Research Summary

Mandy Goldberg, Ph.D., leads the NIEHS Puberty and Cancer Epidemiology Group. The group’s research focuses on the following:

• Understanding the hormonal mechanisms that drive breast maturation in early life.
• Identifying potentially modifiable factors that act through these pathways to influence the timing of puberty and breast cancer risk.

Current research addresses the hypothesis that minipuberty, a transient period of endocrine activity in infancy, is a critical programming period with short- and long-term effects on development, including the timing of pubertal onset. The group studies how dynamic sex steroid concentrations during minipuberty contribute to breast bud growth and other endocrine-sensitive outcomes in infant girls by leveraging repeated biomarker and phenotype data in the Infant Feeding and Early Development (IFED) Study. Additional research addresses how exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during minipuberty affects infant reproductive development. Goldberg initiated the IFED Puberty Study (IFED-2) — a prospective follow-up of the former IFED participants as they age through the pubertal transition — to determine whether minipuberty sex steroid concentrations are associated with the timing of adolescent puberty. This work aims to provide insights into whether minipuberty is a window of breast cancer susceptibility.

A complementary line of research in the NIEHS Sister Study uses a lifecourse approach to identify potentially modifiable factors associated with increased breast cancer risk, with a focus on hormone-related exposures during windows of susceptibility. Prior work in the cohort has supported that early onset of pubertal breast development (thelarche) is associated with increased breast cancer risk, independent of age at menarche, and that hormone-related factors in early life, including diethylstilbestrol exposure in utero and soy formula in infancy, are associated with early thelarche. Current work focuses on the role of environmental exposures during the puberty and pregnancy windows of susceptibility in breast cancer risk.

Goldberg earned an M.P.H. from the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine in 2011 and a Ph.D. in epidemiology from Columbia University in 2019. She joined the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch in 2019 as an Intramural Research Training Award postdoctoral fellow in the Chronic Disease Epidemiology Group. She was awarded a position in the NIH Independent Research Scholar program in 2023, which provided her the opportunity to establish the Puberty and Cancer Epidemiology Group. She received a 2023 Pathway to Independence Award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for her work investigating the potential importance of minipuberty of infancy as a critical period for growth and development in girls.

If you are interested in joining this research group, please contact Dr. Goldberg. Trainee positions are available for postbaccalaureate fellows.

Data Sources

Infant Feeding and Early Development (IFED) Study

IFED was an observational, longitudinal study designed to investigate the natural history of estrogen activity in infants exclusively fed soy protein-based formula, cow’s milk-based formula, or breastmilk. IFED recruited infants within 3 days of birth from hospitals in the Philadelphia area in 2010-2013 and conducted study visits with clinical assessments and biospecimen collection every 2-4 weeks up to 7-9 months of age.

IFED Puberty Study (IFED-2)

IFED-2 is a longitudinal follow-up study of the former IFED participants to assess growth and development across the pubertal transition. IFED-2 is collecting assessments of body size and markers of pubertal development from participants every 6 months, along with annual urine samples to measure endocrine biomarkers across puberty.

Sister Study

The NIEHS Sister Study is a prospective cohort designed to investigate environmental and familial risk factors for breast cancer in more than 50,000 sisters of women who have had breast cancer. Sister Study participants provided extensive lifecourse questionnaire data at enrollment and completed home visits, including biospecimen collection. Participants complete annual health updates and more comprehensive follow-up questionnaires every 3 years.

