A Heather Eliassen

A. Heather Eliassen is an American public health researcher who is a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research considers the epidemiology of breast cancer and the identification of modifiable risk factors to reduce breast cancer risk.

Early life and education Eliassen studied history at Dartmouth College. She moved to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for graduate studies, where she majored in epidemiology. Her doctoral research considered lifestyle factors for breast cancer, which she investigated alongside Susan Hankinson.

Research and career Eliassen studies lifestyle factors and breast cancer risk. She made use of the Nurses' Health Study to better understand how women adapt their lifestyles to reduce their risk of breast cancer. She showed that adolescent consumption of red meat was associated with premenopausal breast cancer, whilst intake of poultry resulted in a lower risk. Additionally, she showed that high fiber cruciferous and orange vegetables reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Eliassen's research has shown that weight loss and increased exercise can reduce breast cancer risk after menopause. She also showed that increased levels of carotenoids in blood reduced breast cancer risk, with low risk of lethal breast cancer in people with high levels of carotenoids. Eliassen showed that high levels of circulating trans fatty acids was positively correlated with breast cancer risk, which was particularly high for overweight women.

Selected publications