Empire Innovations Professor
Cancer Research Center
Department of Environmental Health Sciences
University at Albany
State University of New York
ORCID: 0000-0002-4094-3421
Research Profile: University at Albany
About Dr. JoEllen Welsh
Dr. JoEllen Welsh is an internationally recognized expert in nutritional biochemistry and cancer biology, with over 20 years of research focused on understanding how vitamin D works in breast cancer. Her research has clarified that vitamin D has direct effects on breast cancer cells and acts differently across breast cancer subtypes. In a 2015 interview, she explained that for hormone-dependent breast cancers, “vitamin D is quite effective at stopping growth of those cells. In fact, it is as effective as Tamoxifen, which is a standard treatment.”
Currently, Dr. Welsh is leading a five-year NIH-funded study examining how vitamin D affects triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a particularly aggressive form lacking effective treatments. She is studying a specific survival pathway in these cancer cells that vitamin D inhibits, aiming to understand how vitamin D might reduce TNBC growth and progression.
In addition to her lab work, Dr. Welsh serves as the Chief Financial Officer of the non-profit Vitamin D Workshop, which organizes the annual international scientific meeting focused on vitamin D biology.
Key Contributions & Research
- Mechanistic Insights in Breast Cancer: Dr. Welsh’s lab has demonstrated that the active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D), suppresses the growth of breast cancer cells and influences key survival pathways in both hormone-dependent and triple-negative breast cancer.
- Hormone-Dependent Breast Cancer: Vitamin D effectively inhibits the proliferation of hormone-dependent breast cancer cells, comparable in effect to Tamoxifen, a standard therapy.
- Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Through her NIH-funded study, Dr. Welsh investigates how vitamin D modulates a pathway critical to TNBC cell survival. This research may provide novel insights for potential therapeutic approaches in an area with few current options.
- Leadership in Vitamin D Science: As CFO of the Vitamin D Workshop, Dr. Welsh contributes to organizing international conferences that foster collaboration and dissemination of cutting-edge vitamin D research.
Awards & Recognition
- NIH Research Funding: Dr. Welsh has secured over $4.8 million in research funding since her appointment as an Empire Innovation Professor.
- NIH Conference Grant: She obtained a five-year, $250,000 NIH grant to support the Vitamin D Workshop, organizing annual international conferences on vitamin D biology.
- International Recognition: Dr. Welsh is recognized globally for her contributions to understanding vitamin D’s role in cancer prevention and treatment.
Top Publication
- “Modeling vitamin D actions in triple negative/basal-like breast cancer”
LaPorta et al., 2014
Demonstrates that 1,25D suppresses multiple proteins required for TNBC survival, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic agent. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24239860/ - “Vitamin D and Breast Cancer: Past and Present”
Welsh, 2017
Comprehensive review on the role of vitamin D in breast cancer prevention and therapy. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5780261/ - “Vitamin D and Breast Cancer: Mechanistic Update”
Welsh, 2021
Updated overview of how vitamin D influences breast cancer cell proliferation and survival pathways.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jbm4.10582
