Katherine Newton is a chronic disease epidemiologist who is passionate about finding ways to help women stay healthy during midlife. Known for her research on menopause, Dr. Newton is a national leader in the search for non-hormonal treatments for menopausal symptoms.

After a 20-year career as a cardiovascular nurse specialist, Dr. Newton pursued her PhD in epidemiology and shifted her focus to epidemiologic research, joining Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) as a postdoctoral fellow in 1995. Within 10 years, she had become a busy senior investigator also serving as the Institute's associate director for research, external. A leader in women's health research at GHRI, Dr. Newton focuses on health concerns for women reaching midlife and on menopause in particular. Her number one goal is to help women transition through menopause in the healthiest way possible, and she is especially interested in investigating ways to relieve menopause symptoms without using hormone replacement therapy.

Dr. Newton's 2006 randomized trial of alternative therapies for menopause received widespread interest, leading to several invited talks around the world. Study analyses continue to yield compelling findings, including a 2007 publication linking low libido in menopause to trouble sleeping. She is currently leading a multisite randomized trial to test yoga and ultra low-dose estrogen gel as remedies for common menopausal symptoms. Dr. Newton's other areas of interest include studying the intersection of women's health and chronic disease, especially diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Because of her expertise in mid-life women's health, Dr. Newton is often invited to participate in national meetings related to menopause and hormone replacement therapy. A frequent grant and journal reviewer, she also devotes herself to mentoring students and junior scientists. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the North American Menopause Society, the Society of Epidemiologic Research, and the American Heart Association. She sits on the latter's councils on cardiovascular epidemiology and cardiovascular nursing. Dr. Newton has held two faculty appointments at the University of Washington since 1999, as affiliate associate professor in epidemiology and affiliate assistant professor in biobehavioral nursing and health systems.

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Recent publications

Reed SD, Newton KM, Garcia RL, Allison KH, Voigt LF, Jordan CD, Epplein M, Swisher E, Upson K, Ehrlich KJ, Weiss NS. Complex hyperplasia with and without atypia: clinical outcomes and implications of progestin therapy. Obstet Gynecol. 2010;116(2 Pt 1):365-73. PubMed

Spangler L, Reid RJ, Inge R, Newton KM, Hujoel P, Chaudhari M, Genco RJ, Barlow WE. Cross-sectional study of periodontal care and glycosylated hemoglobin in an insured population. Diabetes Care. 2010 Aug;33(8):1753-8. Epub 2010 May 26. PubMed

Newton KM, Reed SD, Grothaus LC, LaCroix AZ, Nekhlyudov L, Ehrlich K, Ludman EJ. Hormone therapy discontinuation: physician practices after the Women's Health Initiative. Menopause. 2010 Jul;17(4):734-40. Epub 2010 Apr 23. PubMed

Newton KM. Another multibotanical for vasomotor symptoms: some lessons learned. Menopause. 2010;17(2):237-8. 2010 Feb 5. PubMed

Theis MK, Reid RJ, Chaudhari M, Newton KM, Spangler L, Grossman DC, Inge RE. Case study of linking dental and medical healthcare records. Am J Manag Care. 2010 Feb 1;16(2):e51-6. PubMed

Yong M, Schwartz SM, Atkinson C, Makar KW, Thomas SS, Newton KM, Aiello Bowles EJ, Holt VL, Leisenring WM, Lampe JW. Associations between polymorphisms in glucuronidation and sulfation enzymes and mammographic breast density in premenopausal women in the United States. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010;19(2):537-46. PubMed

Spangler L, Reed SD, Nekhyludov L, Grothaus L, LaCroix AZ, Newton KM. Provider attributes associated with hormone therapy prescribing frequency. Menopause. 2009 Jul-Aug;16(4):810-16. PubMed

Buist DS, Anderson ML, Reed SD, Aiello Bowles EJ, Fitzgibbons ED, Gandara JC, Seger D, Newton KM. Short-term hormone therapy suspension and mammography recall: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150(11):752-65. PubMed

Nekhlyudov L, Bush T, Bonomi AE, Ludman EJ, Newton KM. Physicians' and women's views on hormone therapy and breast cancer risk after the WHI: a qualitative study. Women Health. 2009;49(4):280-93. PubMed

Reed SD, Buist DS, Anderson ML, Aiello Bowles EJ, Fitzgibbons D, Seger D, Newton KM. Short-term (1-2 mo) hormone therapy cessation before mammography. Menopause. 2009 Nov-Dec;16(6):1125-31. Epub 2009 May 15. PubMed

To view more publications, please see Dr. Newton's CV.

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