About

Kathleen Mullan Harris is the James E. Haar Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her areas of interest include social inequality and health, the life course, biodemography, and social science genomics. Dr. Harris served as the Director and Principal Investigator of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) from 2004 to 2021, transforming it into a landmark study funded by 23 NIH institutes and agencies. She integrated biological and genomic data with social and behavioral data to study developmental and health trajectories across the early life course. Her research involves an interdisciplinary set of scholars from sociology, epidemiology, nutrition, economics, cardiology, genetics, and survey methods. She has published research on topics such as the health effects of despair, isolation, and stress; social genetic effects; health costs of upward mobility; early life origins of biological aging; and the obesity epidemic and young adult health. Dr. Harris has been recognized with the Golden Goose Award from the US Congress for major breakthroughs in medicine, social behavior, and technological research. She is a past president of the Population Association of America and the Interdisciplinary Association of Population Health Science, and she is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Biology
• Computer Science
• Genetics
• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Internal medicine
• Gerontology
• Developmental psychology
• Demography
• Information Retrieval
• Sociology
• Computational biology
• World Wide Web
• Cardiology
• Social psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Physical therapy
• Data science
• Environmental health
• Ecology
• Intensive care medicine
• Evolutionary biology
• Neuroscience

Selected publications

• Shared genetic risk between eating disorder- and substance-use-related phenotypes: Evidence from genome-wide association studies.

  Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) · 2026-02-10

  articleOpen access

  Eating disorders and substance use disorders frequently co-occur. Twin studies reveal shared genetic variance between liabilities to eating disorders and substance use, with the strongest associations between symptoms of bulimia nervosa and problem alcohol use (genetic correlation [rg ], twin-based = 0.23-0.53). We estimated the genetic correlation between eating disorder and substance use and disorder phenotypes using data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Four eating disorder phenotypes (anorexia nervosa [AN], AN with binge eating, AN without binge eating, and a bulimia nervosa factor score), and eight substance-use-related phenotypes (drinks per week, alcohol use disorder [AUD], smoking initiation, current smoking, cigarettes per day, nicotine dependence, cannabis initiation, and cannabis use disorder) from eight studies were included. Significant genetic correlations were adjusted for variants associated with major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. Total study sample sizes per phenotype ranged from ~2400 to ~537 000 individuals. We used linkage disequilibrium score regression to calculate single nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic correlations between eating disorder- and substance-use-related phenotypes. Significant positive genetic associations emerged between AUD and AN (rg = 0.18; false discovery rate q = 0.0006), cannabis initiation and AN (rg = 0.23; q < 0.0001), and cannabis initiation and AN with binge eating (rg = 0.27; q = 0.0016). Conversely, significant negative genetic correlations were observed between three nondiagnostic smoking phenotypes (smoking initiation, current smoking, and cigarettes per day) and AN without binge eating (rgs = -0.19 to -0.23; qs < 0.04). The genetic correlation between AUD and AN was no longer significant after co-varying for major depressive disorder loci. The patterns of association between eating disorder- and substance-use-related phenotypes highlights the potentially complex and substance-specific relationships among these behaviors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Unequal effects of health behaviors in adolescence on adult cardiovascular disease and hypertension by family financial situation in the US: A cohort study

