Email:

slfollis@iu.edu

Departments:

Epidemiology

Degrees:

PhD, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Arizona

MS, Anthropology, Purdue University

BA, Anthropology, Indiana University Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Resume/CV

Biography

Shawna Follis, PhD, MS, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. Prior to this position, she was a research instructor in Epidemiology at Stanford University, School of Medicine (2023 - 2026). Her postdoctoral training at Stanford Medicine included the NIH T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship from 2020 to 2021 in the Stanford Prevention Research Center and the Stanford Propel Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health from 2021 to 2023. She received her PhD in Epidemiology from The University of Arizona as an Alfred P. Sloan Scholar and her MS in Anthropology from Purdue University. Dr. Follis researches cardiometabolic disease prevention. Her primary research area investigates how the environment and social determinants of health increase risk of cardiometabolic disease. She received the NIH K99/R00 grant from the NHLBI to investigate the role of environmental determinants in the pathway to cardiovascular disease outcomes over 30 years. To do so, this research harmonizes social and structural metrics from real world datasets to The Women's Health Initiative Cohort. Her research also investigates the role of body composition in chronic disease. She was awarded the 2020 Aetna Award for Excellence in Research on Older Women and Public Health from the American Public Health Association for her research evaluating differences in social stress associated adipose tissue patterning. She teaches a course on Social Determinants of Health in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University and received the Stanford Medicine Teaching Award in 2022.

Current Projects

• “Examining the Role of Structural Factors in Cardiovascular Disease”, NIH K99/R00 Grant, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2023 - 2029)

Selected Publications

1. Follis, S., Landry, M. J., Cunanan, K. M., Stefanick, M. L., Ward, C. P., & Gardner, C. D. (2025). Effect of low-carbohydrate vs low-fat diet intervention on visceral fat estimated from dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in a 12-month randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Obesity. 
2. Hayes, C. A., Headley, C., Nava, A. R., Vizcarra, E. A., Garcia, K. C., Mullen, M. M. S., Morales, J. F., Venida, A. C., & Follis, S (senior author). (2024). Revolutionizing postdoctoral training using the social ecological model: Insights and experiences from the Propel Scholars. GEN Biotechnology, 3(4), 196–206.
3. Follis, S., Breathett, K., Garcia, L., Jimenez, M., Cené, C. W., Whitsel, E., Hedlin, H., Paskett, E. D., Zhang, S., Thomson, C. A., & Stefanick, M. L. (2023). Quantifying structural racism in cohort studies to advance prospective evidence. SSM Population Health, 22, 101417. 
4. Wright, N. C., Follis, S., Larson, J. C., Crandall, C. J., Stefanick, M. L., Ing, S. W., & Cauley, J. A. (2024). Fractures by race and ethnicity in a diverse sample of postmenopausal women: A current evaluation among Hispanic and Asian origin groups. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 
5. Follis, S., Cook, A., Bea, J. W., Going, S. B., Laddu, D., Cauley, J. A., Shadyab, A. H., Stefanick, M. L., & Chen, Z. (2018). The association between sarcopenic obesity and falls in a multiethnic cohort of postmenopausal women. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 66(12), 2314-2320. 
6. Mendoza-Vasconez, A. S., King, A. C., Chandler, G., Mackey, S., Follis, S., & Stefanick, M. L. (2024). Engagement with remote delivery channels in a physical activity intervention for senior women in the U.S. American Journal of Health Promotion, 38(5), 692-703.

Honors and Awards

• The NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2023 - 2028)
• Stanford Prevention Research Center Teaching Award, Stanford University (2022 - 2023)
• Early Career Investigator Award, The Women’s Health Initiative (May 2023)
• Stanford Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Champion Award, Stanford University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (2021 - 2022)
• Aetna Award for Excellence in Research on Older Women and Public Health, American Public Health Association (October 2020)