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 9/8/2026
Wang J, Pederson AM, Flanders MD, Choi M, Buto P, Sims KD, Chen R, Couch E, Gilsanz P, Hayes KN, Zullo AR, Stokes A, Glymour MM, Ackley SF. Education and Alzheimer Disease Genetic Risk in Associations of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists With Dementia Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes. medRxiv. 2026 Sep 08. PMID: 42818421.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 9/1/2026
Pederson AM, Buto P, Zimmerman SC, Velez M, Sims KD, Murchland AR, Wang J, Glymour MM, Spartano NL, Weuve J, Gilsanz P, Chi F, Whitmer RA, Brennan AT. Clinical modifiers of the association between type 1 diabetes and dementia incidence. Alzheimers Dement. 2026 Sep; 22(9):e71799. PMID: 42764447.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 7/29/2026
Parikh RV, Muntner P, Hardy ST, Sims M, Min YI, Sims KD, Reeves A, Li Y, Odden MC. Cumulative exposure to risk factors and subsequent cardiovascular disease events: The Jackson Heart Study. medRxiv. 2026 Jul 29. PMID: 42620020.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 3/18/2026
Pederson AM, Buto P, Zimmerman SC, Velez M, Sims KD, Murchland AR, Wang J, Brennan AT, Glymour MM, Weuve J. Type 1 Diabetes and Incident Dementia: An Analysis in the All of Us Cohort. Neurology. 2026 Apr 14; 106(7):e214805. PMID: 41849727.
Read At: PubMed
- 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 3/1/2026
Hennessy S, Penko J, Bellows BK, Coxson PG, Boylan R, Sims KD, Beatty A, Inoue K, Shi I, Decker SRR, Khan SS, Yeh RW, Moran AE, Kazi DS. Cost-Effectiveness of Semaglutide for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in US Adults. JAMA Cardiol. 2026 Mar 01; 11(3):229-238. PMID: 41637062.
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 1/17/2026
Sims KD, Neilands TB, Johnson JK, Tabb LP, Lovasi GS, Safford MM, Judd SE, Stanton RJ, Howard VJ, Bibbins-Domingo K, Maria Glymour M. Neighborhood factors and incident stroke: reproducibility of associations across two nationwide cohorts. Health Place. 2026 Mar; 98:103611. PMID: 41548531.
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.
View 28 more publications:View Full Profile at BUMC
News & In the Media
- Published on April 2, 2026