Melissa L Bondy

Dr. Melissa L Bondy is the inaugural Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, with courtesy appointments in Pediatrics. She also serves as Co-Director of the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences and Associate Director for Population Sciences at the Stanford Cancer Institute. Previously, she held leadership roles at Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas School of Public Health.

Research Interests: Dr. Bondy specializes in genetic and molecular epidemiology, focusing on hereditary cancer susceptibility (particularly brain and breast cancers), health disparities, and environmental exposure effects, including post-Hurricane Harvey health impacts. Her work bridges population sciences with molecular genetics to improve cancer prevention and treatment.

Grants & Leadership: She leads major studies like the Gliogene family-based glioma investigation and co-leads the SPORE in Brain Cancer, with grants from the NIH/NCI. Her recent publications highlight polygenic risk scores for glioma, neighborhood deprivation in ovarian cancer survival, and germline variants in familial brain tumors.

Scientific Awards:

• Visiting Scholar Award, NCI Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (2018)
• Michael O’Malley Distinguished Professor Award, University of North Carolina (2020)

Labs & Collaborations: The Bondy Lab spearheads the Gliogene Study, the largest investigation into inherited glioma risk. She collaborates with NCI-designated cancer centers and contributes to global cancer research initiatives.