Alexandra M. Binder, ScD
Full Member, Population Sciences in the Pacific Program (Cancer Epidemiology), University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center
Academic Appointment(s):
Associate Professor (Associate Researcher), Population Sciences in the Pacific Program (Cancer Epidemiology), University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health
ScD, MS, Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
Fellowship(s):
Research Fellow, Biostatistics and Computational Biology Department, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Research Fellow, Epigenetic Epidemiology, Harvard Medical School
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Epigenetic Epidemiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Research Focus
Dr. Binder’s research centers on the analysis of high-dimensional, -omic data to generate novel insight into the molecular mechanisms that shape cancer incidence. A major motivation of her work is the potential of epigenetic epidemiology to elucidate the pathway by which stimuli during critical exposure windows can exert a long-term influence on risk profiles.
Her current work focuses on:
- The developmental origins of health and disease
- Environmental influences on pubertal development
- Life-course epigenetics, biological aging, and cancer risk
- Guiding the design and analysis of epigenetic epidemiology studies
Dr. Binder is involved in several NIH-funded projects investigating how shifts in DNA methylation may mediate the influence of exogenous hormones on pubertal predictors of breast cancer risk. For her NCI K07 Career Development Award, Dr. Binder is analyzing the impact of postmenopausal breast cancer risk factors on epigenetic aging, and evaluating the direct influence of epigenetic aging on invasive cancer incidence in the Women’s Health Initiative cohort.
Selected Publications
Michels KB, De Vivo I, Calafat AM, Binder AM. (2019). In utero exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and telomere length at birth. Environ Res; Dec 17;182:109053. PMID: 31923847.
Binder AM*, Stiemsma LT*, Keller K, van Otterdijk SD, Mericq V, Pereira A, Santos JL, Shepherd J, Corvalan C, Michels KB. (2018). Inverse association between estrogen receptor-α DNA methylation and breast volume in adolescent Chilean girls. Clin Epigenetics; 10(1):122. PMCID: PMC6172836.
Binder AM, Corvalan C, Calafat AM, Ye X, Mericq V, Pereira A, and Michels KB. (2018). Childhood and adolescent phenol and phthalate exposure and the age of menarche in Latina girls. Environmental Health; 17(1):32. PMCID: PMC5883544.
Binder AM, Corvalan C, Mericq V, Pereira A, Santos JL, Horvath S, Shepherd J, Michels KB. (2018). Faster ticking rate of the epigenetic clock is associated with faster pubertal development in girls. Epigenetics; 13 (1), 85-94. PMCID: PMC583697.
Michels KB, Binder AM, Dedeurwaerder S, Epstein CB, Greally JM, Gut Ivo, Houseman EA, Izzi B, Kelsey KT, Meissner A, Milosavljevic A, Siegmund KD, Bock C*, Irizarry RA*. (2013). Recommendations for the design and analysis of epigenome-wide association studies. Nature Methods; Oct; 10(10):949-955. PMID: 24076989.
Publication list via Pubmed
Active Grants
A. Binder, PI
NIH/NHGRI/NIEHS
X01 HG010955
“Influence of endocrine disrupting chemical exposure on epigenetic patterns associated with adolescent adiposity”
08/2019 – 07/2021
A. Binder, PI
NIH/NCI
K07CA225856
“Epigenetic age as a marker of reproductive age and modifier of invasive breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women”
08/2018 – 07/2021
A. Binder, Co-I; M. Michels, PI
NIH/NIEHS
Children’s Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR) 1977
“Microbial and metabolic variations mediate the influence of childhood and adolescent EDC and trace element exposure on breast density”
07/2018 – 07/2020
