Dr. Cortessis’ professional activities are dedicated mainly to research and teaching. Her primary scientific identity is as an epidemiologist, but her work integrates approaches from anthropology, epidemiology, human genetics and molecular biology. In her most long-standing research programs, she investigates complex etiology of urogenital malignancies and congenital disorders by implementing hypothesis-driven research at USC and by collaborating with international consortia to accelerate forms of agnostic discovery that require extraordinarily large data resources. She has recently expanded her work to address cervical cancer disparities, a topic in which her expertise in cancer etiology intersects an enduring interest in the health of underserved communities. Her teaching at undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels focuses on epidemiologic methods and epidemiologic approaches to understanding chronic disease; she also brings the perspective of population science to interdisciplinary instruction in clinical-translational research.