Karen Conneely

Karen Conneely is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at Emory University. Her research focuses on the intersection of statistical modeling, bioinformatics, and epigenetic mechanisms in health and disease. She holds a BS from the University of Illinois, an MS from Princeton University, and a PhD from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Conneely's work emphasizes epigenetic biomarkers for aging, cardiometabolic disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. Her studies investigate how environmental exposures, stress, and lifecourse factors influence DNA methylation patterns and health outcomes. Key areas include clonal hematopoiesis, inflammatory pathways, and the impact of nutrition and social determinants on biological aging.

Her recent publications highlight advanced methylation analysis techniques applied to diverse populations, including Hispanic/Latino cohorts and Guatemalan adults. Research themes include the role of epigenetics in cancer fatigue, Alzheimer's biomarkers, and disparities in breast tumor epigenomics. She also explores multi-omics approaches to disease subtyping and precision medicine applications.

Dr. Conneely collaborates widely on environmental epigenetics projects, such as air pollution's effects on DNA methylation, and has pioneered methods for integrating genetic and epigenetic data in public health studies. Her work bridges statistical methodology with translational biomedical research to address complex disease mechanisms.