Shirley A. A. Beresford

Appointments and Affiliations

University of Washington
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Epidemiology
Professor, Appointed: 1987
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Public Health Sciences Division
Cancer Prevention Research & Epidemiology
Member, Appointed: 1989
Professional Headshot of Shirley A. A. Beresford

Mailing Address

Department of Epidemiology
University of Washington
Box 357236
Seattle, Washington 98195-7236
United States

Contact

Phone: (206) 543-9512
Fax: (206) 685-9651
beresfrd@u.washington.edu

Degrees

Ph.D., University of London, Epidemiology, 1981.
M.A., University of Cambridge, Mathematics Tripos, 1974.
M.Sc., University of Sussex, Mathematical Statistics, 1971.
B.A., University of Cambridge, Mathematics Tripos, 1970.

Research Interests

Dr. Beresford began her career as a medical statistician and then epidemiologist in London. She has published more than 20 papers or book chapters on cardiovascular disease or its risk factors, including one of the most highly cited meta-analyses of homocysteine and cardiovascular disease risk, and more than 25 papers on cancer risk. Dr. Beresford has published more than 40 papers on dietary factors, including folate status, or dietary behavior, including reducing dietary fat intake and increasing fruit and vegetable intake, out of a total of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. She has co-authored a book chapter in nutritional epidemiology. Dr. Beresford was a member of the Committee on Identifying and Assessing Unintended Effects of Genetically Engineered Foods on Human Health, National Academy of Sciences, 2002 - 2004, and an invited speaker at the Institute of Medicine's workshop on Managing Food-related Risks in 2005. Her research interests are in the areas of nutritional epidemiology and chronic disease prevention. Her work is specifically designed to improve the scientific basis for public health policy and recommendations concerning dietary intake, physical activity and intake of folic acid. She has been Principal Investigator on numerous individual and group randomized trials of dietary behavior intervention. In particular, Dr. Beresford has been an investigator with the Women's Health Initiative since its inception, contributing to the intervention design in the Dietary Modification trial, and is lead author of one of the primary results papers of the randomized trial, namely the low fat dietary pattern and risk of colorectal cancer.

She is Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and also a member of the core faculty of the Nutritional Sciences Program, and affiliate investigator with the Clinical Nutrition Research Unit.

Dr. Beresford co-founded and teaches the course EPI 538 / NUTR 538 ''Nutritional Epidemiology'', currently offered in Autumn quarter.

Dr. Beresford chairs the social epidemiology working group in the School of Public Health, and co-teaches the course EPI 548/ HSERV 548 'Social Determinants of Health: research methods', currently offered in Winter quarter.

Additional Experience

Delta Omega Society, Theta Chapter

Memberships

American Epidemiological Society
American Public Health Association
American Society of Preventive Oncology
Delta Omega Society
International Epidemiological Association
Royal Statistical Society
Society for Epidemiological Research
Society for Social Medicine

Honors and Awards

2001, Member, America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals
1999, Career Appreciation Certificate, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
1997, Elected Member American Epidemiological Society
1991, Professional Advisory Council Award, Spina Bifida Association of America
1990, President's Excellence Award, Spina Bifida Association of America
1984, Outstanding Performance Award, Veterans Administration
1984, Elected Member Delta Omega Society
1967, Scholarship (not claimed), St. Hughes College, Oxford University, Mathematics

Previous Positions

1984-1987, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, Epidemiology
1982-1984, Senior Research Health Scientist, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research
1982-1984, Assistant Professor, Duke University, Duke University Medical Center, Community and Family Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
1976-1982, Research Fellow, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology and General Practice
1976-1982, Honorary Lecturer, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology and General Practice
1971-1976, Lecturer, St. Thomas' Hospital Medical School, Medical School, Community Medicine

