About

Dr. Tomi Akinyemiju is a cancer epidemiologist and a professor in Population Health Sciences, Global Health, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke University. Her research program focuses on identifying the impact of social factors, such as access to healthcare, and biological factors, including metabolic dysregulation, on cancer-related risk, tumor aggressiveness, and survival. She has been continuously funded by NIH and has published over 170 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Akinyemiju leads multiple ongoing studies on cancer disparities, including research on West African, African-American, and White breast cancer cases to understand the reasons behind high rates of triple negative breast cancer among women of West African descent. She also conducts prospective cohort studies involving ovarian cancer patients to examine how healthcare access and microbiome profiles influence treatment and survival, as well as studies on how systemic racism impacts breast cancer disparities in the US. In addition to her primary research, she leads programs aimed at advancing health equity by strengthening community partnerships, fostering stakeholder engagement, and training diverse future researchers in cancer and population health. Her work generates empirical insights to eliminate health disparities and promote cancer health equity.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Environmental health
• Demography
• Internal medicine
• Pathology
• Gerontology
• Nursing
• Economics
• Surgery
• Family medicine
• Geography

Selected publications

• Abstract 6263: Association of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and proinflammatory biomarkers with breast cancer molecular subtypes: Analysis of the MEND study.

  Cancer Research · 2026-04-03

  articleSenior author

  Abstract Background: The tumor microenvironment is characterized by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and proinflammatory biomarkers/cytokines, factors that inform therapeutic options and predict treatment response and tumor progression. Breast tumors in Nigerian women are relatively more aggressive; however no prior study has characterized the landscape of TILs and proinflammatory biomarkers across molecular subtypes in this population. Materials and Methods: A total of 436 newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve BC patients from Nigeria were included in the study. BC molecular subtyping was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and TILs were quantified on H&E-stained tumor slides using the International TILs Working Group criteria. Serum levels of proinflammatory biomarkers (IL-6, IL-8, IL-1B, TNF-α, and leptin) were assessed using immunoassays by Meso Scale Discovery. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the distribution of study covariates, and Spearman correlation was used to test the association of each proinflammatory biomarker and TILs. Multivariable logistic and multinomial regression models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association of TILs and proinflammatory biomarkers with molecular subtype. Results: The median age of study participants was 49, and 52.8% and 28.9% were diagnosed with grade 2 or 3 tumors respectively. The majority of BC tumors were of triple-negative subtype (43%), compared with 31% luminal A, 12% luminal B and 15% HER2-enriched subtype. Overall, BC patients had a median (Q1, Q3) TIL (%) of 10.0 (4.0, 21.0), with 49% categorized as low TIL (<10%), 41% categorized as intermediate TILs (10% ≤ TIL < 40%) and 10% categorized as high TIL (≥ 40%). Among a subset of 109 patients with proinflammatory biomarkers’ data, TNF-α significantly correlated with TILs (ρ: 0.21; p = 0.026). Patients in high TIL category (vs low TIL category) were approximately 5-fold (OR: 5.03, 95% CI: 1.01, 24.94) more likely to be diagnosed with TNBC, while each standard deviation increase in TNF-α levels was significantly associated with 3.5-fold higher odds of TNBC (OR: 3.42, 95% CI: 1.32, 8.86) after adjusting for age, BMI, menopausal status, and all proinflammatory biomarkers. Other proinflammatory biomarkers showed no significant associations. Conclusion: Our study, first to our knowledge to characterize the TME by molecular subtype in Nigerian women, reveal strong associations of high TIL levels and TNF-alpha with TNBC subtype, highlighting opportunities for immunotherapy and the prognostic significance of TNF-α in this population. Citation Format: Jovita Byemerwa, Drew Neish, April Deveaux, Lukeman Forgah, Omolola Salako, Adetola Daramola, Olusegun Alatise, Gabriel Olabiyi Ogun, Tomi Akinyemiju. Association of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and proinflammatory biomarkers with breast cancer molecular subtypes: Analysis of the MEND study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 6263.

