Ko N, Palmer JR. Perceived racial discrimination in health care in relation to late stage at breast cancer diagnosis. Breast Cancer Res. 2025 Nov 25; 27(1):208. PMID: 41291827.

     Read At: PubMed

View 507 more publications:View Full Profile at BUMC

News & In the Media

View all profiles