Joyce T Bromberger, PhD

My background and training are in psychiatric epidemiology and the relationship between depression and physical health. I have been conducting research for more than 25 years on the mental and physical health of middle-aged women with a particular focus on depression and anxiety, the psychosocial and hormonal factors that influence these symptoms/disorders, and their health consequences. I am also interested in the patterns and course of clinical depression and their risk factors as women age. For the past 19 years, I have been Co-Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator of the Pittsburgh site of a longitudinal multisite, multiethnic study of menopause and aging supported by NIA, Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) and Principal Investigator of the SWAN ancillary study on mental health, “Menopausal Transition, Mental Health and Ethnicity” funded by the NIMH. The latter is a longitudinal study to determine the effect of the menopausal transition and reproductive hormonal alterations on the development of depression in midlife. I have served as co-investigator on several other NIH grants focused on midlife women including the Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Women (Healthy Women Study) and The SWAN Sleep Studies I & II.

1964 l Brandeis University, Waltham, MA l Bachelor of Arts
1966 l University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA  l Master of Social Work
1990 l University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA  l PhD Psychiatric Epidemiology

EPIDEMIOLOGY 2400: Psychosocial Factors in Disease

• Psychiatric epidemiology
• Epidemiology of women's health
• Interrelationship between mental and physical health of middle-aged and aging women
• Depression and cardiovascular disease

Principal Investigator:

• Menopause, Depression and Aging (2007-2012) NIMH
• Menopause Transition, Mental Health and Ethnicity (2001-2006) NIMH

• Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) (1994-2019) NIA

• Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Women (2009-2012) NHLBI
• SWAN Sleep Study II (2006-2010) NIA
• Mammographic Density in a Multiethnic Cohort (2002-2006) NCI
• Sleep During the Perimenopause in a Multiethnic Cohort (2002-2005) NIA

