ٍٍٍ½خر

header-logo
Epidemiology
Epidemiology & Social Sciences
Kristen Beyer, PhD, MPH, MS

Kirsten Beyer, PhD, MPH, MS

Professor, Division of Epidemiology; Director, PhD Program in Public & ٍٍٍ½خر Health; Co-Director, Global Health Pathway; Co-Director, GEO Shared Resource; Adjunct Associate Professor, Geography, UW-Milwaukee

Contact Information

Education

BA, Integrated International Studies, Knox College
MPH, Global Health, University of Iowa
PhD, Geography, University of Iowa
MS, CTSI Epidemiology Track, MCW

Biography

Dr. Kirsten Beyer is a professor in the Division of Epidemiology & Social Sciences in the Institute for Health & Humanity at MCW. She is director of the PhD Program in Public and ٍٍٍ½خر Health, co-director of the Global Health Scholarly Concentration for medical students, and co-director of the Geospatial, Epidemiology and Outcomes Shared Resource (GEOSR) of the MCW Cancer Center. She holds an adjunct faculty appointment in geography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Dr. Beyer received her PhD in geography and her MPH in global health from the University of Iowa in Iowa City. She joined MCW in 2009 as an instructor and a fellow in the Primary Care Research Fellowship. During her postdoctoral work, she earned a master’s degree in clinical and translational science, with a focus on epidemiology.

Trained as a health geographer, Dr. Beyer focuses on the intersection of health, place, and social and environmental justice. She seeks to identify environmental and systemic causes of health disparities and to apply a community engaged research framework to move research findings into program and policy solutions to achieve health equity. She studies neighborhood characteristics such as green space, racial segregation, redlining and housing, as well as innovative community driven solutions to address challenges such as climate change and structural racism. She works locally and globally with a focus on non-communicable diseases, with established partnerships in Milwaukee, WI and Africa. She also partners with research groups across the country to examine influences of structural racism on a range of health outcomes using large cohort study databases. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and National Science Foundation.

Dr. Beyer mentors doctoral, masters, medical, and undergraduate students at MCW and elsewhere and teaches in the PhD program in Public and ٍٍٍ½خر Health and the MS Program in Global Health Equity at MCW. She has been recognized for her accomplishments with the MCW President’s ٍٍٍ½خر Engagement Award, the Milwaukee Biz Times Researcher of the Year award, and the Emerging Scholar award from the American Association of Geographers Health and ٍٍٍ½خر Geography Specialty Group.

In her free time, Dr. Beyer spends time with her family, outdoors, enjoying music and art, and traveling.

Honors and Awards

2016, Emerging Scholar Award, Health and ٍٍٍ½خر Geography Specialty Group, American Association of Geographers

Research Experience

  • ٍٍٍ½خر Medicine
  • epidemiology
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Geography
  • Health Behavior
  • Maps
  • Participatory research
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Social Change
  • Social Justice
  • Spatial Behavior
  • Violence

Methodologies and Techniques

  • Cluster Analysis
  • Epidemiologic Measurements
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Models, Statistical

Research Interests

GETOutside
Researching increased time outdoors and reduced symptom burdens of breast cancer survivors

Breast Cancer, Race, and Place
Researching the effects breast cancer from women living in Milwaukee and it's surrounding counties

Publications

  • (Clougherty JE, Hahn MB, Beyer KMM, Hood DB, Malone M, Nori-Sarma A, Nuño MA, Reilly AC, Roberts-Semple D, Schmidt RJ, Thakur N, Levy JI.) Ann Epidemiol. 2026 Aug 20;123:110264 PMID: 42617927 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105047859159 08/19/2026

  • (Kallies KJ, Beyer KM, Koehne WJ, Tomas CW, Tarima S, Beckman MA, Cassidy LD.) Pediatr Emerg Care. 2026 Aug 01;42(8):571-576 PMID: 41891312 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105037024307 03/27/2026

  • (Bobholz M, Schanock C, Oladebo T, Mwemaho C, Ssentongo J, Nyabigambo A, Dickson-Gomez J, Johnston B, Mayega R, Xu W, Isunju JB, Beyer K.) Health Place. 2026 Jul 25;101:103718 PMID: 42501416 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105045528367 07/25/2026

  • (Dua R, Rine S, Beroza A, Kiconco A, Bobholz F, Anguzu R, Dickson-Gomez J, Okoth C, Magezi RK, Kyomya M, Beyer KM.) Reprod Health. 2026 Jun 04;23(1) PMID: 42237317 PMCID: PMC13483630 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105047551025 06/04/2026

  • (Pearson AL, Zhou Y, Canales B, Beyer KMM.) Lancet Reg Health Am. 2026 May;57:101437 PMID: 41853774 PMCID: PMC12995495 03/19/2026

  • (Weber R, Bukirwa P, Wabinga H, Kasasa S, Zhou Y, Lukande R, Nambooze S, Amulen PM, Anguzu R, Nansereko B, Anumolu N, Lechleitner K, Beyer KMM.) Arch Public Health. 2026 Apr 20;84(1) PMID: 42010712 PMCID: PMC13217636 04/21/2026

  • (Anguzu R, Kiguli J, Nyabigambo A, Obuya E, Kabali S, Isunju JB, Beyer KMM, Dickson-Gomez J.) Int J Soc Determinants Health Health Serv. 2026 Apr;56(2):245-255 PMID: 41325018 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105023364458 12/01/2025

  • (Richardson AS, Dubowitz T, Ye F, Beyer KMM, Zhou Y, Kershaw KN, Duck W, Beckman R, Shikany JM, Kiefe CI.) Health Place. 2026 Mar;98:103623 PMID: 41637993 PMCID: PMC12930835 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105034282479 02/05/2026

  • (Neal M, Quinn K, Palatnik A, Marion E, Kershaw KN, Lagatta J, Walsh J, Beyer K.) J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2026 Feb 06 PMID: 41652291 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105029666597 02/07/2026

  • (Beyer KMM, Xu W, Zhou Y, Yang K, Madrigano J, Chandra A.) Social Science and Medicine. October 2026;407 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105047407735 10/01/2026

  • (Beyer KM, Dampier J, Witthun O.) WMJ. 2026;125(3):336-337 PMID: 42623610 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105047877828 08/20/2026

  • (Yen TWF, Canales B, McGinley EL, Tarima S, Zhou Y, Beyer KMM.) Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2025 Dec 12;215(1):40 PMID: 41385117 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105024718031 12/12/2025

Publications of from the

© 2026 ٍٍٍ½خر.  All rights reserved.  | Terms and Privacy | Web Accessibility Statement

Non-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Legal Compliance Statement
The ٍٍٍ½خر (MCW) is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, military status, or other legally protected classification. MCW maintains full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations in pursuit of our missions. Consistent with federal guidance, we affirm our commitment to individual merit, fairness, and equal treatment in all aspects of academic and institutional decision-making.

MCW's policies, federal and state laws, and regulations prohibit unlawful discrimination and harassment. Employees, learners, students, applicants, or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.