Eva Schernhammer

Eva Schernhammer has produced the most influential epidemiological evidence linking circadian disruption from shift work to increased cancer risk, contributing to IARC's classification of night shift work as a Group 2A probable carcinogen. Her large-scale Nurses' Health Study analyses demonstrated dose-response relationships between rotating night shift work duration and breast and colorectal cancer incidence. She established that melatonin suppression from light-at-night exposure mediates cancer risk through disruption of circadian tumor suppressor pathways. Her research on urinary melatonin levels as a biomarker of circadian disruption has informed cancer prevention strategies for shift workers.