Funding

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): Worksite Program to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake, $4,121,464, May 1, 1993 to Mar 31, 2004.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): Dietary Intervention Trial in Primary Care Practices, $1,123,846, Jun 1, 1989 to Nov 30, 1993.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): Folic acid intake & homocysteine: a dose-response study, $456,563, Dec 1, 1997 to Nov 30, 2002.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): Components of prenatal care and low birthweight, $125,000, Aug 1, 1991 to Apr 30, 1993.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): Endometrial Cancer Risk and Postmenopausal Hormone Use, $1,070,000, Apr 1, 1989 to Jun 30, 1996.
  • Department of the Environment, London, via Water Research Center: Health Aspects of Organic Compounds in Drinking Water, $60,000, Apr 1, 1980 to Mar 31, 1982.
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI): Enhancing long-term behavior change in worksites, $2,240,000, 2005 to 2009.
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): Reducing obesity at the workplace: a randomized trial, $2,000,000, 2004 to 2008.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): Vanguard Clinical Centers for Clinical Trial and Observational Study of the Women's Health Initiative/West, $7,742,593, 1993 to 2010.

Recent Publications

2013
Perry, CK, Herting JR, Berke EM, Nguyen HQ, Vernez Moudon A, Beresford SAA, Ockene JK, Manson JE, LaCroix AZ.  2013.  Does neighborhood walkability moderate the effects of intrapersonal characteristics on amount of walking in post-menopausal women? Health & place. 21:39-45. Abstract
Cash, SW, Duncan GE, Beresford SAA, McTiernan A, Patrick DL.  2013.  Increases in physical activity may affect quality of life differently in men and women: the PACE project.. Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation. Abstract
Ko, CW, Napolitano PG, Lee SP, Schulte SD, Ciol MA, Beresford SAA.  2013.  Physical Activity, Maternal Metabolic Measures, and the Incidence of Gallbladder Sludge or Stones during Pregnancy: A Randomized Trial.. American journal of perinatology. Abstract
Zschäbitz, S, Cheng T-YD, Neuhouser ML, Zheng Y, Ray RM, Miller JW, Song X, Maneval DR, Beresford SAA, Lane D et al..  2013.  B vitamin intakes and incidence of colorectal cancer: results from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study cohort.. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 97(2):332-43. Abstract
Miller, JW, Beresford SAA, Neuhouser ML, Cheng T-YD, Song X, Brown EC, Zheng Y, Rodriguez B, Green R, Ulrich CM.  2013.  Homocysteine, cysteine, and risk of incident colorectal cancer in the Women's Health Initiative observational cohort.. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 97(4):827-34. Abstract
Anderson, CAM, Beresford SAA, McLerran D, Lampe JW, Deeb S, Feng Z, Motulsky AG.  2013.  Response of serum and red blood cell folate concentrations to folic acid supplementation depends on methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T genotype: results from a crossover trial.. Molecular nutrition & food research. 57(4):637-44. Abstract
2012
Cash, SW, Ma H, Horn-Ross PL, Reynolds P, Canchola AJ, Sullivan-Halley J, Beresford SAA, Neuhouser ML, Vaughan TL, Heagerty PJ et al..  2012.  Recreational physical activity and risk of papillary thyroid cancer among women in the California Teachers Study.. Cancer epidemiology. Abstract
Barrington, WE, Ceballos RM, Bishop SK, McGregor BA, Beresford SAA.  2012.  Perceived stress, behavior, and body mass index among adults participating in a worksite obesity prevention program, Seattle, 2005-2007.. Preventing chronic disease. 9:E152. Abstract
Toriola, AT, Cheng T-YD, Neuhouser ML, Wener MH, Zheng Y, Brown E, Miller JW, Song X, Beresford SAA, Gunter MJ et al..  2012.  Biomarkers of inflammation are associated with colorectal cancer risk in women but are not suitable as early detection markers.. International journal of cancer. Journal international du cancer. Abstract
Fretts, AM, Howard BV, McKnight B, Duncan GE, Beresford SAA, Mete M, Eilat-Adar S, Zhang Y, Siscovick DS.  2012.  Associations of processed meat and unprocessed red meat intake with incident diabetes: the Strong Heart Family Study.. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 95(3):752-8. Abstract
