Hoda Anton-Culver

Hoda Anton-Culver, PhD is a Distinguished Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine & Primary Care at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. She serves as Director of the Genetic Epidemiology Research Institute, a key research center within UCI's medical research infrastructure.

Dr. Anton-Culver's research program focuses on:

• Genetic epidemiology of cancer, particularly ovarian cancer
• Relationships between hormonal factors and cancer risk
• Menstrual cycle characteristics and their impact on disease development
• Population-based studies of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Her work has significantly advanced understanding of how menstrual cycle patterns influence ovarian cancer risk differentially across histotypes. Through large consortium-based research involving thousands of participants across multiple international studies, she has demonstrated the importance of examining cancer risk factors by histologic subtype rather than treating ovarian cancer as a single disease.

Dr. Anton-Culver's most impactful publications reveal:

• Decreased ovarian cancer risk among women with menstrual cycle length >35 days
• Differential associations between menstrual irregularity and specific ovarian cancer subtypes
• No significant association between self-reported PCOS and overall ovarian cancer risk
• Race-specific differences in menstrual cycle characteristics and cancer risk

Her research has been supported by numerous National Institutes of Health grants, including multiple R01 awards from the National Cancer Institute, reflecting the significance and quality of her work in cancer epidemiology.

As Director of the Genetic Epidemiology Research Institute, Dr. Anton-Culver oversees a multidisciplinary team conducting cutting-edge research at the intersection of genetics and population health, with implications for cancer prevention and personalized medicine approaches.