Postdoctoral Research Fellow
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Leila Abar is a postdoctoral fellow in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch (MEB) at the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) of National Institute of Health (NIH) since March 2023. She earned her Ph.D. in molecular and genetic epidemiology from Imperial College London, UK, in 2022. Her doctoral research focused on identifying genetic and lifestyle determinants of serum biomarkers and their impact on the risk of complex disorders, including cancer, utilizing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and Mendelian randomization analysis.
Before joining the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Dr. Abar contributed as a research assistant for the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research Continuous Update Project (CUP) at Imperial College London from 2012 to 2020. In this role, she synthesized global epidemiological evidence on diet, nutrition, and physical activity in relation to cancer risk and survival. Her work, involving systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses, helped shape lifestyle recommendations and public health policies.
Currently, Dr. Abar investigates lifestyle-related modifiable risk factors, particularly diet, and their causal determinants in colorectal cancer risk. Her expertise in molecular and genetic epidemiology, combined with her proficiency in advanced statistical methods and systematic reviews, positions her at the forefront of research aiming to elucidate the complex interactions between genetics, lifestyle, and cancer risk.