Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology
Co-Director, Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Training Program
513 Parran Hall
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Voice: 412-383-2601
E-mail: fm@cs.cmu.edu






Research Interests

• Molecular and genetic epidemiology of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers
• Markers of breast density and breast cancer risk

Research Support

Principal Investigator


• Inflammatory Markers and Breast Cancer Risk, Dept of Defense (2006-2009)
• Radiation Exposure, BRCA1/2 Mutations and Risk of Breast Cancer in Belarus, National Cancer Institute (2005-2007)
• Preventive Oncology Career Award (2000-2005) NCI
• Ovarian Cancer Risk and Survival in BRCA1/2 Carriers (2000-2003) DOD
• Estrogen Metabolism, BMI, HRT and Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk (2001-2002) PA Dept of Health
• Bone Mineral Density, Sex Steroid Hormones, Race and Prostate Cancer Risk (2001-2004) DOD
• DNA Repair, BRCA1/2 and Ovarian Cancer Prevention (2002-2004) NCI
• Prospective Evaluation of Hormone Replacement Therapy, Body Mass Index, Estrogen Metabolism and Breast Cancer Risk (2002-2005) DOD
• Evaluation of Serum Biomarkers of Breast/Ovarian Cancer Risk (2002-2004) NCI
• Genetic and Lifestyle Determinants of Hormonal Risk Factors Associated with Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: an International Comparison (2003-2007) DOD

Co-Principal Investigator


• Inflammation and Ovarian Cancer Risk, National Cancer Institute (2003-2008)
• Ovarian Program Grant, Dept of Defense (2003-2007)
• Hormonal Determinants of Mammographic Density (2002-2005) DOD

Co-Investigator


• Integrated Development of Serum Molecular Markers for Early Diagnosis of Breast Cancer (2003-2006) DOD
• Insulin, Androgens and Ovarian Cancer (2003-2007) DOD

Education & Training

• Cornell University - A.B. Math/Computer Science
• Carnegie Mellon University- M.S. Computer Science, 1989
• Carnegie Mellon University- PhD Computer Science, 1995
• University of Pittsburgh- MPH Molecular Epidemiology, 1998

Selected Publications

Francesmary Modugno, Kevin E. Kip, Barbara Cochrane, Lewis Kuller, Thomas L. Klug, Thomas E. Rohan, Rowan T. Chlebowski, Norman Lasser, Marcia L. Stefanick. Obesity, Hormone Therapy, Estrogen Metabolism and Risk of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer. In International Journal of Cancer 118(5):1292-301, 2006.

Francesmary Modugno, Roberta B. Ness, Chu Chen, Noel S. Weiss. Inflammation and Endometrial Cancer: A Hypothesis. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 14: 2840-2847, 2005

Francesmary Modugno, Roberta B. Ness, Glenn O. Allen, Joellen M. Schildkraut, Faith G. Davis and Marc G. Goodman. Oral Contraceptive Use, Reproductive History and the Risk of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer In Women With and Without Endometriosis. The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 191:730-744, 2004. Also appeared in digest form in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 37(1):52, 2005.

Gretchen Gierach*, Francesmary Modugno, and Roberta B. Ness. Relations Of Gestational Length And Timing And Type Of Incomplete Pregnancy To Ovarian Cancer Risk. American Journal of Epidemiology, 161(5):452-461, 2005.

Julia Greer*, Francesmary Modugno, Roberta B. Ness and Glenn O. Allen. Androgenic Progestins in Oral Contraceptives and the Risk of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 105(4):731-740, 2005.

Francesmary Modugno, Joseph M. Zmuda, Douglas Potter, Chao Cai, Elad Ziv, Steve Cummings, Katie L Stone, Phillip A. Morin, Deborah Greene, and Jane A. Cauley. The Association of Estrogen Receptor Polymorphisms with Breast Cancer Risk in Older White Women. In International Journal of Cancer. 116(6):984-91, 2005.

