Leslie V. Farland, DSc

Cancer Prevention and Control Program

Biography

Dr. Leslie V. Farland is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Prior to joining the faculty, she was an Instructor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harvard Medical School and served as the Director of Epidemiologic Research at the Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Her research program focuses broadly on women’s health and can be categorized into three major themes: i) the intersection between women’s reproductive health and chronic disease risk, ii) etiology and risk factors for endometriosis, infertility, and polycystic ovary syndrome, iii) disparities in access to infertility care and fertility treatment utilization.

Cancer Focus

I am an epidemiologist with methodological expertise in studying cancer in relation to reproductive and gynecologic health conditions. Much of my research has focused on understanding how different infertility diagnoses, such as endometriosis, influence a woman’s long-term health and cancer risk. Some types of infertility may systemically alter a woman’s hormonal, inflammatory, and immunologic milieu, which could contribute to an elevated risk of cancer. I am currently leading projects on infertility and risk of cancer in the Nurses’ Health StudyII and the Women’s Health Initiative. I am also leading analyses linking the MA cancer registry with birth certificates and fertility treatment data to investigate reproductive health among cancer survivors.