William Gauderman, PhD

Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences

Division Chief of Biostatistics

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Overview

Dr. Gauderman’s research falls into two distinct areas:

1) developing statistical methods for genetic-epidemiologic analysis of pedigree data; 2) design and analysis of studies relating health outcomes to environmental exposures. In the field of genetic-epidemiology, he has developed models and methods of estimation for complex traits that depend on both genetic and environment causes, possibly interacting. He has evaluated a technique known as joint segregation and linkage analysis and has found it to be an efficient strategy both for detecting linkage and for estimating gene-environment interactions when the disease gene has not yet been identified. He has also compared various case-control designs for studying measured genes (e.g. candidate genes). In the field of environmental health, he works with the Children’s Health Study, a multi-community study of lung function and respiratory health in school-aged children in the Southern California area. The ultimate goal of this research is to determine whether air pollution, or particular components of air pollution such as ozone, is associated with reduced lung growth and increased incidence of asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory illnesses. He is also the principal investigator of the biostatistics core of the NIEHS Center, and thus is available for statistical consultation for projects involving environmental health.

Research Funding

  • An integrative omics approach to investigate gene-environment interaction in colorectal cancer risk
    NIH · R01CA273198 · Jun 1, 2023 – May 31, 2028 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • Using functional genomics to inform gene environment interactions for colorectal cancer
    NIH · R01CA201407 · Sep 23, 2016 – Aug 31, 2021 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • Statistical Methods for Integrative Genomics in Cancer
    NIH · P01CA196569 · Jul 1, 2016 – Aug 31, 2027 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • Gene-Environment Analyses of Early Life Exposures and Asthma in Ethnically Diverse Children
    NIH · R21ES024844 · Dec 1, 2014 – Nov 30, 2017 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • Air pollution effects on asthma and lung function in Hispanic children
    NIH · R03ES022719 · Jun 20, 2013 – May 31, 2016 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Detecting GxE Interactions in Genome-wide Association Studies
    NIH · R21HL115606 · Mar 1, 2012 – Feb 29, 2016 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Software to compute sample size for high-volume genetic studies
    NIH · R41CA141852 · Aug 1, 2009 – Jul 31, 2012 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Remote Sensing of Wildfire Smoke Exposures to Assess Health Effects
    NIH · R21ES016986 · Sep 5, 2008 – Aug 31, 2011 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • A Genome-wide Association Study of Childhood Respiratory Outcomes
    NIH · R01HL087680 · May 20, 2007 – Apr 30, 2011 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Environmental Genomics
    NIH · T32ES013678 · Apr 30, 2005 – Jun 30, 2025 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • STATISTICAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF GXE INTERACTIONS
    NIH · R01ES010421 · May 1, 2000 – Apr 30, 2005 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • TRAINING MODULES FOR CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
    NIH · R43CA058240 · Sep 30, 1992 – May 31, 1993 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • PEDIGREE ANALYSIS USING GIBBS SAMPLING
    NIH · R43GM048326 · Sep 1, 1992 – Mar 31, 1993 · Role: Principal Investigator

Publications

  • Genome-wide gene-sleep interaction study identifies novel lipid loci in 732,564 participants. Atherosclerosis. 2026 Jan; 412:120603.. View in PubMed
  • Using gene-environment interactions to explore pathways for colorectal cancer risk. EBioMedicine. 2025 Nov; 121:105964.. View in PubMed
  • Pathway-specific polygenic scores substantially increase the discovery of gene-adiposity interactions impacting liver biomarkers. HGG Adv. 2026 Jan 15; 7(1):100515.. View in PubMed
  • Genetic risk factors modulate the association between physical activity and colorectal cancer. Res Sq. 2025 Sep 02.. View in PubMed
  • Pathway polygenic risk scores (pPRS) for the analysis of gene-environment interaction. PLoS Genet. 2025 Aug; 21(8):e1011543.. View in PubMed
  • Correction: Children’s Health in London and Luton (CHILL) cohort: a 12-month natural experimental study of the effects of the Ultra Low Emission Zone on children’s travel to school. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2025 Aug 05; 22(1):107.. View in PubMed
  • Red meat intake interacts with a TGF-β-pathway-based polygenic risk score to impact colorectal cancer risk: Application of a novel approach for polygenic risk score construction. medRxiv. 2025 Jun 16.. View in PubMed
  • Fine particulate matter air pollution and longitudinal gray matter development changes during early adolescence: variation by neighborhood disadvantage level. Environ Int. 2025 Jul; 201:109561.. View in PubMed
  • Pathway-specific polygenic scores substantially increase the discovery of gene-adiposity interactions impacting liver biomarkers. medRxiv. 2025 May 21.. View in PubMed
  • Effects of depression genetic risk and household socioeconomic status on emotional behavior and brain development in early adolescence. medRxiv. 2025 May 18.. View in PubMed