Kong, A, Beresford SAA, Imayama I, Duggan C, Alfano CM, Foster-Schubert KE, Neuhouser ML, Johnson DB, Wang C-Y, Xiao L et al..  2012.  Adoption of diet-related self-monitoring behaviors varies by race/ethnicity, education, and baseline binge eating score among overweight-to-obese postmenopausal women in a 12-month dietary weight loss intervention.. Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.). 32(4):260-5. Abstract
2011
Prentice, RL, Mossavar-Rahmani Y, Huang Y, Horn LV, Beresford SAA, Caan B, Tinker L, Schoeller D, Bingham S, Eaton CB et al..  2011.  Evaluation and comparison of food records, recalls, and frequencies for energy and protein assessment by using recovery biomarkers.. American journal of epidemiology. 174(5):591-603. Abstract
Pocobelli, G, Doherty JA, Voigt LF, Beresford SAA, Hill DA, Chen C, Rossing MA, Holmes RS, Noor ZS, Weiss NS.  2011.  Pregnancy history and risk of endometrial cancer.. Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.). 22(5):638-45. Abstract
Carty, CL, Kooperberg C, Neuhouser ML, Tinker L, Howard B, Wactawski-Wende J, Beresford SAA, Snetselaar L, Vitolins M, Allison M et al..  2011.  Low-fat dietary pattern and change in body-composition traits in the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial.. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 93(3):516-24. Abstract
Tamers, SL, Beresford SAA, Cheadle AD, Zheng Y, Bishop SK, Thompson B.  2011.  The association between worksite social support, diet, physical activity and body mass index.. Preventive medicine. 53(1-2):53-6. Abstract
Tamers, SL, Beresford SAA, Thompson B, Zheng Y, Cheadle AD.  2011.  Exploring the role of co-worker social support on health care utilization and sickness absence.. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 53(7):751-7. Abstract
Bós, AM, Howard BV, Beresford SAA, Urban ND, Tinker LF, Waters H, Bós AJ, Chlebowski R, Ennis JM.  2011.  Cost-effectiveness analysis of a low-fat diet in the prevention of breast and ovarian cancer.. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 111(1):56-66. Abstract
Cash, SW, Beresford SAA, Henderson JA, McTiernan A, Xiao L, Wang C-Y, Patrick DL.  2011.  Dietary and physical activity behaviours related to obesity-specific quality of life and work productivity: baseline results from a worksite trial.. The British journal of nutrition. :1-9. Abstract
Kong, A, Beresford SAA, Alfano CM, Foster-Schubert KE, Neuhouser ML, Johnson DB, Duggan C, Wang C-Y, Xiao L, Bain CE et al..  2011.  Associations between Snacking and Weight Loss and Nutrient Intake among Postmenopausal Overweight to Obese Women in a Dietary Weight-Loss Intervention.. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 111(12):1898-903. Abstract
Phipps, AI, Doherty JA, Voigt LF, Hill DA, Beresford SAA, Rossing MA, Chen C, Weiss NS.  2011.  Long-term use of continuous-combined estrogen-progestin hormone therapy and risk of endometrial cancer.. Cancer causes & control : CCC. 22(12):1639-46. Abstract
Li, F, Hullar MAJ, Beresford SAA, Lampe JW.  2011.  Variation of glucoraphanin metabolism in vivo and ex vivo by human gut bacteria.. The British journal of nutrition. 106(3):408-16. Abstract
2010
Thompson, OM, Beresford SAA, Kirk EA, Bronner MP, Vaughan TL.  2010.  Serum leptin and adiponectin levels and risk of Barrett's esophagus and intestinal metaplasia of the gastroesophageal junction.. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.). 18(11):2204-11. Abstract
Beresford, SAA, Bishop SK, Brunner NL, Duncan GE, McGregor BA, McLerran DF, West BA, Thompson B.  2010.  Environmental assessment at worksites after a multilevel intervention to promote activity and changes in eating: the PACE project.. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 52 Suppl 1:S22-8. Abstract
Kocarnik, JD, Hutter CM, Slattery ML, Berndt SI, Hsu L, Duggan DJ, Muehling J, Caan BJ, Beresford SAA, Rajkovic A et al..  2010.  Characterization of 9p24 risk locus and colorectal adenoma and cancer: gene-environment interaction and meta-analysis.. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology. 19(12):3131-9. Abstract
Hutter, CM, Slattery ML, Duggan DJ, Muehling J, Curtin K, Hsu L, Beresford SAA, Rajkovic A, Sarto GE, Marshall JR et al..  2010.  Characterization of the association between 8q24 and colon cancer: gene-environment exploration and meta-analysis.. BMC cancer. 10:670. Abstract