Profiles

Serkalem Demissie, PhD

Adjunct Research Professor, Biostatistics - Boston University School of Public Health

617-358-2545
demissie@bu.edu
Crosstown Center - 315
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Biography

Serkalem Demissie, Ph.D., is an adjunct research professor in the Department of Biostatistics. Serkalem has over 20 years of statistical and computing experience. Professor Demissie’s expertise is in the development, evaluation, and application of statistical methods, with emphasis on statistical genetics and estimation and evaluation of exposure-outcome associations. A major part of her scholarly work is linked to long-standing collaborations in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) in the fields of cardiovascular disease, lipids, musculoskeletal phenotypes, and neurological disorders. Her work in statistical methodologies includes missing data, residual phenotype modeling in genetic and epidemiologic studies, multiple testing, temporal gene expression data clustering, and measuring biological age.

Other Positions

  • Investigator - Framingham Heart Study
  • Member, Genome Science Institute - Boston University

Education

  • Boston University, PhD Field of Study: Biostatistics
  • Boston University, MPH Field of Study: Epidemiology
  • Addis Ababa University, BSc Field of Study: Statistics

Websites

Publications

  • Published on 9/25/2025

    Toro A, Lara FR, Pinheiro A, Demissie S, DeCarli C, Parva P, Habes M, Charidimou A, Seshadri S, Maillard P, Romero JR. Association of MRI-Visible Perivascular Spaces with Early White Matter Injury. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2025 Sep 25. PMID: 40461258.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/15/2025

    Pinheiro A, Ekenze O, Aparicio HJ, Beiser AS, Decarli CS, Demissie S, Seshadri S, Romero JR. Multimarker Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Score and Risk of Incident Dementia in the Framingham Heart Study. Neurology. 2025 Oct 07; 105(7):e214113. PMID: 40953349.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/21/2025

    Araujo-Contreras R, Pinheiro AA, Ekenze O, Sisto J, Aparicio HJ, Beiser A, Himali JJ, Lioutas V, DeCarli C, Seshadri S, Demissie S, Romero JR. Multi-marker cerebral small vessel disease score and risk of incident depression: The Framingham Heart Study. J Affect Disord. 2025 Aug 21; 392:120089. PMID: 40848767.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 7/29/2025

    Ekenze O, Pinheiro A, Beiser AS, Lioutas VA, Aparicio HJ, Benjamin EJ, Vasan RS, DeCarli C, Seshadri S, Demissie S, Romero JR. Prevalent Cardiovascular Disease and Atrial Fibrillation in Relation to Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden. Brain Sci. 2025 Jul 29; 15(8). PMID: 40867146.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 2/27/2025

    Ekenze O, Seiler S, Pinheiro A, DeCarli C, Parva P, Habes M, Charidimou A, Maillard P, Beiser A, Seshadri S, Demissie S, Romero JR. Relation of MRI visible perivascular spaces with global and regional brain structural connectivity measures: The Framingham Heart Study (FHS). Neurobiol Aging. 2025 Jun; 150:1-8. PMID: 40043467.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/15/2024

    Pinheiro A, Aparicio H, Lioutas V, Beiser A, Ekenze O, DeCarli C, Seshadri S, Demissie S, Romero JR. Higher burden of cerebral small vessel disease is associated with risk of incident stroke in community dwelling individuals. medRxiv. 2024 Nov 15. PMID: 39606408.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 10/30/2024

    Kelly DM, Pinheiro AA, Koini M, Anderson CD, Aparicio H, Hofer E, Kern D, Blacker D, DeCarli C, Hwang SJ, Viswanathan A, Gonzales MM, Beiser AS, Seshadri S, Schmidt R, Demissie S, Romero JR. Impaired kidney function, cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive disorders: the Framingham Heart Study. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2024 Oct 30; 39(11):1911-1922. PMID: 38565317.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 10/19/2023

    Petrea RE, Pinheiro A, Demissie S, Ekenze O, Aparicio HJ, Satizabal CL, Maillard P, DeCarli C, Beiser AS, Seshadri S, Lioutas VA, Rafael Romero J. Hypertension Trends and White Matter Brain Injury in the Offspring Framingham Heart Study Cohort. Hypertension. 2024 Jan; 81(1):87-95. PMID: 37855140.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/14/2023

    Rodriguez Lara F, Toro AR, Pinheiro A, Demissie S, Ekenze O, Martinez O, Parva P, Charidimou A, Ghosh S, DeCarli C, Seshadri S, Habes M, Maillard P, Romero JR. Relation of MRI-Visible Perivascular Spaces and Other MRI Markers of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease. Brain Sci. 2023 Sep 14; 13(9). PMID: 37759924.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/6/2023

    Ekenze O, Pinheiro A, Demissie S, Charidimou A, Beiser AS, Vasan RS, Benjamin EJ, DeCarli C, Seshadri S, Romero JR. Inflammatory biomarkers and MRI visible perivascular spaces: The Framingham Heart Study. Neurobiol Aging. 2023 Jul; 127:12-22. PMID: 37018882.

     Read At: PubMed

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