Kimberly A. Bertrand, ScD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Bertrand’s research focuses primarily on the epidemiology of cancer, with an emphasis on understanding racial disparities in incidence and outcomes. She is currently Multiple Principal Investigator of the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS), a prospective cohort study of over 59,000 self-identified Black women begun in 1995. Dr. Bertrand is actively involved in several epidemiologic studies to evaluate risk factors for high mammographic density, a strong independent predictor of breast cancer, and the role mammographic density and other risk factors may play in breast tumor aggressiveness in this and other populations. In addition, she leads research to identify factors that explain racial disparities in multiple myeloma.

Publications

  • Published 8/19/2025

    Sherr HR, Soliman AS, Bertrand KA, Hirko KA. Persistent poverty and late-stage breast cancer diagnosis in the USA: impacts of rural residence, race, and time within Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries, 2004 to 2021. Cancer Causes Control. 2025 Aug 19. PMID: 40828194.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/1/2025

    O'Brien KM, House MG, Goldberg M, Jones ME, Weinberg CR, de Gonzalez AB, Bertrand KA, Blot WJ, DeHart JC, Couch FJ, Garcia-Closas M, Giles GG, Kirsh VA, Kitahara CM, Koh WP, Park HL, Milne RL, Palmer JR, Patel AV, Rohan TE, Schoemaker MJ, Swerdlow AJ, Teras LR, Vachon C, Visvanathan K, Yuan JM, Zheng W, Nichols HB, Sandler DP. Hormone therapy use and young-onset breast cancer: a pooled analysis of prospective cohorts included in the Premenopausal Breast Cancer Collaborative Group. Lancet Oncol. 2025 Jul; 26(7):911-923. PMID: 40609572.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/27/2025

    Sherr HR, Soliman AS, Bertrand KA, Hirko KA. Persistent poverty and late-stage breast cancer diagnosis in the United States: Impacts of rural residence, race, and time within Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results registries, 2004 to 2021. Res Sq. 2025 Jun 27. PMID: 40678240.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/15/2025

    Schoemaker MJ, Ellington T, Nichols HB, Wright LB, Jones ME, O'Brien KM, Weinberg CR, Adami HO, Baglietto L, Bertrand KA, Chen Y, Clague DeHart J, Eliassen AH, Giles GG, Houghton SC, Kirsh VA, Milne RL, Palmer JR, Park HL, Rohan TE, Severi G, Shu XO, Tamimi RM, Vatten LJ, Weiderpass E, Willett WC, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Zheng W, Sandler DP, Swerdlow AJ. Central and peripheral adiposity and premenopausal breast cancer risk: a pooled analysis of 440,179 women. Breast Cancer Res. 2025 Apr 15; 27(1):55. PMID: 40234955.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/27/2025

    Bigham Z, Holder EX, Rodday AM, Breeze JL, Nelson KP, Palmer JR, Freund KM, Bertrand KA. Reproductive determinants of mammographic density in black women. Cancer Causes Control. 2025 Sep; 36(9):911-921. PMID: 40146429.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 166 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Associate Professor, Slone Epidemiology Center
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Center Faculty Member, Slone Epidemiology Center
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Epidemiologist, Slone Epidemiology Center
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • Harvard School of Public Health, ScD
  • Boston University School of Public Health, MPH
  • Brown University, BS

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