Mary Beth Terry, PhD

Dr. Mary Beth Terry is an internationally renowned cancer epidemiologist with over 25 years of experience leading studies on breast cancer risk factors. Her many contributions to the field include groundbreaking work on how environmental exposures increase breast cancer risk among women with a family history or genetic predisposition. She currently is leading an international study investigating drivers of early onset cancer and the influence of environmental exposures during key windows of susceptibility. Author of over 450 scientific publications, Dr. Terry has served on numerous prestigious committees for the National Cancer Institute and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. She comes to Silent Spring from Columbia University, where she’s Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health and Associate Director of Population Science at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. In addition to her doctorate in epidemiology from Columbia University, Dr. Terry holds a master’s degree in economics from University of Washington.

Dr. Terry joined Silent Spring Institute as Executive Director in July 2024.