Mara Z. Vitolins, Dr.P.H.
Professor, Epidemiology & Prevention
Translational Science Institute
Comprehensive Cancer Center
Center for Cancer Genomics
Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity
Women's Health Center of Excellence for Research, Leadership, Education
WFU Primate Center
Center for Integrative Medicine
Translational Science Institute
Research Interests
cancer/oncogenesis, diabetes, epidemiology, hormones/cytokines/signalling, maternal & child health, metabolism, prevention, women's health issues
Contact Information
Academic: 336-716-2886 | Department: 336-716-2011
Email: mvitolin@wakehealth.edu
Media Medical Expert »
Recent Publications
Prentice RL, Pettinger MB, Jackson RD, Wactawski-Wende J, Lacroix AZ, Anderson GL, Chlebowski RT, Manson JE, Van Horn L, Vitolins MZ, Datta M, LeBlanc ES, Cauley JA, Rossouw JE.
Health risks and benefits from calcium and vitamin D supplementation: Women's Health Initiative clinical trial and cohort study. Osteoporos Int. 2013;24(2):567-580.
Velez Edwards DR, Naj AC, Monda K, North KE, Neuhouser M, Magvanjav O, Kusimo I, Vitolins MZ, Manson JE, O'Sullivan MJ, Rampersaud E, Edwards TL.
Gene-environment interactions and obesity traits among postmenopausal African-American and Hispanic women in the Women's Health Initiative SHARe Study. Hum Genet. 2013;132(3):323-336.
Jackson JM, Defor TA, Crain AL, Kerby T, Strayer L, Lewis CE, Whitlock E, Williams S, Bonds DE, Vitolins MZ, Rodabough RJ, Margolis KL.
Self-reported diabetes is a valid outcome in pragmatic clinical trials and observational studies [letter]. J Clin Epidemiol. 2013;66(3):349-350.
Mount DL, Davis C, Kennedy B, Raatz S, Dotson K, Gary-Webb TL, Thomas S, Johnson KC, Espeland MA, Bahnson J, Wagenknecht L, Reboussin D, Rejeski WJ, Lang W, Bertoni A, Vitolins M, Miller G, Ribisl P, Hodges A,.
Factors influencing enrollment of African Americans in the Look AHEAD trial. Clin Trials. 2012;9(1):80-89.
Bertone-Johnson ER, McTiernan A, Thomson CA, Wactawski-Wende J, Aragaki AK, Rohan TE, Vitolins MZ, Tamimi RM, Johnson KC, Lane D, Rexrode KM, Peck JD, Chlebowski RT, Sarto G, Manson JE.
Vitamin D and calcium supplementation and one-year change in mammographic density in the Women's Health Initiative Calcium and Vitamin D Trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2012;21(3):462-473.
Faulconbridge LF, Wadden TA, Rubin RR, Wing RR, Walkup MP, Fabricatore AN, Coday M, Van Dorsten B, Mount DL, Ewing LJ, Espeland MA, Bahnson JL, Wagenknecht L, Reboussin D, Rejeski WJ, Bertoni A, Lang W, Miller G, Lefkowitz D,.
One-year changes in symptoms of depression and weight in overweight/obese individuals with type 2 diabetes in the Look AHEAD study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012;20(4):783-793.
Katula JA, Morgan TM, Vitolins MZ, Rosenberger E, Blackwell CS, Lawlor M, Goff DC. The mediational role of weight loss in glucose reduction in the Healthy Living Partnerships to Prevent Diabetes (HELP PD): a randomized controlled trial [abstract]. Ann Behav Med. 2012;43(Suppl 1):S155.
Rosenberger EL, Goff DC, Vitolins M, Isom S, Blackwell C, Whitt-Glover M, Katula JA. Relationship of weekly activity minutes to metabolic syndrome in prediabetes: the Healthy Living Partnerships to Prevent Diabetes [abstract]. Ann Behav Med. 2012;43(Suppl 1):S205.
Schwartz AV, Johnson KC, Kahn SE, Shepherd JA, Nevitt MC, Peters AL, Walkup MP, Hodges A, Williams CC, Bray GA, Espeland MA, Bahnson JL, Wagenknecht L, Reboussin D, Rejeski WJ, Bertoni A, Lang W, Miller G, Lefkowitz D, Reynolds PS,.
