Heather H. Nelson, PhD, MPH

PhD, Harvard University, Cancer Biology
MPH, University of Minnesota, Environmental Health

Research Interests:

Cancer susceptibility and etiology using both laboratory and
epidemiologic tools; gene-environment interactions; skin cancer,
mesothelioma, and other exposure-related malignancies

Member: University of Minnesota Cancer Center
(http://www.cancer.umn.edu/)

Recent Publications:

Furniss, CS, McClean, MD, Smith, JF, Bryan, J, Applebaum, KM, Nelson, HH, Posner, MR, Kelsey, KT. Human Papillomavirus 6 seropositivity is associated with risk of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, independent of tobacco and alcohol use (Annals of Oncology, in press)

Houseman, EA, Christensen, BC, Yeh, RF, Marsit, CJ, Karagas, MR, Wrensch, M, Nelson, HH, Wiemels, J, Zheng, S, Wiencke, JK, Kelsey, KT. Model-based clustering of DNA methylation array data: a recursive-partitioning algorithm for high-dimensional data arising as a mixture of beta distributions. BMC Bioinformatics 9:365, (Epub Sept 2008)

Pattin, KA, White, BC, Barney, N, Gu, J, Nelson, HH, Kelsey, KT, Andrew, AS, Karagas, MR, Moore, JH. A computationally efficient hypothesis testing method for epistasis analysis using multifactor dimensionality reduction. Genet Epidemiol (Epub Jul 2008)

Welsh, MM, Karagas, MR, Applebaum, KM, Spencer, SK, Perry, AE, Nelson, HH. A role for ultraviolet radiation immunosuppression in non-melanoma skin cancer as evidenced by gene-environment interactions. Carcinogenesis (Epub Jul 2008)

Patel, AS, Karagas, MR, Perry, AE, Nelson, HH. Exposure profiles and human papillomavirus infection in skin cancer: an analysis of 25 genus beta types in a population-based study. J Invest Dermatol (Epub Jun 2008).

Christensen, BC, Godleski, JJ, Marsit, CJ, Houseman, AE, Lopez-Fagundo, C, Longacker, J, Bueno, R, Sugarbaker, DJ, Nelson, HH, Kelsey, KT. Asbestos exposure predicts cell cycle control gene promoter methylation in pleural mesothelioma Carcinogenesis 29:1555-59, 2008.

Christensen, BC, Godleski, JJ, Roelofs, C, Longacker, J, Bueno, R, Sugarbaker, DJ, Nelson, HH, Kelsey, KT. Asbestos burden predicts survival in pleural mesothelioma, Env Health Perspectives 116:723-6, 2008.

Patel, AS, Karagas, MR, Pawlita, M, Waterboer, T, Nelson, HH. Cutaneous human papillomavirus infection, the EVER2 gene and incidence of squamous cell carcinoma: A case-control study. Int J Cancer 122:2377-79, 2008.

Andrew, AS, Karagas, MR, Nelson, HH, Guarrera, S, Polidoro, S, Gamberini, S, Sacerdote, C, Moore, JH, Kelsey, KT, Demidenko, E, Vineis, P, Matullo, F. DNA repair polymorphisms modify bladder cancer risk: a multi-factor analytic strategy. Hum Hered 65:105-118, 2008.

Karagas, MR, Nelson, HH, Zens, S, Linet, M, Perry, A, Stukel, T, Spencer, S, Brauning, M, Miller, K, Mott, L, Mabuchi, K. Squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma of the skin in relation to radiation therapy and potential modification of risk by sun exposure. Epidemiology. 18(6):776-84, 2007

Applebaum, KM, Karagas, MR, Hunter, DJ, Catalano, PJ, Byler, SH, Morris, S, Nelson, HH. Polymorphisms in nucleotide excision repair genes, arsenic exposure, and non-melanoma skin cancer in New Hampshire. Env Health Perpectives 115:1231-6, 2007

Karagas, MR, Stukel, TA, Umland, V, Tsoukas, MM, Mott, LA, Sorensen, HT, Jensen, AO, Nelson, HH, Spencer, SK, Perry, AE, Stern, RS. Reported use of photosensitizing medications and basal and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin: results of a population-based case-control study J Invest Dermatol 127:2901-3, 2007.

Patel, AS, Karagas, MR, Perry, AE, Spencer, SK, Nelson, HH. Gene-drug interaction at the gluccocorticoid receptor increases risk of squamous cell skin cancer. J Invest Dermatol 127:1868-70, 2007.

Furniss, CS, McClean, MD, Smith, JF, Bryan, J, Nelson, HH, Peters, ES, Posner, MR, Clark, JR, Eisen, EA, Kelsey, KT. Human papillomavirus 16 and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Int J Cancer 120:2386-92, 2007.

Karagas, MR, Zens, S, Nelson, HH, Mabuchi, K, Perry, A, Stukel, TA, Mott, LA, Andrew, AS, Applebaum, KM, Linet, M. Measures of cumulative exposure from a standardized sun exposure history questionnaire: a comparison with histologic assessment of solar skin damage. Am J Epidemiol 165:719-26, 2007.

Marsit, CJ, Houseman, EA, Christensen, BC, Eddy, K, Bueno, R, Sugarbaker, DJ, Nelson, HH, Karagas, MR, Kelsey, KT. Examination of CpG island methylator phenotype and implications of methylation profiles in solid tumors. Cancer Res 66:10621-29, 2006.

Miller, KL, Karagas, MR, Kraft, P, Hunter, DJ, Catalano, P, Byler, SH, Nelson, HH. XPA, haplotypes, and risk of basal and squamous cell carcinoma. Carcinogenesis, 27:1670-75, 2006.

Karagas, MR, Nelson, HH, Sehr, P, Waterboer, T, Stukel, TA, Andrew, A, Green, AC, Bavinck, J, Perry, A, Spencer, S, Rees, JR, Mott, LA, Pawlita. Serologic Evidence of Human Papillomavirus Infection and the Incidence of Squamous Cell and Basal Cell Carcinomas of the Skin. J Natl Cancer Inst 98:389-95, 2006.

Professional Experience:

2007 - present, Associate Professor, Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota

2007 - present, Member, University of Minnesota Cancer Center

2007 - present, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health

2002 - 2007, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health,
Harvard School of Public Health

1999 - 2002, Research Associate, Department of Cancer Cell Biology,
Harvard School of Public Health

1998 - 1999, Post-doctoral fellow, Molecular Epideimology, Harvard
School of Public Health

Honors:

2005, Junior Faculty Sabbatical Award, Harvard School of Public Health

2001, First Decade Award, Hamline University

1998, AACR-Glaxo Wellcome Oncology Clinical Research Scholar, Award
American Association for Cancer Research

1997, EMS Scholar Travel Award, Environmental Mutagen Society

1996 - 1998, Albert J. Ryan Fellow, Harvard University

1995, Histopathobiology of Neoplasia fellowship, American Association
for Cancer Research

1992, Walter Kenyon Award, Outstanding Senior in Biology, Hamline
University

Contact

Mailing Address:
Univ of Minnnesota Cancer Center
925 East River Road, #554
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Phone (Work): (612) 626-9887

Email: hhnelson@umn.edu