Selected Publications

1. Chin HB, Krall JR, Goldberg M, Stanczyk FZ, Darge K, Stallings VA, Rogan WJ, Umbach DM, Baird DD. 2023. Early Life Anti-Müllerian Hormone Trajectories in Infant Girls. Epidemiology 34(4):568-575. [Abstract Chin HB, Krall JR, Goldberg M, Stanczyk FZ, Darge K, Stallings VA, Rogan WJ, Umbach DM, Baird DD. 2023. Early Life Anti-Müllerian Hormone Trajectories in Infant Girls. Epidemiology 34(4):568-575.]
2. Goldberg M, McDonald JA, Houghton LC, Andrulis IL, Knight JA, Bradbury AR, Schwartz LA, Buys SS, Frost CJ, Daly MB, John EM, Keegan THM, Chung WK, Wei Y, Terry MB. 2023. Maternal and prenatal factors and age at thelarche in the LEGACY Girls Study cohort: implications for breast cancer risk. Int J Epidemiol 52(1):272-283. [Abstract Goldberg M, McDonald JA, Houghton LC, Andrulis IL, Knight JA, Bradbury AR, Schwartz LA, Buys SS, Frost CJ, Daly MB, John EM, Keegan THM, Chung WK, Wei Y, Terry MB. 2023. Maternal and prenatal factors and age at thelarche in the LEGACY Girls Study cohort: implications for breast cancer risk. Int J Epidemiol 52(1):272-283.]
3. Goldberg M, Díaz-Santana MV, O'Brien KM, Zhao S, Weinberg CR, Sandler DP. 2022. Gestational Hypertensive Disorders and Maternal Breast Cancer Risk in a Nationwide Cohort of 40,720 Parous Women. Epidemiology 33(6):868-879. [Abstract Goldberg M, Díaz-Santana MV, O'Brien KM, Zhao S, Weinberg CR, Sandler DP. 2022. Gestational Hypertensive Disorders and Maternal Breast Cancer Risk in a Nationwide Cohort of 40,720 Parous Women. Epidemiology 33(6):868-879.]
4. Houghton LC, Wei Y, Wang T, Goldberg M, Paniagua-Avila A, Sweeden RL, Bradbury A, Daly M, Schwartz LA, Keegan T, John EM, Knight JA, Andrulis IL, Buys SS, Frost CJ, O'Toole K, White ML, Chung WK, Terry MB. 2022. Body mass index rebound and pubertal timing in girls with and without a family history of breast cancer: the LEGACY girls study. Int J Epidemiol 51(5):1546-1555. [Abstract Houghton LC, Wei Y, Wang T, Goldberg M, Paniagua-Avila A, Sweeden RL, Bradbury A, Daly M, Schwartz LA, Keegan T, John EM, Knight JA, Andrulis IL, Buys SS, Frost CJ, O'Toole K, White ML, Chung WK, Terry MB. 2022. Body mass index rebound and pubertal timing in girls with and without a family history of breast cancer: the LEGACY girls study. Int J Epidemiol 51(5):1546-1555.]
5. Niehoff NM, Goldberg M, White AJ. 2022. The importance of addressing early life environmental exposures in cancer epidemiology. Curr Epidemiol Rep 9:49-65. [Abstract Niehoff NM, Goldberg M, White AJ. 2022. The importance of addressing early life environmental exposures in cancer epidemiology. Curr Epidemiol Rep 9:49-65.]
6. Goldberg M, D'Aloisio AA, O'Brien KM, Zhao S, Sandler DP. 2021. Early-life exposures and age at thelarche in the Sister Study cohort. Breast Cancer Res 23(1):111. [Abstract Goldberg M, D'Aloisio AA, O'Brien KM, Zhao S, Sandler DP. 2021. Early-life exposures and age at thelarche in the Sister Study cohort. Breast Cancer Res 23(1):111.]
7. Goldberg M, Ciesielski Jones AJ, McGrath JA, Barker-Cummings C, Cousins DS, Kipling LM, Meadows JW, Kesner JS, Marcus M, Monteilh C, Sandler DP. 2021. Urinary and salivary endocrine measurements to complement Tanner staging in studies of pubertal development. PLoS One 16(5):e0251598. [Abstract Goldberg M, Ciesielski Jones AJ, McGrath JA, Barker-Cummings C, Cousins DS, Kipling LM, Meadows JW, Kesner JS, Marcus M, Monteilh C, Sandler DP. 2021. Urinary and salivary endocrine measurements to complement Tanner staging in studies of pubertal development. PLoS One 16(5):e0251598.]
8. Goldberg M, D'Aloisio AA, O'Brien KM, Zhao S, Sandler DP. 2020. Pubertal timing and breast cancer risk in the Sister Study cohort. Breast Cancer Res 22(1):112. [Abstract Goldberg M, D'Aloisio AA, O'Brien KM, Zhao S, Sandler DP. 2020. Pubertal timing and breast cancer risk in the Sister Study cohort. Breast Cancer Res 22(1):112.]
