OB/GYN Epidemiology Center

Overview

The Ob/Gyn Epidemiology Center has focused epidemiologic research in women’s health including ovarian cancer, endometriosis, and other benign gynecologic diseases. Our ovarian cancer research program has contributed to the prevention of ovarian cancer including roles for contraception, breastfeeding, and talc powder exposure; identification of novel early detection biomarkers; and tissue- and serum-based prognostic biomarkers. Our endometriosis research program has identified proteins and metabolites as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as elucidate biology of endometriosis and chronic pain.

Research Projects

• Changing contraceptive patterns and ovarian cancer risk
• Novel biomarkers and pathways of persistent endometriosis associated pain across the life course
• Elucidating pathways underlying the association of contraception use with ovarian and breast cancers through metabolic profiling
• Contemporary contraception & ovarian cancer risk: A modifiable exposure for reproductive aged women

Studies

• The Women's Health Study: from Adolescence to Adulthood (A2A)
• New England Case Control Study (NECC)
• Pre-operative Predictors of Pelvic Mass (Pre-op)

Consortia

• Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC)
• Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium (OC3)
• International Endometriosis Genomics Consortium (IEGC)

Nan Lin, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow
nlin@bwh.harvard.edu

Dr. Lin’s research focuses on identifying biomarkers that contribute to ovarian cancer development and prognosis and leveraging high-throughput omics data and machine learning approaches to improve risk prediction and prevention.

Allison Vitonis, SM, Sr Data Manager
avitonis@bwh.harvard.edu

Allison Vitonis has played key roles in numerous research studies over the years at the Ob/Gyn Epidemiology center, eventually taking on leadership positions after completing her master’s degree in Epidemiology at Harvard University. Ms. Vitonis oversees all aspects of data collection and data management, use and storage of biospecimens, manages and maintains study databases, including the laboratory information management system, and performs and oversees biostatistical analyses for the center

Ashley Laliberte, BS, MPH, Biostatistician
Alaliberte3@bwh.harvard.edu

Ashley graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2020 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and went on to earn her Master of Public Health at Boston University in 2022. While completing her MPH, she found a love for quantitative data that led her to her current biostatistician position here at the Ob/Gyn Epidemiology Center.

Mary DePari, BS, Programmer
mdepari@bwh.harvard.edu

Mary DePari has worked at the Ob/Gyn Epidemiology Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for over 30 years. She started out as a research assistant and has worked on a wide range of epidemiologic research projects involving women’s health issues including ovarian cancer, endometriosis and mental health in women approaching menopause. She is part of the data management and statistical programming team and is also the lead REDCap programmer. She was also an integral part in the development of the Boston Center for Endometriosis, Women’s Health Study: from Adolescence to Adulthood Biorepository, throughout the past 14 years.

Cameron Fraer, RN, Project Manager
cfraer@bwh.harvard.edu

Cam Fraer has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Utah. She has over 35 years of epidemiologic research experience, serving as Project Manager for several research studies conducted within the Ob/Gyn Epidemiology Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is a skilled study coordinator given her decades of experience, ensuring procedural consistency, participant support, and valid data collection.

Kathy Hasselblatt, BS, Lab Manager
khasselblatt@bwh.harvard.edu

Kathy joined the Ob/Gyn Epidemiology Center at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in 2025. She brings over 30 years of laboratory research experience as a lab manager for the Ob/Gyn Department. She maintains and organizes all biorepository samples in the laboratory and is responsible for processing samples collected from research participants.

Bernadette Aidonidis, Administrative Support
baidonidis@bwh.harvard.edu

Ms. Aidonidis has over thirty years of experience in academic research. She assists in the coordination of the study set up including pre and post award budgets, ethics approvals and annual progress reports and manuscripts preparation.

Madhumita (Madhu) Raman BS, Graduate Student
mraman1@bwh.harvard.edu

Madhumita Raman has a Bachelor of Science in Public Health-Global Health from the University of Washington. She is currently pursuing her SM in Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She supports data collection for the Women's Health Study: From Adolescence to Adulthood cohort and contributes to preparing manuscripts and figures.

Publications

Daniel W. Cramer, MD, ScD

Kathryn L. Terry, ScD

Jennifer Mongiovi, PhD

Nan Lin, PhD