Anna Wu, PhD

Professor Emerita

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Overview

Dr. Wu’s research focuses on the epidemiology of cancer with emphasis on understanding the increase of various (e.g., breast, ovarian, colon) cancers among Asian migrants to the US. A unifying theme of my research is to identify modifiable lifestyle and environmental factors to reduce the risk of specific cancers and to improve outcomes among those diagnosed with cancer. In addition to observational epidemiologic studies, I have conducted a series of controlled intervention studies to investigate the short-term effects of dietary (e.g., soy, green tea) and hormonal (e.g., oral contraceptives) agents on breast-tissue (e.g., mammographic density) and circulating sex hormones and other biomarkers.
Since 2014, I began to use the well-established Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) to address research questions on environmental exposures (e.g., air pollution, endocrine disrupting chemicals) that have been challenging to study. In addition, I am participating in two multicenter survivorship studies on breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Education and Training

  • University of California, Los Angeles — PhD — 1983 — Epidemiology

Publications

  • Late-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis and Air Pollution in a Multiethnic Cohort. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2026 07; 78(7):1425-1436.. View in PubMed
  • Exposure to Industrial Air Toxics and Risk of Breast Cancer in California: The Multiethnic Cohort Study. J Occup Environ Med. 2026 Jul 01; 68(7):513-521.. View in PubMed
  • Racial and ethnic differences in the impact of air pollution on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in the Multiethnic Cohort Study. Environ Int. 2026 Mar; 209:110169.. View in PubMed
  • Associations of Proximity to Superfund Sites and Air Pollution with Breast Cancer Subtypes: Clues from a Case-Case Study and Call for Longitudinal Studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2026 Jan 09; 35(1):7-9.. View in PubMed
  • Childhood exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) and risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal never smokers: the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) study. Breast Cancer Res. 2025 Dec 25; 28(1):24.. View in PubMed
  • Regular Physical Inactivity and Ovarian Cancer Risk in the Ovarian Cancer in Women of African Ancestry Consortium. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2025 Dec 01; 34(12):2302-2305.. View in PubMed
  • Investigating the association between anthropometry and colorectal cancer survival: a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis. Int J Epidemiol. 2025 Oct 14; 54(6).. View in PubMed
  • Using gene-environment interactions to explore pathways for colorectal cancer risk. EBioMedicine. 2025 Nov; 121:105964.. View in PubMed
  • Neighborhood racial and ethnic composition typology and breast cancer risk: the Multiethnic Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 10 07; 194(10):2775-2786.. View in PubMed
  • Transcriptome-wide Mendelian randomization exploring dynamic CD4+ T cell gene expression in colorectal cancer development. J Leukoc Biol. 2025 Oct 01; 117(10).. View in PubMed