Melissa Troester, PhD, is an epidemiologist who studies breast cancer and benign breast disease using genomic, molecular pathology, and epidemiologic approaches. Her research is particularly focused on understanding the interactions between the environment and breast genomics, specifically how breast microenvironment is affected by age, reproductive history, and other breast cancer risk factors. Dr. Troester directs the Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility, an NIEHS Center of Excellence. She is Principal Investigator of the Carolina Breast Cancer Study (CBCS), a study of breast cancer epidemiology and biology focused on understanding outcome disparities and she is Co-Leader of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Cancer Epidemiology program. She has extensive experience working in consortia, including the African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk (AMBER) consortium, the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), and the Cancer Genome Atlas project. Dr. Troester collaborates with multiple other members of the Cancer Outcomes Research Program, including Andy Olshan, Katie Reeder-Hayes, Sarah Nyante, and Matt Nielsen.
Melissa Troester
PhD
Professor, Epidemiology; Director, Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility, UNC-Chapel Hill