Julia Greer*, Francesmary Modugno, and Roberta B. Ness. Short Term Oral Contraceptive Use And the Risk Of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. In American Journal of Epidemiology 162(1):66-72, 2005.

Francesmary Modugno, Duyen L. Ngo, Glenn O. Allen, Lewis H. Kuller, Roberta B. Ness, Victor G. Vogel, Joseph P. Costantino, and Jane A. Cauley. Breast Cancer Risk Factors And Mammographic Breast Density In Women Over Age 70. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 93(3):261-70, 2005

Francesmary Modugno, Joseph M. Zmuda, Douglas Potter, Chao Cai, Elad Ziv, Steve Cummings, Katie L Stone, Phillip A. Morin, Deborah Greene, and Jane A. Cauley. Estrogen Metabolizing Polymorphisms and Breast Cancer Risk among Older White Women. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 93(3):261-70, 2005.

Francesmary Modugno. Ovarian Cancer and Polymorphisms in the Androgen and Progesterone Receptors. American Journal of Epidemiology 159(4):319-335, 2004.

Anita Sit*, Francesmary Modugno, Lyndon M. Hill, Jerry Martin, and Joel L. Weissfeld. Transvaginal Ultrasound Measurement of Endometrial Thickness as a Biomarker for Estrogen Exposure. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, 13(9):1459-65, 2004.

Francesmary Modugno and the Ovarian Cancer and High Risk Women Presenters. Ovarian Cancer and High-Risk Women: Implications of Screening, Prevention and Early Detection. Gynecologic Oncology 91:15-31, 2003.

Francesmary Modugno, Roberta B. Ness, and Glenn O. Allen. Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Mucinous and Non-Mucinous Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Obstetrics and Gynecology 102(6):1336-1343, 2003.

Francesmary Modugno, Carmella Knoll, Amal Kanbour-Shakir, and Marjorie Romkes. A Role for the Estrogen-Metabolizing Cytochrome P450 Enzymes in Breast Carcinogenesis. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 82(3):191-197, 2003.

Francesmary Modugno, Moslehi, Ness, Nelson, Belle, Kant, Wheeler, Wonderlick, Fishman, Karlan, Risch, Cramer, Dube, Narod. : Reproductive Factors and Ovarian Cancer Risk in Jewish BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers. To appear in Cancer Causes and Control 2003;

Francesmary Modugno, Roberta B. Ness, Susan Ewing, and Jane A. Cauley. The Effects of Raloxifene on Sexual Function in Older Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis. Obstetrics and Gynecology 2003; 101(2):353-361.

Francesmary Modugno, Roberta B. Ness and Carrie Cottreau. Cigarette Smoking and the Risk of Mucinous and Non-Mucinous Ovarian Tumors. Epidemiology 2002;13(4):467-471.

Anita Sit*, Francesmary Modugno, Joel Weissfeld, Sara Berga and Roberta B. Ness. Hormone Replacement Therapy Formulation and Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Gynecologic Oncology 2002; 86:118-123.

Francesmary Modugno, Joel L. Weissfeld, Donald Trump, Joseph Zmuda, Patrick Shea, Jane A. Cauley and Robert Ferrell. Allelic Variants of Aromatase and the Androgen and Estrogen Receptors: Towards a Multigenic Model of Prostate Cancer Risk. Clinical Cancer Research 2001;7:3092-6

Francesmary Modugno, Roberta B. Ness and James E. Wheeler. Reproductive and Familial Risk Factors for Epithelial Ovarian Cancer by Histologic Type. Annals of Epidemiology (2001) 11(8)568-574.

Francesmary Modugno, Joel Weissfeld, Lyndon Hill. Reproducibility in the Assessment of Postmenopausal Ovaries with Transvaginal Ultrasound. Gynecologic Oncology (2000) 77:289-292.

Julia Greer*, Francesmary Modugno, and Roberta B. Ness. Anthropometry and Risk of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. To appear in Cancer.

Gretchen Gierach*, Francesmary Modugno, and Roberta B. Ness. Gender of Offspring and Maternal Ovarian Cancer risk. To appear in Gynecologic Oncology