  medRxiv · 2026-03-12

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background Adolescent health risk behaviors may have unequal effects on adult cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and hypertension, with individuals from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds potentially experiencing stronger harmful effects due to heightened susceptibility. Using data from the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we quantified differential effects of adolescent health behaviors on CVDs and hypertension by family financial situation. Methods We identified behavior clusters via latent class modeling and estimated effects using double-robust inverse probability weighted methods. Exposures were adolescent health risk behaviors (breakfast skipping, cigarette smoking, frequent alcohol use, and infrequent physical activity), measured at ages 12–19 (1994–1995, n=4452), with parental difficulty paying bills as the effect modifier. CVDs and hypertension were assessed at ages 33–43 (2016–2018) using biomarkers and self-reports. Results After 21 years, 33.2% of participants had CVD or hypertension. Frequent alcohol use and concurrent cigarette smoking led to 11.1 percentage points more cases (95% CI: 0.1–22.1) among adolescents with parental financial difficulty compared to peers without. Alcohol use alone exhibited a differential effect of 9.7 percentage points (95% CI: 0.8–18.5). The differential effect of breakfast skipping was inconsistent across sensitivity analyses, and no strong evidence was found for infrequent physical activity. Conclusions These findings from a US cohort indicate that frequent alcohol use in adolescence, particularly with concurrent smoking, increases risk of adult CVD and hypertension unequally based on socioeconomic background. This differential susceptibility suggests that population-level interventions targeting alcohol use and concurrent smoking could help reduce cardiovascular inequalities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Wave V DNA Methylation

  UNC Libraries · 2026-04-09

  articleOpen access

  The purpose of this document is to 1) describe the provenance, quality control, and curation of the Add Health epigenetic data set and 2) to aid the user in their analysis.

  PublisherDOI

• Genomic loci and molecular genetic mechanisms for hidradenitis suppurativa

  UNC Libraries · 2025-11-07

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a common, chronic, and debilitating inflammatory disease that most commonly affects intertriginous skin. Despite its high heritability, the genetic underpinnings of HS remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To identify genetic signals associated with HS, determine genetic relationships with other diseases, and investigate potential molecular genetic mechanisms. METHODS: We performed a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of six studies, totaling 4,540 cases and over 1 million controls and identified genetic correlations with other common diseases. We integrated the HS data with expression quantitative trait loci from 10 trait-relevant tissues, epigenomic and transcriptomic data from human scalp, differential expression data from HS lesions versus adjacent skin, and mesenchymal Hi-C chromatin looping data. To identify functional noncoding variants, we performed transcriptional reporter assays for signals near KLF5 and SOX9. RESULTS: We identified eleven significant HS signals across seven loci: four corresponded to previously reported associations, four represented novel signals within known loci, and three were signals in newly implicated loci. We identified significant genetic correlation between HS and other inflammatory conditions, particularly inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and asthma. We prioritized candidate genes for the 11 signals. The risk allele at KLF5 exhibited 10-fold greater transcriptional activity than the non-risk allele, while risk alleles at SOX9 showed significantly reduced transcriptional activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide insights into potential genetic mechanisms underlying HS and suggest potential therapeutic targets for this challenging condition.

  PublisherDOI

• Gravel investigations informing resource management within the Lower Mississippi River

  2025-10-06

  reportOpen access

  This report integrates available information about gravel deposits within the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) from previous studies coupled with new analysis to identify reoccurring observed gravel locations. This study also summarizes spatial and temporal trends of bed material sediment characteristics, focusing primarily on gravel. Moreover, selected data sets from previous studies, and field and aerial observations have been added to a geographic information system (GIS) database housed in ArcPro to illustrate observed gravel locations. Last, a literature review documenting the ecological importance of gravel bars to riverine fauna and a brief discussion of potential technologies to support conservation efforts are included. Major findings summarized herein are (1) the presence of gravel deposits tend to decrease in a downstream direction along the LMR; (2) qualitative analyses of aerial videos suggest that gravel-predominant bars are more common between River Miles 953 and 681; (3) past investigations have documented gravel sizes at rivers bars ranging from pebbles to boulders; (4) the gravel content in LMR bed material samples has decreased since 1932; and (5) more detailed surveys are needed to better delineate the spatial extents and depth of gravel bars and identify suitable technology to detect potential buried gravel.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• River training structure design study for stabilization at Bonanza Bar

