Carrie R Daniel-MacDougall, PhD, MPH
Department of Epidemiology, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences
About Dr. Daniel-MacDougall
The primary goal of my research program is to refine and inform evidence-based dietary recommendations for cancer prevention, cancer patients, and cancer survivors. As a nutritional epidemiologist, much of my previous work focused on identifying diet-related risk or protective factors in large, prospective cohorts of healthy individuals followed for the development of cancer. At MD Anderson, I am shifting toward more patient-centered projects, targeting diet and the microbiome (NCT02843425, NCT03950635). Prior experience in wet-lab and clinical research has significantly enriched my career as an epidemiologist and translational scientist. Continually learning from my clinical and bench science colleagues, I strive to address questions from every angle, considering the biological mechanisms, as well as the potential clinical and public health implications.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Division of OVP, Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Faculty Director, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Bionutrition Research Core, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Adjunct Faculty, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX
Regular Member, The University of Texas Graduate School Of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX
Research Interests
The role of diet, energy balance, inflammation, and chronic conditions in cancer risk, treatment, and survival; Dietary assessment methodology; Biomarker-driven clinical/intervention trials; The oral and gut microbiome; International and minority populations where new and unique modifiable risk (or protective) factors may be identified
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2008 | Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA, PHD, Nutrition and Health Sciences, Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences |
| 2005 | Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA, MPH, Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health |
| 2002 | University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, BS, Molecular and Cellular Biology |
Postgraduate Training
| 2008-2012 | Research Fellowship, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Division of OVP, Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2012 - 2019
Pre-doctoral fellow, American Cancer Society, Epidemiology and Surveillance Research, Atlanta, GA, 2007 - 2008
Honors & Awards
| 2020 | Andrew Sabin Family Fellowship |
| 2019 | Robert M. Chamberlain Distinguished Mentor Award Finalist, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2018 | Leading Mentor in Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2018 | Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development, Association of American Medical Colleges |
| 2015 | USA Eisenhower Fellowship nominee (deferred) |
| 2010 | Fellows Award for Research Excellence, National Institutes of Health |
| 2008 | Cancer Research Training Award Fellowship, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health |
| 2005 | Division Scholar Fellowship, Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Arts of Sciences, Emory University |
| 1998 | John P. Shaeffer, Provost, and Spirit of Discovery Scholarships, University of Arizona |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Gregg JR, Zhang X, Chapin BF, Ward JF, Kim J, Davis JW, Daniel CR. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and grade group progression in localized prostate cancer: An active surveillance cohort. Cancer 127(5):720-728, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33411364.
- Gregg JR, Surasi DS, Childs A, Moll N, Ward JF, Kim J, Daniel CR, Logothetis C, Bathala T, Davis JW. The Association of Periprostatic Fat and Grade Group Progression in Men with Localized Prostate Cancer on Active Surveillance. J Urol 205(1):101097JU0000000000001321, 2021. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32718204.
- Zheng J, Hoffman KL, Chen JS, Shivappa N, Sood A, Browman GJ, Dirba DD, Hanash S, Wei P, Hebert JR, Petrosino JF, Schembre SM, Daniel CR. Dietary inflammatory potential in relation to the gut microbiome: results from a cross-sectional study. Br J Nutr 124(9):1-12, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32475373.
- Zhang X, Browman G, Siu W, Basen-Engquist KM, Hanash SM, Hoffman KL, Okhuysen PC, Scheet P, Petrosino JF, Kopetz S, Daniel CR. The BE GONE trial study protocol: a randomized crossover dietary intervention of dry beans targeting the gut microbiome of overweight and obese patients with a history of colorectal polyps or cancer. BMC Cancer 19(1):1233, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31852462.
- Sims TT, Colbert LE, Zheng J, Delgado Medrano AY, Hoffman KL, Ramondetta L, Jazaeri A, Jhingran A, Schmeler KM, Daniel CR, Klopp A. Gut microbial diversity and genus-level differences identified in cervical cancer patients versus healthy controls. Gynecol Oncol 155(2):237-244, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31500892.
- Li D, Tang H, Wei P, Zheng J, Daniel CR, Hassan MM. Vitamin C and Vitamin E Mitigate the Risk of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma from Meat-Derived Mutagen Exposure in Adults in a Case-Control Study. J Nutr 149(8):1443-1450, 2019. PMID: 31100111.
- Zheng J, Stuff J, Tang H, Hassan MM, Daniel CR, Li D. Dietary N-nitroso compounds and risk of pancreatic cancer: results from a large case-control study. Carcinogenesis 40(2):254-262, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30475991.
- Gregg JR, Lopez DS, Reichard C, Zheng J, Wu W, Ye Y, Chapin B, Kim J, Daniel CR, Davis J. Coffee, Caffeine Metabolism Genotype, and Disease Progression in Localized Prostate Cancer Patients Managed with Active Surveillance. J Urol 201(2):308-314, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30179617.
- Gregg JR, Zheng J, Lopez DS, Reichard C, Browman G, Chapin B, Kim J, Davis J, Daniel CR. Diet quality and Gleason grade progression among localised prostate cancer patients on active surveillance. Br J Cancer 120(4):466-471, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30679782.
- McQuade JL,Daniel CR, Hess KR, Mak C, Wang DY, Rai RR, Park JJ, Haydu LE, Spencer C, Wongchenko M, Lane S, Lee DY, Kaper M, McKean M, Beckermann KE, Rubinstein SM, Rooney I, Musib L, Budha N, Hsu J, Nowicki TS, Avila A, Haas T, Puligandla M, Lee S, Fang S, Wargo JA, Gershenwald JE, Lee JE, Hwu P, Chapman PB, Sosman JA, Schadendorf D, Grob JJ, Flaherty KT, Walker D, Yan Y, McKenna E, Legos JJ, Carlino MS, Ribas A, Kirkwood JM, Long GV, Johnson DB, Menzies AM, Davies MA. Association of body-mass index and outcomes in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy: a retrospective, multicohort analysis. Lancet Oncol 19(3):310-322, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29449192.
- Gopalakrishnan V, Spencer CN, Nezi L, Reuben A, Andrews MC, Karpinets TV, Prieto PA, Vicente D, Hoffman K, Wei SC, Cogdill AP, Zhao L, Hudgens CW, Hutchinson DS, Manzo T, Petaccia de Macedo M, Cotechini T, Kumar T, Chen WS, Reddy SM, Szczepaniak Sloane R, Galloway-Pena J, Jiang H, Chen PL, Shpall EJ, Rezvani K, Alousi AM, Chemaly RF, Shelburne S, Vence LM, Okhuysen PC, Jensen VB, Swennes AG, McAllister F, Marcelo Riquelme Sanchez E, Zhang Y, Le Chatelier E, Zitvogel L, Pons N, Austin-Breneman JL, Haydu LE, Burton EM, Gardner JM, Sirmans E, Hu J, Lazar AJ, Tsujikawa T, Diab A, Tawbi H, Glitza IC, Hwu WJ, Patel SP, Woodman SE, Amaria RN, Davies MA, Gershenwald JE, Hwu P, Lee JE, Zhang J, Coussens LM, Cooper ZA, Futreal PA, Daniel CR, Ajami NJ, Petrosino JF, Tetzlaff MT, Sharma P, Allison JP, Jenq RR, Wargo JA. Gut microbiome modulates response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in melanoma patients. Science 359(6371):97-103, 2018. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29097493.
- Hoffman KL, Hutchinson DS, Fowler J, Smith DP, Ajami NJ, Zhao H, Scheet P, Chow WH, Petrosino JF, Daniel CR. Oral microbiota reveals signs of acculturation in Mexican American women. PLoS One 13(4):e0194100, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29694348.
