Shelley Tworoger

Dr. Shelley Tworoger is Professor and Head of the Division of Oncological Sciences at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine, and Associate Director of Population Science at OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. Her research employs integrative epidemiologic approaches to elucidate breast and ovarian cancer etiology, with emphasis on risk factors (e.g., psychological distress, lifestyle), tumor microenvironment interactions, survival determinants, and large-scale biorepositories. She leads the ovarian cancer efforts in the Nurses’ Health Studies and co-directs the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium.

Education: Earned PhD in Epidemiology from University of Washington; completed postdoctoral training and faculty appointments at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School.

Research Focus: Primary investigations include: (1) Novel risk factor discovery (e.g., psychological distress) and mechanistic pathways in women’s cancers; (2) Host-tumor microenvironment crosstalk; (3) Survival determinants in cancer patients; and (4) Consortial study designs. She maintains strong expertise in biomarker integration for epidemiologic studies.

Publication Trends: Her >430 publications (140+ as senior author) predominantly focus on ovarian/breast cancer molecular epidemiology, spanning biomarker validation (e.g., CA125, prolactin), immunotherapy interactions, genetic susceptibility, and psychosocial impacts. Recent work integrates multi-omics, immunogenomics, and electronic health records to decipher risk mechanisms.

Mentorship & Leadership: Mentored ~50 trainees and junior faculty, many now in academic roles globally. Actively promotes leadership diversity through tailored mentoring programs and directs population science initiatives at the Knight Cancer Institute.

Funding & Infrastructure: Continuously holds NIH R01-level funding since 2006 and oversees major biorepository resources for cohort studies.