  2025-09-26

  reportOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The Huntington District (LRH) has repeatedly dredged within the navigation channel at Ohio River Mile (RM) 353, adjacent to a location known as Bonanza Bar. An in-channel bar has developed from the placement of the dredged material along the left-descending bank where a bar was historically present. Recently, the frequency of dredging in this area has decreased, suggesting that the presence of the bar is providing some degree of channel constriction. LRH approached the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center to model possible river training structures to provide channel constriction and stabilize the placement of dredged material at Bonanza Bar. A two-dimensional hydraulic numerical model was developed to test structural alternatives by estimating the impacts on the velocities within the main channel, along the length of the bar, and along the mussel habitat within the side channel. Various rock dikes with bank protection were modeled and general design guidance and modeling results are presented. Modeling results indicate increases in main channel velocities and decreases in flow behind the structure for all modeled alternatives. Rootless dikes and bullnose chevrons provide adequate space and flow for side channel presence as opposed to the continuous and notched dikes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Life-course trajectories of body mass index from adolescence to old age: Racial and educational disparities

  UNC Libraries · 2025-06-12

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  No research exists on how body mass index (BMI) changes with age over the full life span and social disparities therein. This study aims to fill the gap using an innovative life-course research design and analytic methods to model BMI trajectories from early adolescence to old age across 20th-century birth cohorts and test sociodemographic variation in such trajectories. We conducted the pooled integrative data analysis (IDA) to combine data from four national population-based NIH longitudinal cohort studies that collectively cover multiple stages of the life course (Add Health, MIDUS, ACL, and HRS) and estimate mixed-effects models of age trajectories of BMI for men and women. We examined associations of BMI trajectories with birth cohort, race/ethnicity, parental education, and adult educational attainment. We found higher mean levels of and larger increases in BMI with age across more recent birth cohorts as compared with earlier-born cohorts. Black and Hispanic excesses in BMI compared with Whites were present early in life and persisted at all ages, and, in the case of Black-White disparities, were of larger magnitude for more recent cohorts. Higher parental and adulthood educational attainment were associated with lower levels of BMI at all ages. Women with college-educated parents also experienced less cohort increase in mean BMI. Both race and education disparities in BMI trajectories were larger for women compared with men.

  PublisherDOI

• Genetic Variants Associated With Hidradenitis Suppurativa

  UNC Libraries · 2025-10-21

  articleOpen access

  Importance: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a common and severely morbid chronic inflammatory skin disease that is reported to be highly heritable. However, the genetic understanding of HS is insufficient, and limited genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been performed for HS, which have not identified significant risk loci. Objective: To identify genetic variants associated with HS and to shed light on the underlying genes and genetic mechanisms. Design, Setting, and Participants: This genetic association study recruited 753 patients with HS in the HS Program for Research and Care Excellence (HS ProCARE) at the University of North Carolina Department of Dermatology from August 2018 to July 2021. A GWAS was performed for 720 patients (after quality control) with controls from the Add Health study and then meta-analyzed with 2 large biobanks, UK Biobank (247 cases) and FinnGen (673 cases). Variants at 3 loci were tested for replication in the BioVU biobank (290 cases). Data analysis was performed from September 2021 to December 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Main outcome measures are loci identified, with association of P < 1 × 10-8 considered significant. Results: A total of 753 patients were recruited, with 720 included in the analysis. Mean (SD) age at symptom onset was 20.3 (10.57) years and at enrollment was 35.3 (13.52) years; 360 (50.0%) patients were Black, and 575 (79.7%) were female. In a meta-analysis of the 4 studies, 2 HS-associated loci were identified and replicated, with lead variants rs10512572 (P = 2.3 × 10-11) and rs17090189 (P = 2.1 × 10-8) near the SOX9 and KLF5 genes, respectively. Variants at these loci are located in enhancer regulatory elements detected in skin tissue. Conclusions and Relevance: In this genetic association study, common variants associated with HS located near the SOX9 and KLF5 genes were associated with risk of HS. These or other nearby genes may be associated with genetic risk of disease and the development of clinical features, such as cysts, comedones, and inflammatory tunnels, that are unique to HS. New insights into disease pathogenesis related to these genes may help predict disease progression and novel treatment approaches in the future.

