Boston University School of Medicine's black women's health study receives $9.1 million award

(Boston) – The Black Women's Health Study (BWHS) of the Sloan Epidemiology Center at Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) has received a five-year continuation of grant funding award from the National Cancer Institute. The $9.1M award will cover years 16-20 of the largest follow-up study of the health of African-American women.

Lynn Rosenberg, Sc.D., an associate director of the Slone Epidemiology Center and professor of epidemiology at BUSM, is the principal investigator of the BWHS, which has followed 59,000 black women from across the United States since 1995.

Lynn Rosenberg, Sc.D.

"African American women are more likely to be affected by aggressive breast cancers and at younger ages than other U.S. women," said Rosenberg. "We are grateful that the National Cancer Institute recognizes the importance of studying causes of breast cancer in African American women." ###

The BWHS has published multiple papers on breast cancer, including on topics of special interest to African American women that have not been studied previously, such as the influence of breast cancer risk on experiences of racism. The BWHS also assesses risk factors for outcomes other than cancer that disproportionately affect black women. These include diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, sarcoidosis, and preterm birth. Funding for these assessments has been provided by the National Institutes of Health and several foundations.

More information on the BWHS can be found at www.bu.edu/bwhs/. For more information on Boston University School of Medicine, please visit www.bumc.bu.edu/.

Contact: Michelle Roberts michelle.roberts@bmc.org 617-638-8491 Boston University Medical Center>