  PublisherDOI

• Corrigendum to “Early-onset cancer incidence in the United States by race/ethnicity between 2011 and 2020” [Cancer Epidemiol. 92 (2024) 102632]

  Cancer Epidemiology · 2026-02-04

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Implementation of the North Carolina American Indian Adult Tobacco Survey: A Community-Government-University Collaboration

  UNC Libraries · 2026-04-02

  articleOpen access

  Commercial tobacco use remains a leading contributor to the cancer burden in the United States and disproportionately affects historically marginalised communities including American Indians. National surveys estimate current cigarette smoking prevalence for American Indian adults is 27 per cent; however, state-level and tribe-specific data are limited. North Carolina is home to seven state-recognised tribes, one federally-recognised tribe and four Urban Indian Organisations with approximately 300 000 residents identifying as American Indian. We conducted a commercial tobacco use survey with and for tribal leaders and communities in North Carolina to assess overall tobacco use among American Indian residents and by tribal affiliation. Next steps include prioritising the dissemination of our results to tribal leaders, community members, state regulators and academic partners. This will guide the development of policy, systems and environmental changes to reduce commercial tobacco use among American Indians. Here, we highlight our community-academic- government collaboration supporting implementation of the North Carolina American Indian Adult Tobacco Survey. Our research team includes members from multiple tribes, universities and state organisations across North Carolina.

  PublisherDOI

• Abstract 7866: BMI- and subtype-specific molecular clusters reveal distinct obesity mechanisms in breast cancer across Nigerian and U.S. cohorts.

  Cancer Research · 2026-04-03

  articleSenior author

  Abstract Background: Obesity is a major breast cancer risk factor, yet its biological mechanisms remain poorly characterized in African populations. We hypothesized that distinct obesity-associated molecular signatures would differentiate obese from normal-weight Nigerian women and reveal subtype-specific patterns in U.S. women. Methods: Targeted gene expression profiling (NanoString, 785 genes) was performed on tumors from 46 Nigerian women (MEND), and publicly available gene expression data from Women’s Circle of Health Study (WCHS; n=367; African and European ancestry) were analyzed. Enrichment scores for obesity-related pathways (glycolysis, inflammation, Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, adipokine signaling, insulin/IGF1 signaling, hypoxia, cholesterol biosynthesis) were computed using Gene Set Variation Analysis in R (v4.5.0) with KEGG and Reactome gene sets. Bipartite network clustering identified co-occurring mechanism clusters. Associations were tested for cluster membership with BMI using Firth logistic regression for MEND, and with subtype and ancestry using standard logistic regression for WCHS, adjusting for covariates (MEND: age, subtype, menopausal status; WCHS: age). Results: MEND participants averaged 48.7 (10.6) years; WCHS averaged 54.07 (11.99) years. In MEND, three clusters emerged (Q=0.14, p<0.05): Cluster 1 (hypoxia, cholesterol biosynthesis), Cluster 2 (ECM remodeling, adipokine, insulin/IGF1 signaling), and Cluster 3 (glycolysis, inflammation). Overweight/obese women had higher odds of Cluster 2 (aOR=5.4, 95% CI: 1.3-31.3), while normal-weight women were enriched for Cluster 1 (0.12, 0.02-0.54). In WCHS, six enrichment scores yielded three clusters (Q=0.10, p<0.05): Cluster 1 (inflammation, hypoxia), Cluster 2 (ECM remodeling, insulin/IGF1 signaling), and Cluster 3 (adipokine signaling, glycolysis). Cluster membership did not differ by ancestry, but subtype associations (Luminal A reference) were striking: Cluster 1 strongly associated with Luminal A (Luminal B: 0.33, 0.18-0.61; HER2: 0.15, 0.06-0.34; Triple Neg: 0.19, 0.11-0.34), Cluster 2 with Luminal B (3.47, 1.8-6.9) and HER2 (4.09, 1.9-8.99), and Cluster 3 with Triple Negative (3.15, 1.78-5.73). Conclusions: Obesity-linked mechanisms differ by BMI and subtype. ECM remodeling and growth factor signaling dominate obesity-related tumors, while hypoxia and lipid metabolism characterize normal-weight tumors. Subtype-specific clustering suggests heterogeneity beyond BMI. Findings highlight opportunities for precision prevention and treatment, including metabolic pathway targeting and potential use of GLP-1 receptor agonists in high-risk subtypes. Disclosure: Generative AI (Microsoft Copilot) was used to assist with language editing; authors reviewed and verified all content. Citation Format: Oyomoare Osazuwa-Peters, Jovita Kokwesiga Byemerwa, Omolola Salako, Adetola Daramola, Olusegun Isaac Alatise, Gabriel Ogun, Tomi Akinyemiju. BMI- and subtype-specific molecular clusters reveal distinct obesity mechanisms in breast cancer across Nigerian and U.S. cohorts [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 7866.