9. Monson KR, Goldberg M, Wu HC, Santella RM, Chung WK, Terry MB. 2020. Circulating growth factor concentrations and breast cancer risk: a nested case-control study of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and breast cancer in a family-based cohort. Breast Cancer Res 22(1):109. [Abstract Monson KR, Goldberg M, Wu HC, Santella RM, Chung WK, Terry MB. 2020. Circulating growth factor concentrations and breast cancer risk: a nested case-control study of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and breast cancer in a family-based cohort. Breast Cancer Res 22(1):109.]
10. Goldberg M, Tawfik H, Kline J, Michels KB, Wei Y, Cirillo P, Cohn BA, Terry MB. 2020. Body size at birth, early-life growth and the timing of the menopausal transition and natural menopause. Reprod Toxicol 92:91-97. [Abstract Goldberg M, Tawfik H, Kline J, Michels KB, Wei Y, Cirillo P, Cohn BA, Terry MB. 2020. Body size at birth, early-life growth and the timing of the menopausal transition and natural menopause. Reprod Toxicol 92:91-97.]
11. Goldberg M, Cohn BA, Houghton LC, Flom JD, Wei Y, Cirillo P, Michels KB, Terry MB. 2019. Early-Life Growth and Benign Breast Disease. Am J Epidemiol 188(9):1646-1654. [Abstract Goldberg M, Cohn BA, Houghton LC, Flom JD, Wei Y, Cirillo P, Michels KB, Terry MB. 2019. Early-Life Growth and Benign Breast Disease. Am J Epidemiol 188(9):1646-1654.]
12. Houghton LC, Knight JA, De Souza MJ, Goldberg M, White ML, O'Toole K, Chung WK, Bradbury AR, Daly MB, Andrulis IL, John EM, Buys SS, Terry MB. 2018. Comparison of methods to assess onset of breast development in the LEGACY Girls Study: methodological considerations for studies of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 20(1):33. [Abstract Houghton LC, Knight JA, De Souza MJ, Goldberg M, White ML, O'Toole K, Chung WK, Bradbury AR, Daly MB, Andrulis IL, John EM, Buys SS, Terry MB. 2018. Comparison of methods to assess onset of breast development in the LEGACY Girls Study: methodological considerations for studies of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 20(1):33.]
13. Terry MB, Keegan THM, Houghton LC, Goldberg M, Andrulis IL, Daly MB, Buys SS, Wei Y, Whittemore AS, Protacio A, Bradbury AR, Chung WK, Knight JA, John EM. 2017. Pubertal development in girls by breast cancer family history: the LEGACY girls cohort. Breast Cancer Res 19(1):69. [Abstract Terry MB, Keegan THM, Houghton LC, Goldberg M, Andrulis IL, Daly MB, Buys SS, Wei Y, Whittemore AS, Protacio A, Bradbury AR, Chung WK, Knight JA, John EM. 2017. Pubertal development in girls by breast cancer family history: the LEGACY girls cohort. Breast Cancer Res 19(1):69.]
14. Terry MB, Goldberg M, Schechter S, Houghton LC, White ML, O'Toole K, Chung WK, Daly MB, Keegan TH, Andrulis IL, Bradbury AR, Schwartz L, Knight JA, John EM, Buys SS. 2016. Comparison of Clinical, Maternal, and Self Pubertal Assessments: Implications for Health Studies. Pediatrics 138(1):e20154571. [Abstract Terry MB, Goldberg M, Schechter S, Houghton LC, White ML, O'Toole K, Chung WK, Daly MB, Keegan TH, Andrulis IL, Bradbury AR, Schwartz L, Knight JA, John EM, Buys SS. 2016. Comparison of Clinical, Maternal, and Self Pubertal Assessments: Implications for Health Studies. Pediatrics 138(1):e20154571.]
15. Goldberg M, Calderon-Margalit R, Paltiel O, Abu Ahmad W, Friedlander Y, Harlap S, Manor O. 2015. Socioeconomic disparities in breast cancer incidence and survival among parous women: findings from a population-based cohort, 1964-2008. BMC Cancer 15:921. [Abstract Goldberg M, Calderon-Margalit R, Paltiel O, Abu Ahmad W, Friedlander Y, Harlap S, Manor O. 2015. Socioeconomic disparities in breast cancer incidence and survival among parous women: findings from a population-based cohort, 1964-2008. BMC Cancer 15:921.]

See the complete list of Goldberg’s publications.