Faculty

Alison Fohner

Assistant Professor, Epidemiology


Education

PhD Public Health Genetics, University of Washington, 2015
MS Biology, Stanford University, 2008

Contact


Box 351619
Department of Epidemiology
Hans Rosling Center for Population Health, 874B
Seattle, WA 98195

Bio

Dr. Fohner is a genetic epidemiologist applying innovative big data methods to extensive electronic health record, population-based longitudinal cohort, and multi-omic data to improve precision medicine. She approaches genetic epidemiology through an ELSI (ethical, legal, social implications) lens, and aims to promote equity and justice in the benefit of and access to genetic information in health settings. She prioritizes interdisciplinary collaborations and is a member of the Cardiovascular Health Research Unit at UW, where she integrates genomics and proteomics to identify early biomarkers for cognitive decline and dementia. She is an Associate Director of the Institute for Public Health Genetics, an interdisciplinary program in the School of Public Health that explores the application of genomics in public health, and is an adjunct investigator at Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. 

Research Interests

Dr. Fohner is a genetic epidemiologist applying innovative big data methods to extensive electronic health record and genomic data to improve precision medicine. She approaches genetic epidemiology through an ELSI (ethical, legal, social implications) lens, and aims to promote equity and justice in the benefit of and access to genetic information in health settings. She teaches in the Institute of Public Health Genetics, an interdisciplinary program in the School of Public Health that explores the application of genomics in public health, and is an adjunct investigator at Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.

Recent Publications (PubMed)

Associations of Immune Cell Subsets With Coronary Artery Calcium Incidence and Progression in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
(2025 Oct 7)
J Am Heart Assoc 14(19): e042502
Patel RD, Buzkova P, Huber S, Landay A, Budoff M, Bis JC, Olson N, Rich S, Heckbert SR, Manichaikul A, Floyd J, Tracy RP, Psaty BM, Doyle MF, Sitlani CM, Delaney JAC, Fohner AE, Feinstein MJ

Risk score roulette: A cautionary tale of polygenic risk score reliability.
(2025 Sep 9)
J Alzheimers Dis
Xue D, Blue EE, Wood AC, Rotter JI, Fohner AE

Albuminuria, structural brain findings and Circulating biomarkers of brain injury in older adults.
(2025 Jul 1)
Sci Rep 15(1): 22172
Horn JW, Fohner A, Tracy R, Adams HHH, Djousse L, Romundstad S, Janszky I, Longstreth WT Jr, Mukamal KJ

Assessing the Global Impact of Brain Small Vessel Disease on Cognition: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
(2025 Jun)
Alzheimers Dement 21(6): e70326
Charisis S, Rashid T, Dintica C, Gonzales M, Liu H, Ware JB, Austin TR, Jensen PN, Fohner AE, Tanley JE, Ding J, Luchsinger JA, Sachs B, Nasrallah IM, Bryan RN, Hayden KM, Wolk D, Rascovsky K, Davatzikos C, Longstreth WT Jr, Yaffe K, Seshadri S, Heckbert SR, Hughes T, Habes M

Plasma TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) levels in a population-based cohort of older adults: The cardiovascular health study.
(2025 Jun)
J Alzheimers Dis 105(4): 1275-1281
Fohner AE, Sitlani CM, Jayadev S, Bis JC, Trittschuh EH, Lopez OL, Tracy RP, Psaty BM, Longstreth WT Jr, Seshadri S

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