Effect of 1 year of an intentional weight loss intervention on bone mineral density in type 2 diabetes: results from the Look AHEAD randomized trial. J Bone Miner Res. 2012;27(3):619-627.
Neuhouser ML, Manson JE, Millen A, Pettinger M, Margolis K, Jacobs ET, Shikany JM, Vitolins M, Adams-Campbell L, Liu S, LeBlanc E, Johnson KC, Wactawski-Wende J.
The influence of health and lifestyle characteristics on the relation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with risk of colorectal and breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Am J Epidemiol. 2012;175(7):673-684.
Miller DP, Crandall S, Vitolins MZ, Davis S, Kronner D, Ip E, Vaden K, Spangler J. New lifestyle: a web-based teaching and learning program for nutrition, exercise, and weight management [abstract]. J Gen Intern Med. 2012;27(Suppl 2):S563.
Sams K, Case LD, Lesser GJ, Naughton MJ, Williford SK, Giguere JK, Garino A, Vitolins M, Shaw EG. Comparing three validated methods of patient self-reported fatigue in a prospective randomized clinical trial [abstract]. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30(15 Suppl):Abstr 9108.
Hvidtfeldt UA, Gunter MJ, Lange T, Chlebowski RT, Lane D, Farhat GN, Freiberg MS, Keiding N, Lee JS, Prentice R, Tjonneland A, Vitolins MZ, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Strickler HD, Rod NH.
Quantifying mediating effects of endogenous estrogen and insulin in the relation between obesity, alcohol consumption, and breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2012;21(7):1203-1212.
Chlebowski RT, McTiernan A, Wactawski-Wende J, Manson JE, Aragaki AK, Rohan T, Ipp E, Kaklamani VG, Vitolins M, Wallace R, Gunter M, Phillips LS, Strickler H, Margolis K, Euhus DM.
Diabetes, metformin, and breast cancer in postmenopausal women. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30(23):2844-2852.
Gordeuk VR, Lovato L, Barton J, Vitolins M, McLaren G, Acton R, McLaren C, Harris E, Speechley M, Eckfeldt JH, Diaz S, Sholinsky P, Adams P.
Dietary iron intake and serum ferritin concentration in 213 patients homozygous for the HFEC282Y hemochromatosis mutation. Can J Gastroenterol. 2012;26(6):345-349.
Ho GYF, Wang T, Gunter MJ, Strickler HD, Cushman M, Kaplan RC, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Xue X, Rajpathak SN, Chlebowski RT, Vitolins MZ, Scherer PE, Rohan TE.
Adipokines linking obesity with colorectal cancer risk in postmenopausal women. Cancer Res. 2012;72(12):3029-3037.
Miller DP, Crandall SJ, Davis S, Ip E, Jamback G, Burns C, Kronner D, Marion G, Spangler JG, Vaden K, Vernon J, Vitolins MZ.
NEW lifestyle: a downloadable teaching and learning program for Nutrition, Exercise, and Weight management [tutorial]. MedEdPORTAL. 2012;():ID9256.
Kroenke CH, Caan BJ, Stefanick ML, Anderson G, Brzyski R, Johnson KC, LeBlanc E, Lee C, La Croix AZ, Park HL, Sims ST, Vitolins M, Wallace R.
Effects of a dietary intervention and weight change on vasomotor symptoms in the Women's Health Initiative. Menopause. 2012;19(9):980-988.
Kerwin DR, Gaussoin SA, Chlebowski RT, Kuller LH, Vitolins M, Coker LH, Kotchen JM, Nicklas BJ, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Espeland MA, et al.
Interaction between body mass index and central adiposity and risk of incident cognitive impairment and dementia: results from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011;59(1):107-112.
Phipps AI, Chlebowski RT, Prentice R, McTiernan A, Stefanick ML, Wactawski-Wende J, Kuller LH, Adams-Campbell LL, Lane D, Vitolins M, et al.
Body size, physical activity, and risk of triple-negative and estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011;20(3):454-463.
Carty CL, Kooperberg C, Neuhouser ML, Tinker L, Howard B, Wactawski-Wende J, Beresford SAA, Snetselaar L, Vitolins M, Allison M, et al.
Low-fat dietary pattern and change in body-composition traits in the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;93(3):516-524.
