Mary D. Willis, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
Epidemiology

PhD, Oregon State University
MPH, University of Rochester
BA, University of Rochester

Pronouns: she/her/hers



Mary D. Willis, Ph.D., M.P.H., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health. Her expertise lies at the intersection of environmental epidemiology, spatial exposure assessment, and applied data science. Much of her work also leverages econometric-based causal inference methods. She is particularly interested in how epidemiological studies can be best designed to inform health-protective policy decisions. To date, Dr. Willis has primarily focused on how on exposures from the energy sector (e.g., oil and gas development, traffic-related air pollution) and other aspects of the built environment (e.g., green space, neighborhood disadvantage) influence reproductive health outcomes.

Dr. Willis is PI of an NIH Director’s Early Independence Award that examines how oil and gas development may impact fertility and pregnancy. She is also a co-investigator on an accountability study of vehicle emission regulations and birth outcomes that is funded by the Health Effects Institute.


A Preconception Cohort Study on Oil and Gas Development, Fertility, and Pregnancy
09/15/2022 - 08/31/2027 (PI)
NIH/Office of the Director
3DP5OD033415-03S1

The TRANSIT Accountability Study: Assessing impacts of vehicle emission regulations and local congestion policies on birth outcomes associated with traffic air pollution.
12/01/2022 - 06/30/2024 (Subcontract PI)
Oregon State University Health Effects Inst




Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2024 A Preconception Cohort Study on Oil and Gas Development, Fertility, and Pregnancy 5DP5OD033415-03
2024 A preconception cohort study on oil and gas development, fertility, and pregnancy 3DP5OD033415-03S1
2023 A Preconception Cohort Study on Oil and Gas Development, Fertility, and Pregnancy 5DP5OD033415-02
2022 A Preconception Cohort Study on Oil and Gas Development, Fertility, and Pregnancy 1DP5OD033415-01
2020 Environmental Data Integration to Assess Impacts of Shale Gas Development on Perinatal Health Outcomes and Childhood Cancers 5F31ES029801-02
2019 Environmental Data Integration to Assess Impacts of Shale Gas Development on Perinatal Health Outcomes and Childhood Cancers 1F31ES029801-01A1

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

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  1. Campbell EJ, Koenig MR, Mooney FA, Clark CJ, González DJX, Deziel NC, Casey JA, Buonocore JJ, Willis MD. A Narrative Review of Spatial-Temporal Data Sources for Estimating Population-Level Exposures to Oil and Gas Development in the United States. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2025 Apr 22; 12(1):21. PMID: 40263220; DOI: 10.1007/s40572-025-00485-8;
     
  2. Sims KD, Glymour MM, Ncube CN, Willis MD. Invited commentary: improving spatial exposure data for everyone-life-course social context and ascertaining residential history. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 Mar 04; 194(3):573-577.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39098825; PMCID: PMC11879526; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwae244;
     
  3. Soni M, Arunachalam S, Ramarao MVS, Efstathiou CI, Rick C, Buckley L, Dinesh C, Willis M, Perera F, Kinney P, Levy JI, Buonocore J. A high resolution multipollutant assessment of health damages due to the onroad sector in Boston, Massachusetts. Sci Total Environ. 2025 Mar 15; 969:178847.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39999703; DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178847;
     
  4. Wesselink AK, Johannesen BR, Wang TR, Ketzel M, Mikkelsen EM, Brandt J, Khan J, Hertel O, Laursen ASD, Willis MD, Levy JI, Rothman KJ, Sørensen HT, Wise LA, Hatch EE. Residential Exposure to PM2.5 Constituents and Fecundability in a Danish Preconception Cohort. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2025 Mar; 39(3):256-261.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39876487
     
  5. Hystad P, Hill EL, Larkin A, Schrank D, Harleman M, Volkin E, Campbell EJ, Molitor J, Harris L, Ritz BR, Willis MD. Changes in traffic-related air pollution exposures and associations with adverse birth outcomes over 20 years in Texas. Int J Epidemiol. 2024 Dec 16; 54(1). PMID: 39761605; PMCID: PMC11703368; DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyae178;
     
