Jasmine A. McDonald, PhD
- Associate Professor of Epidemiology
On the web
Overview
Jasmine A. McDonald, PhD, is a tenured Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and a molecular epidemiologist whose research, teaching, and service focus on cancer disparities and breast cancer prevention across the life course. Her scholarship integrates molecular biology, epidemiology, and social context to investigate how environmental exposures—including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, early-life infections, and social stressors—shape breast cancer risk during critical developmental periods such as puberty, pregnancy, and the postpartum window.
Dr. McDonald serves as Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded studies examining the tumor microenvironment, lymphatic remodeling, and immune suppression in postpartum breast cancer, as well as strategies to reduce toxic exposures among high-risk populations. She contributes to national research infrastructure through her current and past roles on NIH- and foundation-funded studies, including the V Foundation Postpartum Breast Cancer Study, the Breast Cancer Family Registry, and the Stand Up 2 Cancer DiSRUPT initiative, all infrastructures that serve to advance equity in cancer prevention, translational research, and workforce development. She also serves the community through her role as the Racial Equity and Social Determinants of Health Co-Lead of the Preparedness and Recovery Institute and Board Member of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners. She is a sought-after communicator valued for her ability to connect with audiences across disciplines–from community forums and international research symposia to policy makers and the media.
At Columbia’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, she co-directs the Cancer Research, Training, and Education Coordination (CRTEC) Office and leads the YES in THE HEIGHTS program, a federally funded R25 initiative that supports high school and undergraduate students and teachers through immersive research, mentorship, and didactic cancer health equity education.
An award-winning educator, Dr. McDonald teaches Cancer Epidemiology and was honored with Columbia University’s 2021 Presidential Teaching Award. She serves as Co-Director of the Career Enhancement Core for the NIH U54 Center for Social Capital, and Director of the Investigator Development Core for the NIH P50 COMMUNITY Center. She has mentored over 100 trainees across educational levels and extends her reach by delivering cancer health education workshops to Math for America Fellows, amplifying impact across New York City public schools.
Shaped by her birthplace Tuskegee, Alabama, and by the deep commitment to education and service modeled by her family, Dr. McDonald brings an intergenerational ethic of learning, service, and justice to all facets of her work. Her work is characterized by its transdisciplinary scope, equity-driven methodology, and long-standing commitment to transforming who participates in cancer research—and who benefits from it.
Outside of academia, Dr. McDonald shares her home with a rotating cast of scientific curiosity: a hedgehog, a bearded dragon, a Bengal, and a human child—all of whom have opinions about her Zoom meetings.
Academic Appointments
- Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Administrative Titles
- Co-Director, Cancer Research, Training, and Education Coordination (CRTEC) Office, HICCC
- Co-Director, Career Enhancement Core, NIH U54 Center for Social Capital
- Director, Investigator Development Core, NIH P50 COMMUNITY Center
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- BS, 2003 University of Maryland
- PhD, 2009 Harvard
Committees, Societies, Councils
Racial Equity and Social Determinants of Health Co-Lead, Preparedness and Recovery Institute
Honors & Awards
2021, Presidential Teaching Award, Columbia University
Research
Research Interests
- Biostatistical Methods
- Child and Adolescent Health
- Chronic disease
- Community Health
- Environmental Health
- Genetics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health Education
Selected Publications
McDonald JA. Unveiling the Stroma: Reproductive Factors and the Tumor Microenvironment in African Breast Cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2025 Apr 3;34(4):459-461. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-24-1377. PMID: 40176541.
McDonald JA, Liao Y, Knight JA, John EM, Kurian AW, Daly M, Buys SS, Huang Y, Frost CJ, Andrulis IL, Colonna SV, Friedlander ML, Hopper JL, Chung WK, Genkinger JM, MacInnis RJ, Terry MB; Kathleen Cuningham Foundation Consortium investigators. Pregnancy-Related Factors and Breast Cancer Risk for Women Across a Range of Familial Risk. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Aug 1;7(8):e2427441. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.27441. PMID: 39186276.
Oskar S, Mook J, Smith MK, Huang X, McDonald JA. Temporal trends in phthalate metabolite exposure of girls in the United States across sociodemographic factors and intersectional social identities: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2018. Environ Res. 2024 Nov 1;260:119755. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119755. Epub 2024 Aug 6. PMID: 39117051.
Vilfranc CL, Houghton LC, Tsui F, Barrett E, Llanos AAM, Pennell K, Walker DAH, Martinez M, Morton B, Shepard P, Terry MB, McDonald JA. The hair tales of women of color in Northern Manhattan: a qualitative analysis. Front Reprod Health. 2024 Mar 15;6:1298615. doi: 10.3389/frph.2024.1298615. PMID: 38559324; PMCID: PMC10978798.
Lawrence WR, McDonald JA, Williams F, Shiels MS, Freedman ND, Lin Z, Magnani JW. Stressful Life Events, Social Support, and Incident Breast Cancer by Estrogen Receptor Status. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2023 May 1;16(5):259-267. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-22-0472. PMID: 37067915; PMCID: PMC10159918.
Kehm RD, Llanos AAM, McDonald JA, Tehranifar P, Terry MB. Evidence-Based Interventions for Reducing Breast Cancer Disparities: What Works and Where the Gaps Are? Cancers (Basel). 2022 Aug 26;14(17):4122. doi: 10.3390/cancers14174122. PMID: 36077659; PMCID: PMC9455068.
Llanos AAM, McDonald JA, Teteh DK, Bethea TN. Chemical Relaxers and Hair-Straightening Products: Potential Targets for Hormone-Related Cancer Prevention and Control. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2022 Dec 8;114(12):1567-1569. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djac169. PMID: 36245085.
McDonald JA, Vilfranc CL, Terry MB. The Epidemiology of Pregnancy-Related Breast Cancers: Are We Ready to Deliver? Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2022 Mar 1;31(3):518-520. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-21-1445. PMID: 35253046.
McDonald JA, Llanos AAM, Morton T, Zota AR. The Environmental Injustice of Beauty Products: Toward Clean and Equitable Beauty. Am J Public Health. 2022 Jan;112(1):50-53. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306606. PMID: 34936409; PMCID: PMC8713635.
McDonald JA, Cherubin S, Goldberg M, Wei Y, Chung WK, Schwartz LA, Knight JA, Schooling CM, Santella RM, Bradbury AR, Buys SS, Andrulis IL, John EM, Daly MB, Terry MB. Common Childhood Viruses and Pubertal Timing: The LEGACY Girls Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2021 May 4;190(5):766-778. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwaa240. PMID: 33128063; PMCID: PMC8096486.
McDonald JA, Rao R, Gibbons M, Janardhanan R, Jaswal S, Mehrotra R, Pandey M, Radhakrishnan V, Ramakant P, Verma N, Terry MB. Symposium report: breast cancer in India-trends, environmental exposures and clinical implications. Cancer Causes Control. 2021 Jun;32(6):567-575. doi: 10.1007/s10552-021-01428-y. Epub 2021 Apr 28. PMID: 33909208; PMCID: PMC8089075.
