Immaculata De Vivo is the Melanie Mason Niemiec ’71 Faculty Codirector of the Sciences at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. An international leader in molecular and genetic epidemiology, De Vivo explores how genetic variants and environmental factors contribute to hormonal cancers, especially endometrial cancer. Her long-term goal is to develop comprehensive predictive models for cancer prevention across all ethnicities.
A pioneer in telomere biology, De Vivo’s influential research has shown how lifestyle and psychosocial factors impact telomere length, reshaping our understanding of how the environment affects DNA and cancer risk. Her highly cited work highlights modifiable aspects of DNA, including links between telomeres, mental health, and disease.
Author of over 325 peer-reviewed publications, De Vivo’s research has earned global recognition and coverage in major media. She has received awards from NASA, with whom she collaborated on studies of telomere length in twin astronauts, and from the American Cancer Society. She also investigates early aging in NFL players as part of the Harvard Football Player’s Study.
Previously, she directed the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Genotyping Facility for 20 years. De Vivo co-leads the NIH’s Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Causes and Control.