Associate Professor of Population and Precision Health, Department of Public Health Sciences and Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization
Steering Committee, The Institute for Population and Precision Health (IPPH)
Director, The Epidemiology Research and Recruitment Core, UCCCC
Co-Director, The Integrated Health Sciences Facility Core, CACHET
Co-Director, The Community Engagement Core, CACHET

The major focus of Dr. Aschebrook-Kilfoy’s research is to elucidate the role of environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors in the development of cancer and chronic disease. She received training in environmental, chronic disease, and cancer epidemiology, with specific training and expertise in key research areas to study the impact of the urban exposome on population and precision health. As a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, She led multiple projects addressing environmental exposures, genetic risk, and chronic disease. A major focus of her work was evaluating nitrate (from dietary and water sources), pesticides, and other persistent organic pollutant exposure on cancer risk. Dr. Aschebrook-Kilfoy has extensive training and experience conducting environmental exposure assessments using both traditional and molecular approaches. As an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Chicago, she has been developing epidemiologic resources and cohorts to study the impact of the environment on human health in Chicago and beyond as the Director of the Epidemiology Research and Recruitment Core and as a Co-Investigator on key Institute for Population and Precision Health (IPPH) projects including the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study, the All of Us Research Program and the NCI Connect Study. She is PI of the largest thyroid cancer survivorship study to date- The North American Thyroid Cancer Survivorship Study. As a Co-investigator in the Chicago Center for Health and the Environment (CACHET) and Co-Director of the CACHET Integrated Health Sciences Facility Core (a NIEHS P30 center core), Dr. Aschebrook-Kilfoy has been doing extensive work on the integration of novel air pollution monitoring technologies into large population health studies from the South Side of Chicago to Bangladesh. She is also the contact mPI of a NIEHS funded R25 training program to promote EHS studies and careers by engaging underrepresented undergraduates in Chicago in EHS research (Up on EHS).

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Developing an algorithm across integrated healthcare systems to identify a history of cancer using electronic medical records.
Gander JC, Maiyani M, White LL, Sterrett AT, Güney B, Pawloski PA, DeFor T, Olsen Y, Rybicki BA, Neslund-Dudas C, Sheth D, Krajenta R, Purushothaman D, Honda S, Yonehara C, Goddard KAB, Prado YK, Ahsan H, Kibriya MG, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Chan CH, Hague S, Clarke CL, Thompson B, Sawyer J, Gaudet MM, Feigelson HS. Developing an algorithm across integrated healthcare systems to identify a history of cancer using electronic medical records. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2022 06 14; 29(7):1217-1224.
PMID: 35348718

Cancer Screening Differences Among Muslims and Non-Muslims: Insights from the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study.
Majeed AM, Khan ZA, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Kibriya MG, Ahsan H, Padela AI. Cancer Screening Differences Among Muslims and Non-Muslims: Insights from the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2023 Feb; 10(1):176-182.
PMID: 35028902

Household air pollution, ultrasound measurement, fetal biometric parameters and intrauterine growth restriction.
Dutta A, Alexander D, Karrison T, Morhasson-Bello O, Wilson N, Atalabi OM, Adu D, Ibigbami T, Adekunle S, Adepoju D, Olamijulo J, Akinwunmi O, Afolabi OS, Deji-Abiodun O, Adedokun B, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Ojengbede O, Olopade CO. Household air pollution, ultrasound measurement, fetal biometric parameters and intrauterine growth restriction. Environ Health. 2021 06 23; 20(1):74.
PMID: 34187482

Cohort profile: the ChicagO Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS).
Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Kibriya MG, Jasmine F, Stepniak L, Gopalakrishnan R, Craver A, Zakin P, Tasmin S, Kim KE, Goss KH, List M, LeBeau M, Ahsan H. Cohort profile: the ChicagO Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS). BMJ Open. 2020 09 16; 10(9):e038481.
PMID: 32938600

Tobacco and marijuana use and their association with serum prostate-specific antigen levels among African American men in Chicago.
Press DJ, Pierce B, Lauderdale DS, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Lin Gomez S, Hedeker D, Wright NE, Fantus RJ, Bettencourt L, Ahsan H, Eggener S. Tobacco and marijuana use and their association with serum prostate-specific antigen levels among African American men in Chicago. Prev Med Rep. 2020 Dec; 20:101174.
PMID: 33088675

Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS): Increased Response Rates Among African American Residents in Low Socioeconomic Status Neighborhoods.
Press DJ, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Lauderdale D, Stepniak E, Gomez SL, Johnson EP, Gopalakrishnan R, Smieliauskas F, Hedeker D, Bettencourt L, Anselin L, Ahsan H. ChicagO Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS): Increased Response Rates Among African American Residents in Low Socioeconomic Status Neighborhoods. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2021 02; 8(1):186-198.
PMID: 32542493

An update in international trends in incidence rates of thyroid cancer, 1973-2007.
James BC, Mitchell JM, Jeon HD, Vasilottos N, Grogan RH, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B. An update in international trends in incidence rates of thyroid cancer, 1973-2007. Cancer Causes Control. 2018 05; 29(4-5):465-473.
PMID: 29623496

Quality of life in thyroid cancer-assessment of physician perceptions.
James BC, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, White MG, Applewhite MK, Kaplan SP, Angelos P, Kaplan EL, Grogan RH. Quality of life in thyroid cancer-assessment of physician perceptions. J Surg Res. 2018 06; 226:94-99.
PMID: 29661295

Development of the ThyCAT: A clinically useful computerized adaptive test to assess quality of life in thyroid cancer survivors.
Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Ferguson BA, Angelos P, Kaplan EL, Grogan RH, Gibbons RD. Development of the ThyCAT: A clinically useful computerized adaptive test to assess quality of life in thyroid cancer survivors. Surgery. 2018 01; 163(1):137-142.
PMID: 29128190

Occupational pesticide exposure and subclinical hypothyroidism among male pesticide applicators.
Lerro CC, Beane Freeman LE, DellaValle CT, Kibriya MG, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Jasmine F, Koutros S, Parks CG, Sandler DP, Alavanja MCR, Hofmann JN, Ward MH. Occupational pesticide exposure and subclinical hypothyroidism among male pesticide applicators. Occup Environ Med. 2018 02; 75(2):79-89.
PMID: 28775130