Joellen Schildkraut, PhD, MPH, a leader in women's cancer research, who will be joining the Rollins School of Public Health faculty and Winship's Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program on January 1, 2020. (Photo: University of Virginia)
Joellen Schildkraut, PhD, MPH, a leader in women's cancer research, will be joining Emory University's faculty on January 1, 2020, where she will serve as a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health and member of Winship Cancer Institute (Winship)'s Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program.
Schildkraut has studied for much of her career the genetic epidemiology of ovarian, breast, and brain tumors, for which she has utilized innovative technologies and data science approaches to reconsider the biology and epidemiology of these diseases. She has authored nearly 360 peer-reviewed journal articles and contributed book chapters to numerous textbooks including Approaches to Gene Mapping in Complex Human Diseases and Principles and Practice of Oncology. She has presented her research at major research conferences and spoken at events across the country.
"Joellen is a leader in three consortia studying ovarian cancer prevention and outcomes in the U.S. and abroad, including a consortium of research on ovarian cancer in African American women," says Timothy L. Lash, DSc, MPH, chair of the Department of Epidemiology and leader of Winship's Cancer Prevention and Control Program. "When you think about ovarian cancer epidemiology, Joellen's name is the first to come to mind. We are delighted to have her join our department and research program."
"We are thrilled that Dr. Schildkraut will be joining our faculty," says James W. Curran, MD, MPH, dean of the Rollins School of Public Health. "Her leadership and expertise in women's cancer research will help to guide Emory's research efforts in this critical area."
Schildkraut received both her MPH and PhD from Yale University. Her doctoral dissertation and early publications focused on the genetic overlap between breast and ovarian cancer through examination of family history. This work indirectly contributed to the discovery of BRCA1 and BRCA2, the two highly penetrant genes associated with increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
"Dr. Schildkraut will strengthen an already outstanding team of investigators in our Cancer Prevention and Control Program, and her work is highly relevant to Winship's Community Outreach for women's cancers in Georgia," says Winship Executive Director Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD.
