Faculty

Holly R Harris

Affiliate Associate Professor, Epidemiology

206-667-2712

Education

ScD Harvard T.H. Chan,
MPH University of Southern California, 2005
BA Macalester College, 2000

Contact

206-667-2712

Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Box M4-B859
Program in Epidemiology, Division of Public Health Sciences
1100 Fairview Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109

Research Interests

I am broadly interested in the impact of lifestyle, nutrition, and genetic factors on women’s health. Specifically, I have focused on ovarian and breast cancer, as well as on hormonally related conditions that have shared reproductive risk factors with these diseases, including endometriosis and uterine fibroids. Much of my research to date has focused on understanding the role of the potentially modifiable risk factors of diet and lifestyle on the risk of these conditions. A more recent facet of my research is to explore the interrelatedness of these conditions and their shared risk factors. As ovarian cancer is rare, I am particularly interested in identifying women, such as those with endometriosis, who may be at higher risk because these women may benefit from screening modalities for ovarian cancer which are currently not appropriate for population-based use. Identification of women at high risk for ovarian cancer and breast cancer is also important as it allows for targeted prevention strategies and can guide clinical decisions regarding frequency of screening and chemoprevention strategies for both of these cancers. Finally, understanding the influence of genetic factors, both alone or as a part of gene-environment interactions may facilitate prevention and help identify women most at risk for ovarian and breast cancer.

Recent Publications (PubMed)

Laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis and midlife plasma markers of inflammation, cholesterol, and adipokines among participants in the Nurses' Health Study II.
(2025 Jul 14)
Maturitas 200(): 108663
Farland LV, Degnan WJ 3rd, Harris HR, Sasamoto N, Rexrode KM, Missmer SA

GWAS meta-analysis identifies five susceptibility loci for endometrial cancer.
(2025 Jul 8)
EBioMedicine 118(): 105830
Ramachandran D, Wang X, Laisk T, Zheng Y, Ingold N, Canson DM, Kho PF, Naumann BJ, Chapman CJ, Bousset K, Krause AV, Schürmann P, Wieland B, Hanel P, Hülse F, Häfner N, Runnebaum I, Dubrowinskaja N, Turmanov N, Yugay T, Yessimsiitova ZB, Amant F, Annibali D, Beckmann MW, Bodelon C, Buchanan DD, Chen C, Clarke MA, Cook LS, De Vivo I, De Wispelaere W, Du M, Easton DF, Emons J, Fasching PA, Friedenreich CM, Gallagher G, Giles GG, Goode EL, Harris HR, Hunter DJ, Kolin DL, Kraft P, Lacey JV, Lambrechts D, Lu L, Mutter GL, Naduparambil J, O'Connell K, Patel AV, Pharoah PDP, Rebbeck TR, Ricceri F, Risch HA, Ruebner M, Sacerdote C, Scott RJ, Setiawan VW, Shu XO, Southey MC, Tham E, Tomlinson I, Turman C, Wentzensen N, Xu W, Yu H, Zheng W, Spurdle AB, Yarden Y, Estonian Biobank Research Team, Mägi R, Hillemanns P, Glubb DM, Dörk T, O'Mara TA

Development and Validation of Body Mass Index-Specific Waist Circumference Thresholds in Postmenopausal Women : A Prospective Cohort Study.
(2025 Jul 8)
Ann Intern Med
Aragaki AK, Manson JE, LeBlanc ES, Chlebowski RT, Tinker LF, Allison MA, Haring B, Odegaard AO, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Saquib N, Masaki K, Harris HR, Jager LR, Bea JW, Wactawski-Wende J, Anderson GL

Association of Cancer History with COVID-19 Risk and Outcomes Among Older Postmenopausal Women: Results from the Women's Health Initiative.
(2025 May 20)
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
Hery CM, Zhang X, McLaughlin E, Von Ah D, Anderson GL, Harris HR, VoPham T, Garcia L, Shadyab AH, Follis S, Paskett ED

Correction: Hormone-associated dietary patterns and premenopausal breast cancer risk.
(2025 Jul)
Breast Cancer Res Treat 212(1): 187
Fest SN, Farland LV, Doody DR, Eliassen AH, Rosner BA, Fung TT, Hankinson SE, Kensler TW, Willett WC, Harris HR

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