Chlebowski RT, Johnson KC, Lane D, Pettinger M, Kooperberg CL, Wactawski-Wende J, Rohan T, O'Sullivan MJ, Yasmeen S, Vitolins M, et al.
25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration, vitamin D intake and joint symptoms in postmenopausal women. Maturitas. 2011;68(1):73-78.
Phipps AI, Chlebowski RT, Prentice R, McTiernan A, Wactawski-Wende J, Kuller LH, Adams-Campbell LL, Lane D, Stefanick ML, Vitolins M, et al.
Reproductive history and oral contraceptive use in relation to risk of triple-negative breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2011;103(6):470-477.
Farhat GN, Cummings SR, Chlebowski RT, Parimi N, Cauley JA, Rohan TE, Huang AJ, Vitolins M, Hubbell FA, Manson JE, et al.
Sex hormone levels and risks of estrogen receptor-negative and estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2011;103(7):562-570.
Fu T, Tang JY, LeBlanc E, Manson JE, Feldman D, Larson J, Linos E, Vitolins MZ, Zeitouni NC, Stefanick ML. Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and the risk of nonmelanoma and melanoma skin cancer [abstract]. J Invest Dermatol. 2011;131(Suppl 1):S35.
Mihalko SL, Davenport A, McCoy T, Levine EA, Vitolins M, Brubaker P, Anderson R. Weight gain negatively impacts health-related quality of life: implications for physical activity in breast cancer survivors [abstract]. Ann Behav Med. 2011;41(Suppl 1):S161.
Szmuilowicz ED, Manson JE, Rossouw JE, Howard BV, Margolis KL, Greep NC, Brzyski RG, Stefanick ML, O'Sullivan MJ, Vitolins MZ, et al.
Vasomotor symptoms and cardiovascular events in postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2011;18(6):603-610.
Belalcazar LM, Ballantyne CM, Lang W, Rushing J, Espeland MA, Bahnson JL, Wagenknecht L, Reboussin D, Rejeski WJ, Bertoni A, Miller G, Lefkowitz D, Reynolds PS, Ribisl P, Vitolins M, Booth M, Dotson KM, Hodges A, Williams CC,.
Metabolic factors, adipose tissue, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels in type 2 diabetes: findings from the Look AHEAD study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2011;31(7):1689-1695.
Gorodeski EZ, Ishwaran H, Kogalur UB, Blackstone EH, Hsich E, Zhang Z-m, Vitolins MZ, Manson JE, Curb JD, Prineas RJ, et al.
Use of hundreds of electrocardiographic biomarkers for prediction of mortality in postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Initiative. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2011;4(5):521-532.
Lesser GJ, Vitolins MZ.
Coenzyme Q10. Oncology (Williston Park). 2011;25(10 Suppl Nurse Edition):10165.
Case LD, Naughton MJ, Lesser GJ, Rapp SR, Vitolins M, Sheidler VR, Enevold GL, Shaw EG. Recruitment and retention in the Wake Forest University CCOP Research Base [abstract]. J Clin Oncol. 2010;28(Suppl):e19543.
Lesser GJ, Case LD, Stark N, Williford SK, Giguere JK, Garino A, Naughton MJ, Vitolins M, Lively M, Shaw EG. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study of oral coenzyme Q10 to relieve self-reported cancer-treatment-related fatigue in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients [abstract]. J Clin Oncol. 2010;28(15 Suppl):9006.
Vitolins M, Lesser GJ, Case LD, Williford SK, Giguere JK, Garino A, Naughton MJ, Lively M, Melin SA, Shaw EG. Self-reported compliance compared to biomarker levels of vitamin E in breast cancer patients participating in a CoQ10 clinical trial [abstract]. J Clin Oncol. 2010;28(15 Suppl):e19524.
Gorodeski EZ, Magnani JW, Prineas RJ, Vitolins MZ, O'Sullivan MJ, Soliman EZ, Martin LW, Limacher MC, Curb JD, Cochrane BB, et al. Epidemiology of P wave indices in healthy post-menopausal women: the Women's Health Initiative [abstract]. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010;55(10A):A13.E125.
Katula JA, Vitolins MZ, Rosenberger EL, Blackwell C, Isom SP, Espeland MA, Lawlor MS, Goff DC. Correlates of health-related quality of life in overweight and obese adults with prediabetes [abstract]. Ann Behav Med. 2010;39(Suppl 1):207.
