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 10/1/2026

    Wu Z, Jordão HWT, Jones GS, McKenna G, Almeida AA, Chong DQ, Coleman HG, Eliassen AH, Giovannucci EL, Graubard BI, McMenamin ÚC, Mucci LA, Stampfer MJ, Tinker L, Wactawski-Wende J, Zhang X, Zhang X, Campbell PT, Kunzmann AT, McGlynn KA, Petrick JL. Oral Health and Risk of Liver Cancer: Evidence from Pooled and Meta-Analyses. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2026 Oct 01; 35(10):1770-1780. PMID: 42536353.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/17/2026

    Watling CZ, Petrick JL, Graubard BI, Hong HG, Zhang X, Barnett MJ, Barnard ME, Chen Y, Heather Eliassen A, Gaziano JM, Huang WY, Kang JH, Koshiol J, Lee IM, Loftfield E, Moore SC, Mucci LA, Neuhouser ML, Newton CC, Sesso HD, Shrubsole M, Sinha R, Tinker L, Triplette M, Um CY, Visvanathan K, Wactawski-Wende J, Watts EL, Willett WC, Wu F, Zheng W, Campbell PT, Hofmann JN, Purdue MP, Barupal D, McGlynn KA. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances levels other than PFOS, PFOA, or PFHxS and liver cancer risk: a nested case-control analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2026 Sep 17. PMID: 42752878.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/11/2026

    Stephenson BJK, Wang X, Willett WC, Petrick JL, Palmer JR. Examining stability of dietary patterns across time using repeated measures of dietary intake: Results from Black Women's Health Study. medRxiv. 2026 Aug 11. PMID: 42845665.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/3/2026

    Petrick JL, Castro-Webb N, Zirpoli GR, Nelson KP, Palmer JR, Pfeiffer RM. Validation of a Colorectal Cancer Risk Prediction Model in US Black Women. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2026 Aug 03; 19(8):453-461. PMID: 42083882.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/1/2026

    Huang Y, Santoni G, Petrick JL, Wocalewski V, Sparrelid E, Xie SH. Menopausal hormone therapy and risk of liver cancer in a Swedish population-based cohort study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2026 Aug 01; 118(8):1478-1484. PMID: 41866298.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 122 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

View all profiles