1. Tepper P, Brooks MM, Randolph Jr. JF, Crawford SL, El Khoudary SR, Gold EB, Lasley BL, Jones B, Joffe H, Hess R, Avis NE, Harlow S, McConnell DS, Bromberger JT, Zheng H, Ruppert K, Thurston RC. Characterizing the trajectories of vasomotor symptoms across the menopausal transition. Menopause. 2016 Oct;23(10):1067-74. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000676.
2. Janssen I, Powell LH, Matthews KA, Jasielec, MS, Hollenberg SM, Bromberger JT, Sutton-Tyrrell, K, Everson-Rose SA. Relation of Persistent Depressive Symptoms and Coronary Artery Calcification in Women Aged 46 to 59 Years. American Journal of Cardiolog. 2016. 117(12), 1884-1889.
3. Bromberger JT, Kravitz HM, Youk A, Schott LL, Joffe H. Patterns of depressive disorders across 13 years and their determinants among midlife women: SWAN Mental Health Study. Journal of Affective Disorders. Volume 206, December 2016, Pages 31–40. NIHMS 805482
4. Bromberger JT, Schott L, Kravitz HM, Joffe H. Risk factors for major depression during midlife among a community sample of women with and without prior major depression: Are they the same or different? Psychol Med. 2015, Vol. 45, No. 8, June 2015: 1653-64.
5. Dugan SA, Bromberger JT, Segawa E, Avery E, Sternfeld B. Association between Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms: Midlife Women in SWAN.  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.  2015;47(2):335-42.
6. Kravitz HM, Schott LL, Joffe H, Cyranowski JM, Bromberger JT.Do Anxiety Symptoms Predict Major Depressive Disorder in Midlife Women? The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Mental Health Study. Psychological Medicine.  2014;44(12):2593-602.
7. Colvin Greene A, Richardson GA, Cyranowski JM, Youk A, Bromberger J. Does Family History of Depression Predict Major Depression in Midlife Women? Study of Women's Health Across the Nation Mental Health Study (SWAN MHS).  Archives of Women's Mental Health. 2014;17(4):269-278. 
8. Brown CB, Schott L, Matthews KA, Bromberger JT. Persistence of Depression in African American and Caucasian Women at Midlife: Findings from the Study of Women Across the Nation (SWAN).  Archives of Women's Mental Health.  2014;17(6): 549-557. PMCID - PMC4443669
9. Irish LA, Kline CE, Rothenberger SD, Krafty RT, Buysse DJ, Kravitz HM, Bromberger JT,  Zheng H, Hall MH. A 24 hour approach to the study of health behaviors: Temporal dynamics of waking health behaviors and sleep. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 2014;47(2):189-97.
10. Bromberger JT, Kravitz HM, Chang Y, Randolph JF, Avis NE, Gold EB, Matthews KA. Does Risk for Anxiety Increase During the Menopausal Transition? Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Menopause. 2013;20(5):488-495.
11. Matthews KA, Chang YF, Thurston RC, Bromberger JT. Child Abuse Is Related to Inflammation in Mid-life Women: Role of Obesity. Brain Behav Immun. 2013 Sep 25. pii: S0889-1591(13)00468-6. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2013.09.013. [Epub ahead of print]
12. Bleil ME, Bromberger JT, Latham MD, Adler NE, Pasch LA, Gregorich SE, Rosen MP, Cedars MI. Disruptions in ovarian function are related to depression and cardio-metabolic risk during pre-menopause. Menopause. 2013 Jun;20(6):631-9. ) 
13. Midei AJ, Matthews KA, Chang Y, and Bromberger JT.  Childhood Physical Abuse Is Associated with incident Metabolic Syndrome in Mid-Life Women. Health Psychology. 2013; 32(2):121-127.
14. Bromberger JT, Schott LL, Matthews KA, Kravitz HM, Randolph JF, Harlow S, Crawford S, Green R,  and Joffe H. Association of past and recent major depression and menstrual characteristics in midlife: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Menopause. 2012;19(9):959-966.
15. Bromberger JT, Kravitz HM, Chang Y, Cyranowski JM, Brown C, Matthews KA. Major depression during and after the menopausal transition: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Psychological Medicine 2011;41(9):1879-1888. PMID: 21306662.
16. Midei AJ, Matthews KA, Bromberger JT.  Childhood Abuse is Associated with Adiposity in Mid-life Women: Possible Pathways through Trait Anger and Reproductive Hormones.  Psychosomatic Medicine. 2010 72: 215-223.
17. Bromberger JT, Schott LL, Kravitz HM, Sowers MF, Avis NE, Gold EB, Randolph JF, Matthews KA. Longitudinal change in reproductive hormones and depressive symptoms across the menopausal transition: Results from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Arch Gen Psychiatry 2010; 67(6):598-607. 
18. Matthews KA, Chang Y, Sutton-Tyrrell K, Edmundowicz D, Bromberger JT. Recurrent Major Depression Predicts Progression of Coronary Calcification in Healthy Women: Study of Women's Health across the Nation. Psychosomatic Medicine 2010;72:742-747. 
19. Bromberger J.T., Kravitz H.M., Matthews K.A., Youk A., Brown C., & Feng W.   Predictors of first lifetime episodes of major depression in midlife women. Psychological Medicine 2009; 39:55-64.)
20. Bromberger JT, Kravitz HM, Wei HL, Brown C, Youk A, Cordal A, Powell L, Matthews KA.  History of depression and women's current health and functioning in midlife.  General Hospital Psychiatry, May/June 2005. 27: 200-208.
21. Bromberger JT, Harlow SD, Avis NE, Kravitz HM, Cordal A. Racial/Ethnic differences in the prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms in midlife women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN).  American Journal of Public Health 2004. 94:1378-1385
22. Bromberger JT, Assmann SF, Avis NE, Schocken M, Kravitz HM, Cordal A.  Persistent mood symptoms in a multi-ethnic community cohort of pre and perimenopausal women.  American Journal of Epidemiology 2003; 158:347-356.
23. Bromberger JT, & Matthews KA.  A "feminine" model of vulnerability to depressive symptoms: A longitudinal study of middle-aged women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1996, 3:591-98.