  6. Larkin A, Willis MD, Harris L, Ritz B, Hill EL, Hystad P. High traffic roads and adverse birth outcomes: comparing births upwind and downwind of the same road. Am J Epidemiol. 2024 Dec 02; 193(12):1720-1728. PMID: 38879742; PMCID: PMC11637513; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwae120;
     
  7. Willis MD, Mooney F, Weuve J, Hystad P, Walker H, Walker A, Stelly A, Fox S, Lees L. The Promises and Potential Pitfalls of Highway Reclamation for Population Health: A Research Framework. J Urban Health. 2024 Dec; 101(6):1270-1273.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39455537; PMCID: PMC11652443; DOI: 10.1007/s11524-024-00933-0;
     
  8. Buonocore JJ, Fisher J, Prull D, Willis MD, Arunachalam S, Perera F, Kinney P, Sousa B, Levy JI. Federal Policy Platforms and Public Health: Reinforcing the Benefits of Air Pollution Control Devices at Power Plants in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2025 Jan; 115(1):30-33.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39447107; PMCID: PMC11628716; DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307896;
     
  9. Casey JA, Willis MD. Invited Perspective: Drilling Down into the Mechanisms Linking Oil and Gas Development to Adverse Perinatal Health Outcomes. Environ Health Perspect. 2024 Oct; 132(10):101301. PMID: 39412280; PMCID: PMC11481932; DOI: 10.1289/EHP15106;
     
  10. Willis MD, Casey JA, Buonocore JJ. Potential Health Hazards of Cryptocurrency Mining: Protecting Health in a "Digital Oil Boom". JAMA. 2024 Sep 26.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39325478; DOI: 10.1001/jama.2024.15917;
     
Showing 10 of 50 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 49 publications over 8 distinct years, with a maximum of 15 publications in 2024

YearPublications
20181
20192
20201
20215
20228
202313
202415
20254


Air pollution could be threatening the success of IVF, new study finds

The 19th News 12/17/2024

Air pollution control devices save lives and cut health costs

News Medical 10/25/2024

Living near oil and gas sites linked to hidden health issues

Earth.com 7/15/2024

Traffic congestion may be linked to lower birthweights, study finds

News Medical 11/15/2022

Highway and traffic pollution could be connected to low birthweight

Popular Science 10/28/2022

Traffic jams are tied to lower birth weights, study finds

The Verge 10/28/2022

NIH Honors Two BU Researchers “Poised to Blaze New Paths of Discovery”

BU Today 10/18/2022

Living Closer to Oil and Gas Drilling Linked to Higher Risk of Pregnancy Complications, New Study Finds

DeSmog 1/11/2022

In the Drill Zone, Children’s Health Is Looking Bleak

Texas Observer 6/15/2021

2022 NIH Common Fund: NIH Director's Early Independence Award
2020 International Society for Environmental Epidemiology: Conference Travel Award
2020 Oregon State University: Fred & Helen E. Durbin Scholarship
2020 Cascadia Annual Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Public Health: Best Oral Paper
2020 Oregon State University: Doctoral Student Travel Award
2019-2020 NIH NIEHS: Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral National Research Service Award
2019-2020 Oregon State University : Training Grant/External Fellowship Tuition Relief Scholarship
2019-2020 Oregon State University: Warren & Frederica Schad Fellowship
2019 CARTEEH Symposium on Transportation, Air Quality, and Health: Best Oral Presentation
2018-2019 NIH NCATS: Mentored Predoctoral Career Development Award
2018-2019 Oregon State University: Liam Wood Memorial Fellowship
2018-2019 Oregon State University: Warren & Frederica Schad Fellowship
2018-2019 Oregon State University: Dean’s Graduate Scholarship
2018 International Society for Environmental Epidemiology: Conference Travel Award
2018 IBM & Oregon State University : Workshop Scholarship for Deep Learning in Life Sciences
2017 Annual Semiahmoo Symposium on Environmental, Occupational and Public Health: Best Oral Paper
Contact for Mentoring:

715 Albany St
Boston MA 02118
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