  PublisherDOI

• A Pathogen Penalty? Associations Between Persistent Infections and Biological Aging in the US

  The Journal of Infectious Diseases · 2025-12-10 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Persistent infections, including cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), illicit chronic immune stimulation and may contribute to biological aging. While CMV has been associated with markers of biological aging in older adults, including immunosenescence, less is known about these associations earlier in adulthood or the role of other persistent infections. METHODS: Using data from a nationally representative U.S. cohort, we examined associations between CMV, HSV-1, EBV, and H. pylori infections (assessed at a median age of 28 years) and markers of biological aging, including epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) and cellular immunosenescence (measured ∼10 years later). EAA was assessed via GrimAge, PhenoAge, and DunedinPACE clocks while immunosenescence was estimated using DNA methylation-based immune cell ratios. RESULTS: CMV infection and antibody concentrations were consistently associated with accelerated epigenetic aging and increased cellular immunosenescence measures. For example, CMV seropositivity was associated with 0.36 higher CD4+ memory: naïve ratio (95% CI: 0.11, 0.62). H. pylori, HSV-1, and EBV demonstrated more limited but notable associations, particularly with EAA measures. For instance, increased EBV IgG was associated with higher GrimAge acceleration (GrimAgeAA) (β=0.006 years, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.01). Higher H. pylori IgG antibodies were unexpectedly associated with a higher CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio (β=0.002, 95% CI: 0.0002, 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Persistent infections, particularly CMV, shape biological aging via DNA methylation aging and immunosenescence before midlife. Future research is needed to clarify how the timing and burden of these infections influence biological aging and immune function across the life course.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Adherence to Gender-Typical Behavior and High-Frequency Substance Use From Adolescence Into Young Adulthood

  UNC Libraries · 2025-09-06

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Substance use is prevalent among adolescents in the U.S., especially males. Understanding the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between gender norms and substance use is necessary to tailor substance use prevention messages and efforts appropriately. This study investigates the relationship between adherence to gender-typical behavior (AGB) and substance use from adolescence into young adulthood. Participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health completed self-report measures on the frequency of binge drinking, cigarette smoking and marijuana use as well as various behaviors and emotional states that captured the latent construct of AGB. Sex-stratified logistic regression models revealed cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between AGB and high frequency substance use. For example, an adolescent male who is more gender-adherent, compared to less adherent males, has 75% higher odds of high frequency binge drinking in adolescence and 22% higher odds of high frequency binge drinking in young adulthood. Sex-stratified multinomial logistic regression models also revealed cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between AGB and patterns of use. For example, a more gender-adherent adolescent male, compared to one who is less adherent, is 256% more likely to use all three substances in adolescence and 66% more likely to use all three in young adulthood. Cross-sectional and longitudinal results for females indicate greater gender-adherence is associated with lower odds of high frequency substance use. These findings indicate adherence to gender norms may influence substance use behaviors across the developmental trajectory, and inform strategies for prevention efforts.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant F32HD084117

  NIH · $162k · 2018

• NIH Grant U01HD037558

  NIH · $1.2M · 2006

• NIH Grant R01AG042794

  NIH · $6.5M · 2019

• Research Network on Animal Models to Understand Social Dimensions of Aging

  NIH · $2.6M · 2020–2030

• NIH Grant R01HD073342

  NIH · $3.6M · 2019

Frequent coauthors

• Daniel W. Belsky

  Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

  73 shared

• J. Richard Udry

  73 shared

• Jason D. Boardman

  65 shared

• Allison E. Aiello

  Butler University

  60 shared

• Yang Claire Yang

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  58 shared

• Carolyn Tucker Halpern

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  48 shared

• Benjamin W. Domingue

  48 shared

• Robbee Wedow

  Broad Institute

  45 shared

Education

• PhD, Demography

  University of Pennsylvania

  1988

Awards & honors

• Golden Goose Award from the US Congress