World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Award Badge
Best Female Scientists
2025

D-Index & Metrics

Best Female Scientists

D-Index
126
Citations
75741
World Ranking
413
National Ranking
248

Medicine

D-Index
129
Citations
80950
World Ranking
2541
National Ranking
1430

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2025 - Research.com Best Female Scientists Award

Overview

Polly A. Newcomb is affiliated with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on medical and genetic aspects of cancer, with a significant emphasis on colorectal cancer. Their work integrates fields such as medicine and biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology.

Newcomb's publication record includes diverse topics centered on cancer genetics, screening, and epidemiology. Their main fields of study encompass:

  • Medicine
  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Within these disciplines, their research further specializes in subfields such as:

  • Oncology
  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Genetics
  • Cancer Research
  • Molecular Biology

The scientist has contributed to major topics including:

  • Genetic factors in colorectal cancer
  • Colorectal Cancer Screening and Detection
  • Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
  • Colorectal Cancer Treatments and Studies
  • Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics
  • Cancer, Lipids, and Metabolism
  • BRCA gene mutations in cancer

Newcomb has authored several recent papers, reflecting their investigational focus and collaboration with other researchers. Notable publications include:

  • "A Population-Based Study of Genes Previously Implicated in Breast Cancer," 2021, New England Journal of Medicine
  • "Physical activity and risks of breast and colorectal cancer: a Mendelian randomisation analysis," 2020, Nature Communications
  • "Genome-wide Modeling of Polygenic Risk Score in Colorectal Cancer Risk," 2020, The American Journal of Human Genetics
  • "Deciphering colorectal cancer genetics through multi-omic analysis of 100,204 cases and 154,587 controls of European and east Asian ancestries," 2022, Nature Genetics
  • "Adiposity, metabolites, and colorectal cancer risk: Mendelian randomization study," 2020, BMC Medicine

The scientist frequently collaborates with other researchers, among whom are:

  • Mark A. Jenkins
  • Loïc Le Marchand
  • Steven Gallinger
  • Daniel D. Buchanan
  • Peter T. Campbell

Polly A. Newcomb has published regularly in various academic venues, indicating an active research profile. Some of the prominent publication sources include:

  • UNC Libraries
  • Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention
  • Cancer Research
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • Gastroenterology

Best Publications

  • Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

    Mohsen Naghavi;Haidong Wang;Rafael Lozano;Adrian Davis

  • Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years for 29 cancer groups, 1990 to 2017

    Christina Fitzmaurice;Degu Abate;Naghmeh Abbasi;Hedayat Abbastabar

  • Breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy: collaborative reanalysis of data from 51 epidemiological studies of 52 705 women with breast cancer and 108 411 women without breast cancer

    E. E. Calle;C. W. Heath;R. J. Coates;J. M. Liff

  • Limitations of the Odds Ratio in Gauging the Performance of a Diagnostic, Prognostic, or Screening Marker

    Margaret Sullivan Pepe;Holly Janes;Gary Longton;Wendy Leisenring

  • Breast cancer and hormonal contraceptives : collaborative reanalysis of individual data on 53.297 women with breast cancer and 100.239 women without breast cancer from 54 epidemiological studies

    E. E. Calle;C. W. Heath;H. L. Miracle-McMahill;R. J. Coates

  • Effects of Tamoxifen on Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women with Breast Cancer

    Love Rr;Mazess Rb;Barden Hs;Epstein S

  • Screening Sigmoidoscopy and Colorectal Cancer Mortality

    Polly A. Newcomb;Robert G. Norfleet;Barry E. Storer;Tanya S. Surawicz

  • Alcohol, tobacco and breast cancer - Collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 53 epidemiological studies, including 58 515 women with breast cancer and 95 067 women without the disease

    N Hamajima;K Hirose;K Tajima;T Rohan

  • Menarche, menopause, and breast cancer risk: Individual participant meta-analysis, including 118 964 women with breast cancer from 117 epidemiological studies

    N. Hamajima;K. Hirose;K. Tajima;T. Rohan

  • Methods used to quit smoking in the United States. Do cessation programs help

    Michael C. Fiore;Thomas E. Novotny;John P. Pierce;Gary A. Giovino

  • Lactation and a reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer

    P A Newcomb;B E Storer;M P Longnecker;R Mittendorf

  • Genome-wide association scan identifies a colorectal cancer susceptibility locus on chromosome 8q24

    Brent W. Zanke;Celia M.T. Greenwood;Celia M.T. Greenwood;Jagadish Rangrej;Rafal Kustra;Rafal Kustra

  • Financial Insolvency as a Risk Factor for Early Mortality Among Patients With Cancer

    Scott D. Ramsey;Aasthaa Bansal;Catherine R. Fedorenko;David K. Blough

  • Postmenopausal hormone therapy and the risk of Colorectal cancer : A review and meta-analysis

    Francine Grodstein;Francine Grodstein;Polly A Newcomb;Meir J Stampfer;Meir J Stampfer

  • Washington State cancer patients found to be at greater risk for bankruptcy than people without a cancer diagnosis

    Scott Ramsey;David Blough;Anne Kirchhoff;Karma Kreizenbeck

  • Lower Cancer Incidence in Amsterdam-I Criteria Families Without Mismatch Repair Deficiency: Familial Colorectal Cancer Type X

    Noralane M. Lindor;Kari Rabe;Gloria M. Petersen;Robert Haile

  • Physical Activity and Survival after Diagnosis of Invasive Breast Cancer

    Crystal N. Holick;Polly A. Newcomb;Amy Trentham-Dietz;Linda Titus-Ernstoff

  • Prediction of Breast Cancer Risk Based on Profiling With Common Genetic Variants

    Nasim Mavaddat;Paul D.P. Pharoah;Kyriaki Michailidou;Jonathan Tyrer

  • Identification of Lynch syndrome among patients with colorectal cancer

    Leticia Moreira;Francesc Balaguer;Noralane Lindor;Albert De La Chapelle

  • A Population-Based Study of Genes Previously Implicated in Breast Cancer

    Chunling Hu;Steven N Hart;Rohan Gnanaolivu;Hongyan Huang

Frequent Co-Authors

John D. Potter
John D. Potter Massey University
Mark A. Jenkins
Mark A. Jenkins University of Melbourne
John L. Hopper
John L. Hopper University of Melbourne
Daniel D. Buchanan
Daniel D. Buchanan University of Melbourne
Andrew T. Chan
Andrew T. Chan Harvard University
Loic Le Marchand
Loic Le Marchand University of Hawaii at Manoa
Ulrike Peters
Ulrike Peters University of Washington
Jenny Chang-Claude
Jenny Chang-Claude German Cancer Research Center
Steven Gallinger
Steven Gallinger Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Considering a future in medicine doesn’t always mean pursuing a traditional MD. Today, a variety of 3 year online pharmd programs make it possible to become a pharmacist through flexible, accredited distance learning—an option ideal for working professionals.

If you’re drawn to healthcare technology and management, earning a health information management degree online can prepare you for in-demand roles in data management, privacy, and digital health records.

For faster entry into the medical field, a medical coding certification provides a foundation in billing processes and medical terminology—leading to essential support positions in clinics and hospitals.

Finally, those wanting advanced clinical roles can explore accredited nurse practitioner programs available online, which offer specialized training and the ability to serve communities as primary care providers.

These flexible, accredited online degrees open new career pathways in healthcare—while allowing students to study around work or family commitments.

Best Scientists Citing Polly A. Newcomb

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles