Dr. Jane Cauley is a preeminent epidemiologist whose distinguished career has profoundly shaped our understanding of bone health across the lifespan. She currently serves as a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, where she has held leadership positions for many years. Dr. Cauley earned her BSN in Nursing from Boston College in 1975 before pursuing advanced degrees at the University of Pittsburgh, completing her MPH in Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing in 1980 and her Doctor of Public Health in Epidemiology in 1983. Her early career transition from nursing to epidemiology established the foundation for her interdisciplinary approach to women's health and aging research.
Dr. Cauley's groundbreaking research has fundamentally advanced the epidemiology of osteoporosis through her leadership of major cohort studies including the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures and the Osteoporotic Fracture Risk in Older Men. As Co-Principal Investigator for the landmark Women's Health Initiative, she chaired the Osteoporosis Steering Committee and led the Calcium and Vitamin D Committee throughout the trial's duration, producing seminal work on hormone therapy's effects on bone health that has been cited over 1,400 times. Her systematic investigations have transformed our understanding of osteoporosis in both men and women, challenging previous assumptions about gender differences in bone health and fracture risk. With more than 730 peer-reviewed publications, her work has established critical evidence for clinical practice guidelines regarding fracture prevention and the consequences of osteoporosis across diverse populations.
Beyond her research contributions, Dr. Cauley has profoundly influenced her field through leadership roles including serving as President of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research from 2016-2019 and as Director of the Epidemiology of Aging Training Program funded by the National Institutes of Health. She has mentored 32 PhD students throughout her career, receiving the University of Pittsburgh's Provost Award for Excellence in Mentoring in 2011 for her exceptional commitment to developing the next generation of researchers. Her current research continues to explore novel measures of hip strength, the physiological changes during the menopausal transition, and the relationship between sleep and fracture risk, maintaining her position at the forefront of bone health research. As an influential voice in public health policy, Dr. Cauley continues to shape national conversations about osteoporosis prevention and the socioeconomic impact of fractures in aging populations.
