Our group works at the intersection of genetic, molecular, and environmental epidemiology. We are interested in how genetic variation influences or alters the effects of environmental exposures and biomarkers on human health and biology. Areas of ongoing research include (1) dynamic features of the genome that are biomarkers of aging, exposure, and disease risk, (2) genetic susceptibility and response to exposure to arsenic, a known carcinogen (3) methods for assessing causal relationships among risk factors, biomarkers, and disease phenotypes, and (4) genetic contributors to prostate cancer disparities. The long-term goals of our work are to understand toxicity mechanisms and disease biology and to improve our ability to predict disease and target interventions to high-risk sub-populations.
Several ongoing projects are described below:
Cancer Susceptibility Mechanisms for TERT and other telomere-related genes: Inherited genetic variation in the TERT gene region influences risk for many types of cancer and many human traits related to aging and cellular replication, including telomere length, epigenetic aging, blood cell traits, and somatic mutations. We are comprehensively characterizing variation in this region across all relevant traits, examining shared effects, biological mechanisms, and extending our analyses to evaluate the cancer relevance of other genes/regions known to impact telomere length. The work will increase our understanding of the critical roles of TERT and telomere length in cancer susceptibility, aging, and human health, supporting future efforts to leverage telomere biology to develop interventions for the prevention and treatment of cancer and other aging-related diseases.
DNA Methylation Variability Across Diverse Tissue Types: Epigenetic modifications to DNA, including DNA methylation, play a critical role in gene regulation, aging, and disease in humans, but variability in DNA methylation and its determinants have not been thoroughly characterized in most human tissue types. Using tissue samples from the NHGRI’s Gene-Tissue Expression project (GTEx), our team is assessing variability in DNA methylation measures taken across many cancer-prone tissues to determine their role in disease susceptibility. We are also in the process of expanding the sample size of this resource, using both sequencing-based and array-based technologies.
Arsenic and the Human Genome: Susceptibility and response to exposure: Over 100 million people worldwide consume arsenic-contaminated drinking water, which increases risk for a wide array of health conditions, including cancer. The goal of this project is to identify features of the human genome, both inherited (i.e., SNPs) and acquired/dynamic (i.e., telomere length, DNA methylation, somatic mutations), that reflect susceptibility to arsenic toxicity or response to arsenic exposure, using data from a large arsenic-exposed Bangladeshi cohort. Achieving these goals will reveal biological mechanisms of toxicity and susceptibility and provide strategies for identifying high risk individuals.
Identifying DNA Methylation Features That Underlie Prostate Cancer Disparities: In light of racial disparities in prostate cancer incidence and mortality in the U.S., Dr. Pierce is leading a project to determine if DNA methylation patterns in prostate tissue differ between African American and Caucasian patients and how such differences are related to clinical features, as well as genetic and environmental factors. This work will contribute to the identification ethnicity-specific biomarkers for prostate cancer aggressiveness.
University of Washington
Seattle
PhD - Public Health Genetics
2008
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis
MS - Genetic Epidemiology
2004
Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis
BA - Biology
2002
Erythrocyte Count, Anemia, and the Human Natural Lifespan Limit: Evidence from the Long Life Family Study.
Erythrocyte Count, Anemia, and the Human Natural Lifespan Limit: Evidence from the Long Life Family Study. bioRxiv. 2026 Jun 26.
PMID: 42367922
eQTM (expression quantitative trait methylation) Atlas: a comprehensive resource of over 11 million DNA methylation-gene expression associations through across 11 tissues and 4 diseases.
eQTM (expression quantitative trait methylation) Atlas: a comprehensive resource of over 11 million DNA methylation-gene expression associations through across 11 tissues and 4 diseases. bioRxiv. 2026 Jun 10.
PMID: 42327319
Maternal and early-life arsenic exposure and relative telomere length in children: Findings from the BiRCH cohort.
Maternal and early-life arsenic exposure and relative telomere length in children: Findings from the BiRCH cohort. Environ Res. 2026 Sep 01; 305(Pt 2):124924.
PMID: 42259429
The impact of arsenic exposure on DNA methylation in humans: building an epigenetic biomarker of exposure across three independent cohorts.
The impact of arsenic exposure on DNA methylation in humans: building an epigenetic biomarker of exposure across three independent cohorts. Int J Epidemiol. 2026 Apr 17; 55(3).
PMID: 42051231
A flexible and unified framework for single- and multi-outcome Mendelian randomization using summary statistics.
A flexible and unified framework for single- and multi-outcome Mendelian randomization using summary statistics. Am J Hum Genet. 2026 May 07; 113(5):950-965.
PMID: 41997142
Determinants of chromosome-specific telomere lengths among 2573 All of Us participants.
Determinants of chromosome-specific telomere lengths among 2573 All of Us participants. Nat Commun. 2026 Mar 28; 17(1).
PMID: 41904129
Accelerating real-world prediction and research in Alzheimer's: The M3AD study.
Accelerating real-world prediction and research in Alzheimer's: The M3AD study. Alzheimers Dement. 2026 Mar; 22(3):e71174.
PMID: 41848005
Trans-eQTLs reveal the architecture of human gene regulatory networks.
Trans-eQTLs reveal the architecture of human gene regulatory networks. medRxiv. 2026 Feb 05.
PMID: 42051578
Cross-sectional association of arsenic exposure with thyroid function in Bangladeshi children aged 5 to 7 years.
Cross-sectional association of arsenic exposure with thyroid function in Bangladeshi children aged 5 to 7 years. Environ Health. 2026 Jan 07; 25(1):9.
PMID: 41501906
Mapping the landscape of cell type-dependent genetic regulation of DNA methylation across human tissues.
Mapping the landscape of cell type-dependent genetic regulation of DNA methylation across human tissues. Res Sq. 2025 Nov 07.
PMID: 41282167
RIVER Outstanding Investigator Award (Revolutionizing Innovative, Visionary Environmental Health)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
2017
Finalist for the Brian MacMahon Early Career Epidemiologist Award
Society for Epidemiologic Research
2015
Young Investigator Award
Cancer Research Foundation
2012
Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (ONES) Award
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
2011