Elizabeth A. Platz

Elizabeth A. Platz, ScD, MPH is Professor and Martin D. Abeloff, MD Scholar in Cancer Prevention at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She directs the NCI-funded (T32) training program in Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control and co-leads the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. She holds joint appointments in the Department of Oncology, and the Department of Urology and the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Platz received her ScD in epidemiology from Harvard University (1995) and MPH from Yale University (1989). She was a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health before joining Johns Hopkins.

Her research focuses on using molecular and genetic epidemiology approaches to understand the mechanisms underlying prostate cancer incidence and progression. She is particularly known for her leadership of multidisciplinary prostate cancer research teams and her work on the role of inflammation in prostate cancer development, telomere length as a prognostic marker for prostate cancer outcomes, and explanations for racial disparities in prostate cancer incidence and mortality. Her work spans cancer epidemiology, molecular biomarkers, diet and lifestyle factors, genetics, epigenetics, and inflammation.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on integrating multi-omic approaches (proteomics, genomics, epigenomics) with epidemiological methods to identify early cancer risk markers, particularly for prostate, colorectal, and hematologic cancers. Her work increasingly incorporates Mendelian randomization and gene-environment interaction analyses to understand causal pathways. The ARIC study features prominently in her recent work as a platform for investigating cancer risk factors in diverse populations.

• 2019 Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for distinguished contributions to understanding roles of genetics, epigenetics, and environmental factors in cancer epidemiology
• 2013 Prostate Cancer Foundation Mentor of Excellence Award
• 2010 Martin D. Abeloff, MD Scholar in Cancer Prevention
• Multiple teaching and mentoring awards including AMTRA Awards (2003, 2007)

As Editor-in-Chief of the American Association for Cancer Research's Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, Dr. Platz has significantly shaped the field's scientific discourse. She is an elected member of the AACR Board of Directors and has led numerous NCI-funded research projects. Her current work focuses on translating epidemiological findings into prevention and treatment strategies, with particular attention to health disparities in cancer outcomes.

Dr. Platz leads research teams working within the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research and the George W. Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention. Her collaborative approach spans multiple disciplines, bringing together epidemiologists, molecular biologists, urologists, oncologists, and biostatisticians to address complex questions in cancer epidemiology and prevention.