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
09/01/2025 - 08/31/2027 (PI)
NIH/Office of the Director
4DP5OD033415-04

A Preconception Cohort Study on Oil and Gas Development, Fertility, and Pregnancy
09/15/2022 - 08/31/2025 (PI)
NIH/Office of the Director
5DP5OD033415-03

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
2025 A Preconception Cohort Study on Oil and Gas Development, Fertility, and Pregnancy 4DP5OD033415-04
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. Willis MD, Sheng C, Lovett SM, Feldscher T, Sims KD, Francis B, Hicks JM, Holder EX, Wise LA, Cozier YC, Wesselink AK. Historical neighborhood redlining and fertility in a cohort of U.S. Black women. Epidemiology. 2025 Dec 05. PMID: 41397260
     
  2. Lovett SM, Wise LA, Richardson AS, Campbell EJ, Vrkljan KA, Kirwa K, Wesselink AK, Rothman KJ, Willis MD. A preconception cohort study of historical mortgage lending discrimination and present-day fecundability. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 Dec 04. PMID: 41342351
     
  3. Thombs RP, Willis MD. Impact of oil and gas boom and busts on working-age mortality in the U.S. Environ Epidemiol. 2025 Dec; 9(6):e438. PMID: 41282511; PMCID: PMC12637344; DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000438;
     
  4. Buonocore JJ, Mooney FA, Campbell EJ, Sousa B, van Loenen B, Fabian MP, Nori-Sarma A, Willis MD. High populations near fossil fuel energy infrastructure across the supply chain and implications for an equitable energy transition. Environ Res Lett. 2025 Nov 01; 20(11):114093. PMID: 41255873; PMCID: PMC12621303; DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ae0da6;
     
  5. Wesselink AK, Willis MD, Lovett SM, Sheng C, Kuohung W, Hicks J, Peters JL, Sheehy S, Palmer JR, Wise LA, Cozier Y. Neighborhood disadvantage and fecundability in a cohort of US Black women. Environ Epidemiol. 2025 Dec; 9(6):e428.View Related Profiles. PMID: 41140319; PMCID: PMC12551729; DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000428;
     
  6. Willis MD, Cesare N, Harleman M, Black-Ingersoll F, Gradus JL, Thombs R, Oblath R, Buonocore JJ, Welch BM, Casey JA, Braun D, Dominici F, Nori-Sarma A. IMPACT OF BOOM-AND-BUST ECONOMIES FROM OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT ON PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALIZATIONS AMONG MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES. Environ Res Health. 2025 Sep; 3(3).View Related Profiles. PMID: 41099011; PMCID: PMC12520238; DOI: 10.1088/2752-5309/ae01ce;
     
  7. Vrkljan KA, Oblath R, Black-Ingersoll F, Grady ST, Burrows K, Fabian MP, Parker SE, Nori-Sarma A, Willis MD. A Case-Crossover Study of Extreme Heat and Psychiatric Emergency Encounters Among Vulnerable Pregnant People. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2025 Aug; 39(6):571-581.View Related Profiles. PMID: 40641135; PMCID: PMC12338078; DOI: 10.1111/ppe.70044;
     
  8. 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.View Related Profiles. PMID: 40263220; PMCID: PMC12308367; DOI: 10.1007/s40572-025-00485-8;
     
  9. Shaye Wolf, Robert Bullard, Jonathan J Buonocore, Nathan Donley , Trisia Farrelly, John Fleming, David J X González, Naomi Oreskes, William Ripple, Robin Saha, Mary D Willis. Scientists’ warning on fossil fuels. Oxford Open Climate Change. 2025; 5(1):kgaf011. View Publication
  10. 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;
     
Showing 10 of 59 results. Show More

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

Bar chart showing 59 publications over 8 distinct years, with a maximum of 16 publications in 2024

YearPublications
20181
20192
20201
20215
20228
202313
202416
202513


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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999.999.9999
mwillis1@bu.edu
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