- Zhao H, Shen J, Daniel-MacDougall C, Wu X, Chow WH. Plasma MicroRNA signature predicting weight gain among Mexican-American women. Obesity (Silver Spring) 25(5):958-964, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28342299.
- Chow WH, Chrisman M, Daniel CR, Ye Y, Gomez H, Dong Q, Anderson CE, Chang S, Strom S, Zhao H, Wu X. Cohort Profile: The Mexican American Mano a Mano Cohort. Int J Epidemiol 46(2):e3, 2017. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25747868.
- Zhao H, Shen J, Djukovic D, Daniel-MacDougall C, Gu H, Wu X, Chow WH. Metabolomics-identified metabolites associated with body mass index and prospective weight gain among Mexican American women. Obes Sci Pract 2(3):309-317, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27708848.
- Anderson C, Zhao H, Daniel CR, Hromi-Fiedler A, Dong Q, Elhor Gbito KY, Wu X, Chow WH. Acculturation and Diabetes Risk in the Mexican American Mano a Mano Cohort. Am J Public Health 106(3):547-9, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26794174.
- Melkonian SC, Daniel CR, Ye Y, Pierzynski JA, Roth JA, Wu X. Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, and Lung Cancer Risk in Non-Hispanic Whites. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 25(3):532-9, 2016. PMID: 26944871.
- Melkonian SC, Daniel CR, Ye Y, Tannir NM, Karam JA, Matin SF, Wood CG, Wu X. Gene-environment interaction of genome-wide association study-identified susceptibility loci and meat-cooking mutagens in the etiology of renal cell carcinoma. Cancer 122(1):108-15, 2016. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26551148.
- Daniel CR, Shu X, Ye Y, Gu J, Raju GS, Kopetz S, Wu X. Severe obesity prior to diagnosis limits survival in colorectal cancer patients evaluated at a large cancer centre. Br J Cancer 114(1):103-9, 2016. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26679375.
- Shah MS, Fogelman DR, Raghav KP, Heymach JV, Tran HT, Jiang ZQ, Kopetz S, Daniel CR. Joint prognostic effect of obesity and chronic systemic inflammation in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Cancer 121(17):2968-75, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25975416.
- Melkonian SC, Daniel CR, Hildebrandt MA, Tannir NM, Ye Y, Chow WH, Wood CG, Wu X. Joint association of genome-wide association study-identified susceptibility Loci and dietary patterns in risk of renal cell carcinoma among non-Hispanic whites. Am J Epidemiol 180(5):499-507, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25053674.
- Daniel CR, Kapur K, McAdams MJ, Dixit-Joshi S, Devasenapathy N, Shetty H, Hariharan S, George PS, Mathew A, Sinha R. Development of a field-friendly automated dietary assessment tool and nutrient database for India. Br J Nutr 111(1):1-12, 2014. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23796477.
- Daniel CR, Park Y, Chow WH, Graubard BI, Hollenbeck AR, Sinha R. Intake of fiber and fiber-rich plant foods is associated with a lower risk of renal cell carcinoma in a large US cohort. Am J Clin Nutr 97(5):1036-43, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23515007.
- Dellavalle CT, Daniel CR, Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Hollenbeck AR, Cross AJ, Sinha R, Ward MH. Dietary intake of nitrate and nitrite and risk of renal cell carcinoma in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Br J Cancer 108(1):205-12, 2013. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 23169285.
- Moore SC, Gunter MJ, Daniel CR, Reddy KS, George PS, Yurgalevitch S, Devasenapathy N, Ramakrishnan L, Chatterjee N, Chanock SJ, Berndt SI, Mathew A, Prabhakaran D, Sinha R. Common Genetic Variants and Central Adiposity Among Asian-Indians. Obesity (Silver Spring) 20(9):1902-8, 2012. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21799482.
- Sinha R, Cross AJ, Daniel CR, Graubard BI, Wu JW, Hollenbeck AR, Gunter MJ, Park Y, Freedman ND. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and tea intakes and risk of colorectal cancer in a large prospective study. Am J Clin Nutr 96(2):374-81, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22695871.
- Daniel CR, Sinha R, Park Y, Graubard BI, Hollenbeck AR, Morton LM, Cross AJ. Meat intake is not associated with risk of non-hodgkin lymphoma in a large prospective cohort of U.S. men and women. J Nutr 142(6):1074-80, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22535761.
- Daniel CR, Cross AJ, Graubard BI, Park Y, Ward MH, Rothman N, Hollenbeck AR, Chow WH, Sinha R. Large prospective investigation of meat intake, related mutagens, and risk of renal cell carcinoma. Am J Clin Nutr 95(1):155-62, 2012. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 22170360.
- Daniel CR, Cross AJ, Graubard BI, Hollenbeck AR, Park Y, Sinha R. Prospective investigation of poultry and fish intake in relation to cancer risk. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 4(11):1903-11, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21803982.
- Daniel CR, Schwartz KL, Colt JS, Dong LM, Ruterbusch JJ, Purdue MP, Cross AJ, Rothman N, Davis FG, Wacholder S, Graubard BI, Chow WH, Sinha R. Meat-cooking mutagens and risk of renal cell carcinoma. Br J Cancer 105(7):1096-104, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21897389.
- Mathew A, Daniel CR, Ferrucci LM, Seth T, Devesa SS, George PS, Shetty H, Devasenapathy N, Yurgalevitch S, Rastogi T, Prabhakaran D, Gupta PC, Chatterjee N, Sinha R. Assessment of follow-up, and the completeness and accuracy of cancer case ascertainment in three areas of India. Cancer Epidemiol 35(4):334-41, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21621499.
- Sinha R, Daniel CR, Devasenapathy N, Shetty H, Yurgalevitch S, Ferrucci LM, George PS, Morrissey KG, Ramakrishnan L, Graubard BI, Kapur K, Reddy KS, McAdams MJ, Rastogi T, Chatterjee N, Gupta PC, Wacholder S, Prabhakaran D, Mathew AA. Multi-center feasibility study evaluating recruitment, variability in risk factors and biomarkers for a diet and cancer cohort in India. BMC Public Health 11:405, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21619649.
- Daniel CR, Cross AJ, Koebnick C, Sinha R. Trends in meat consumption in the USA. Public Health Nutr 14(4):575-83, 2011. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 21070685.
- Ahearn TU, McCullough ML, Flanders WD, Long Q, Sidelnikov E, Fedirko V, Daniel CR, Rutherford RE, Shaukat A, Bostick RM. A randomized clinical trial of the effects of supplemental calcium and vitamin D3 on markers of their metabolism in normal mucosa of colorectal adenoma patients. Cancer Res 71(2):413-23, 2011. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 21084270.
- Daniel CR, Prabhakaran D, Kapur K, Graubard BI, Devasenapathy N, Ramakrishnan L, George PS, Shetty H, Ferrucci LM, Yurgalevitch S, Chatterjee N, Reddy KS, Rastogi T, Gupta PC, Mathew A, Sinha R. A cross-sectional investigation of regional patterns of diet and cardio-metabolic risk in India. Nutr J 10:12, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21276235.
- Daniel CR, McCullough ML, Patel RC, Jacobs EJ, Flanders WD, Thun MJ, Calle EE. Dietary intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids and risk of colorectal cancer in a prospective cohort of U.S. men and women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 18(2):516-25, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19190143.
- Daniel CR, Bostick RM, Flanders WD, Long Q, Fedirko V, Sidelnikov E, Seabrook ME. TGF-alpha expression as a potential biomarker of risk within the normal-appearing colorectal mucosa of patients with and without incident sporadic adenoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 18(1):65-73, 2009. PMID: 19124482.
- Zhang X, Hoffman KL, Wei P, Elhor Gbito KY, Joseph R, Li F, Scheet P, Chang S, Petrosino JF, Daniel CR. Baseline oral microbiome and all-cancer incidence in a cohort of non-smoking Mexican American women. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33277317.
- Palacios C, Daniel CR, Tirado-Gómez M, Gonzalez-Mercado V, Vallejo L, Lozada J, Ortiz A, Hughes DC, Basen-Engquist K. Dietary Patterns in Puerto Rican and Mexican-American Breast Cancer Survivors: A Pilot Study. J Immigr Minor Health. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26984227.
Invited Articles
- Daniel CR, McQuade JL. Nutrition and Cancer in the Microbiome Era. Trends Cancer 5(9):521-524, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31474355.
- McQuade JL, Daniel CR, Helmink BA, Wargo JA. Modulating the microbiome to improve therapeutic response in cancer. Lancet Oncol 20(2):e77-e91, 2019. PMID: 30712808.
- Wallace TC, Bultman S, D'Adamo C, Daniel CR, Debelius J, Ho E, Eliassen H, Lemanne D, Mukherjee P, Seyfried TN, Tian Q, Vahdat LT. Personalized Nutrition in Disrupting Cancer - Proceedings From the 2017 American College of Nutrition Annual Meeting. J Am Coll Nutr 38(1):1-14, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30511901.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Effects of Supplemental Antioxidants on Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in the Normal Colon Epithelium and Blood of Persons at Increased Risk for Colorectal Cancer |
| Funding Source: | Emory Center for Clinical and Molecular Nutrition Feasibility Award |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Molecular Pathways Linking Obesity and RCC Tumorigeneis (PQ1) |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Gut Microbiome: integrating risk pathways in obesity and colorectal neoplasia |
| Funding Source: | Duncan Family Institute |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Next generation sequencing to identify novel colorectal cancer genes |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | The Beans to Enrich the Gut microbiome vs. Obesity's Negative Effects (BE GONE) Pilot Trial |
| Funding Source: | Institutional Research Grant |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Discovery of Risk Loci and Genomics of Pancreatic Cancer through Exome Sequencing |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | BioNutrition Research Core |
| Funding Source: | Duncan Family Institute Strategic Initiative |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | BE GONE Trial: Beans to Enrich the Gut of Obese Colorectal Cancer Survivors |
| Funding Source: | American Cancer Society (ACS) |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Molecular, Immune and Clinical Significance of Obesity in Advanced Melanoma |
| Funding Source: | Conquer Cancer Foundation |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Diet, mental health, and the microbiome in response to immunotherapy |
| Funding Source: | Melanoma Research Alliance |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Diet-microbiome interactions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) etiology and outcomes |
| Funding Source: | CCSG Prevention and Population Science Research Programs Seed Funding Initiative |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center SPORE in hepatocellular carcinoma Project 3: Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis stage and progression in obesity and diabetes: a Hispanic population study |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | High fiber diet to enhance the microbiome in immunotherapy (FP00007698) |
| Funding Source: | Rising Tide Foundation |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Controlled high-fiber dietary intervention to modulate gut microbiome in melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy |
| Funding Source: | Mark Foundation for Cancer Research |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Identifying dietary components and patterns to optimize treatment response and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients |
| Funding Source: | Andrew Sabin Family Foundation Fellows Award |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Protecting colonic mucus to mitigate acute intestinal graft-versus-host disease |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NHLBI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Bionutrition Research Core SHREC |
| Funding Source: | MD Anderson |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Noninvasive metabolomics-based prostate cancer markers: effect of dietary and surgical intervention |
| Funding Source: | MDA-IRG |
| Role: | Collaborator |
| Title: | Diet and the gut microbiome in hepatocellular carcinoma patients initiating immunotherapy: new targets to improve clinical outcomes |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Multiple Principal Investigator |