  PublisherDOI

• Supplementary Table S2 from The Intersectionality between Race, Ethnicity, and Residential-Level Socioeconomic Status in Disparities of Head and Neck Cancer Outcomes: A SEER Study

  2025-11-26

  articleOpen access

  <p>Table S2 shows demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with primary head and neck cancer by race/ethnicity with missing socioeconomic status.</p>

  PublisherDOI

• Supplementary Figure from Associations of Healthcare Affordability, Availability, and Accessibility with Quality Treatment Metrics in Patients with Ovarian Cancer

  2025-11-26

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Supplementary Figure from Associations of Healthcare Affordability, Availability, and Accessibility with Quality Treatment Metrics in Patients with Ovarian Cancer

  PublisherDOI

• Vaginal Microbiome Composition, Diversity and Dysbiosis: The ORCHiD Study

  Research Square · 2025-09-11

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• POSTER: CT-866 Impact of Sociodemographic Factors on Conditioning Intensity and Outcomes of Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients With Myeloid Malignancies

  Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma & Leukemia · 2025-08-28

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A latent measure of cultural racism and its association with US mortality and life expectancy

  Nature Human Behaviour · 2025-08-26

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The US social context is characterized by systemic racism, a key driver of racial disparities. While structural and interpersonal racism are well-established components of systemic racism, cultural racism—a system of beliefs (ideology) and societal way of life (culture)—has been less robustly described and currently lacks a validated measure. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis on nine key indicators to define a cultural racism latent measure. In an analysis of US mortality data between 2018 and 2021 obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WONDER system, each unit increase in the cultural racism factor was associated with ~136 (95% confidence interval, 90 to 182) all-cause deaths per 100,000 and a one-year decline in life expectancy (~−1 (−2 to −1)); these associations were consistent for both Black and white adults. The cultural racism factor substantially advances the science of racism and health and provides an empirical basis for efforts to address US health inequities. Akinyemiju et al. develop and validate a theory-driven, empirical measure of cultural racism and identify its associations with public health disparities in the USA, including a positive association with mortality and a negative association with life expectancy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supplementary Tables 1-3, Supplementary Figures 1-2, and Supplementary Methods from Healthcare Access Domains Mediate Racial Disparities in Ovarian Cancer Treatment Quality in a US Patient Cohort: A Structural Equation Modelling Analysis

  2025-11-26

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  <p>Supplemental Figure 1: Participant flowchart for Non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White ovarian cancer patients. Supplemental Table 1: Diagnosis Codes for patient comorbid conditions. Supplemental Methods: This supplemental material provides expanded descriptions of covariate creation, data linkages, and previously conducted factor analysis work. Supplemental Table 2: All HCA measures included in exploratory factor analysis. Supplemental Table 3: Any Ovarian cancer surgery coding definitions. Supplemental Figure 2: Indirect effects of black race on receipt of surgery.</p>

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• A Role of Multilevel Healthcare Access Dimensions in Ovarian Cancer Disparities

  NIH · $4.2M · 2024–2026

• Metabolic Syndrome and Epigenetic Markers of Breast Cancer in Nigerian Women

  NIH · $676k · 2016–2021

Frequent coauthors

• Dan J. Stein

  South African Medical Research Council

  137 shared

• G Anil Kumar

  120 shared

• Alan D Lopez

  Duke University

  115 shared

• Sok King Ong

  101 shared

• Simon I Hay

  89 shared

• Ali H. Mokdad

  81 shared

• Rizwan Suliankatchi Abdulkader

  Indian Council of Medical Research

  81 shared

• Nelson Alvis‐Guzmán

  Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

  80 shared