Miller D, Spangler J, Davis S, Ip E, Marion G, Vitolins M, Crandall S. Medical students are unaware of personal bias toward obese patients [abstract]. J Gen Intern Med. 2010;25(Suppl 3):331.
Kabat GC, Kim M, Wactawski-Wende J, Lane D, Adams-Campbell LL, Gaudet M, Stefanick ML, Vitolins M, Chlebowski RT, Wassertheil-Smoller S, et al.
Recreational physical activity, anthropometric factors, and risk of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast in a cohort of postmenopausal women. Cancer Causes Control. 2010;21(12):2173-2181.
Bertoni AG, Hightower-Huges T, Hunter JC, Quandt SA, Vitolins MZ, Whitt-Glover MC. Barriers to DASH adoption among African Americans in Forsyth County, NC: the Translating Dietary Trials into the Community study [abstract]. In: Abstracts of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Heart Association; 2010 Mar 2-5; San Francisco (CA). 2010;():142.
Vitolins MZ, Anderson AM, Delahanty L, Raynor H, Miller GD, Mobley C, Reeves R, Yamamoto M, Champagne C, Wing RR, et al.
Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) trial: baseline evaluation of selected nutrients and food group intake. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(8):1367-1375.
Caan BJ, Aragaki A, Thomson CA, Stefanick ML, Chlebowski R, Hubbell FA, Tinker L, Vitolins M, Rajkovic A, Bueche M, et al.
Vasomotor symptoms, adoption of a low-fat dietary pattern, and risk of invasive breast cancer: a secondary analysis of the Women's Health Initiative randomized controlled Dietary Modification trial. J Clin Oncol. 2009;27(27):4500-4507.
Kabat GC, Kim M, Caan BJ, Chlebowski RT, Gunter MJ, Ho GYF, Rodriguez BL, Shikany JM, Strickler HD, Vitolins MZ, et al.
Repeated measures of serum glucose and insulin in relation to postmenopausal breast cancer. Int J Cancer. 2009;125(11):2704-2710.
McTiernan A, Chlebowski RT, Martin C, Peck JD, Aragaki A, Pisano ED, Wang CY, Johnson KC, Manson JE, Vitolins MZ, et al.
Conjugated equine estrogen influence on mammographic density in postmenopausal women in a substudy of the Women's Health Initiative randomized trial. J Clin Oncol. 2009;27(36):6135-6143.
Farhat GN, Cummings SR, Parimi N, Huang A, Cauley JA, Rohan TE, Hubbell FA, Vitolins M, Manson JE, Chlebowski RT, et al. Sex hormones and risk of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative breast cancer [abstract]. Cancer Res. 2009;69(24 Suppl 3):533S.
Chlebowski RT, Johnson KC, Kooperberg C, Pettinger M, Wactawski-Wende J, Rohan T, Rossouw J, Lane D, O'Sullivan MJ, Vitolins M, et al.
Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and the risk of breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2008;100(22):1581-1591.
Schwenke D, Hayden CT, Batts-Turner M, Foreyt J, Miller E III, Reeves R, Vitolins M. Plasma trans fatty acids are higher in men, lower in summer, and decreasing over time in persons with type 2 diabetes [abstract]. Circulation. 2007;115(8):e237.
Howard BV, Manson JE, Stefanick ML, Beresford SA, Frank G, Jones B, Rodabough RJ, Snetselaar L, Thomson C, Vitolins M, et al.
Low-fat diet and weight change in postmenopausal women [reply to letter]. JAMA. 2006;296(4):394-395.
Espeland MA, Bahnson J, Wagenknecht, Reboussin D, Rejeski WJ, Lang W, Bertoni A, Vitolins M, Miller G, Ribisl P, Dotson K, Hodges A, Hogan P, et al.
The Look AHEAD Study: a description of the lifestyle intervention and the evidence supporting it. Obesity. 2006;14(5):737-752.
Mellen PB, Liese AD, Tooze JA, Vitolins MZ, Wagenknecht LE, Herrington DM. Whole grain intake and carotid artery atherosclerosis in a multi-ethnic cohort: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study [abstract]. Circulation. 2006;114(18 Suppl):889.
Vitolins MZ. Follow-up survey of the soy estrogen alternative study participants [abstract]. Menopause. 2006;13(6):1016.
All Publications
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