Jessica Petrick, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Jessica Petrick’s research program focuses on the epidemiology of gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal, liver, and esophageal. Dr. Petrick became a co-Investigator with the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS) in 2019, but she has been collaborating with BWHS since she began her post-doctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2014. BWHS is a member of the NCI Cancer Cohort Consortium and participated in the Liver Cancer Pooling Project, within which Dr. Petrick led numerous studies. The emphasis of her current research portfolio is on nutritional and molecular factors, including the metabolome and microbiome, which may contribute to racial disparities along the cancer continuum—from precursor lesions to invasive cancer through mortality.

Publications

  • Published 1/22/2026

    Manful A, Amanna N, Park SL, Petrick JL, Rosenberg L, Tindle H, Palmer J, Wilkens L, Le Marchand L, Aldrich MC, Blume JD. The Impact of the 2023 American Cancer Society Screening Recommendations on Racial, Ethnic, and Sex Disparities in Lung Cancer Screening Eligibility. Chest. 2026 Jan 22. PMID: 41580073.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/22/2025

    Alvarez CS, Wojt A, Almeida AA, Miller JS, Graubard BI, Petrick JL, McGlynn KA. Rising Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Rates in the United States Are Driving Liver Cancer Rates in Females. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2025 Dec 22. PMID: 41443525.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/1/2025

    Lima SM, Minlikeeva AN, Johnson CE, Guertin KA, Bandera EV, Zheng W, Bethea TN, Petrick JL, Joslin CE, Myers ER, Harris HR, Peres LC, Setiawan VW, Wu AH, Rosenberg L, Schildkraut JM, Ochs-Balcom HM. Regular Physical Inactivity and Ovarian Cancer Risk in the Ovarian Cancer in Women of African Ancestry Consortium. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2025 Dec 01; 34(12):2302-2305. PMID: 40956289.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/23/2025

    Watling CZ, Campbell PT, Graubard BI, Wang Y, Gewirtz AT, Zhang X, Barnett MJ, Buring JE, Chen Y, Eliassen AH, Gaziano JM, Hofmann JN, Huang WY, Kang JH, Koshiol J, Loftfield E, Lee IM, Moore SC, Mucci LA, Neuhouser ML, Newton CC, Purdue MP, Sesso HD, Shrubsole M, Sinha R, Tinker L, Triplette M, Um CY, Visvanathan K, Watts EL, Wactawski-Wende J, Willett W, Wu F, Zheng W, Barupal D, Petrick JL, McGlynn KA. Pre-diagnostic immunological markers of bacterial translocation and liver cancer risk: A nested case-control analysis of 12 prospective cohorts. Int J Cancer. 2026 Apr 01; 158(7):1801-1812. PMID: 41129365.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/1/2025

    Watling CZ, Petrick JL, Graubard BI, Zhang X, Barnett MJ, Buring JE, Chen Y, Eliassen AH, Gaziano JM, Hofmann JN, Huang WY, Kang JH, Koshiol J, Loftfield E, Lee IM, Moore SC, Mucci LA, Neuhouser ML, Newton CC, Palmer JR, Purdue MP, Rosenberg L, Sesso HD, Shrubsole M, Tinker L, Triplette M, Um CY, Visvanathan K, Watts EL, Wactawski-Wende J, Willett W, Wu F, Zheng W, Campbell PT, Barupal D, McGlynn KA. Pre-diagnostic circulating bile acid concentrations and liver cancer risk: a nested case-control analysis of 12 cohorts. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2025 Sep 01; 9(5). PMID: 40972035.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 113 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Center Faculty Member, Slone Epidemiology Center
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Websites

Education

  • University of North Carolina, PhD
  • Case Western Reserve University, MPH
  • Case Western Reserve University, BS

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