Kimberly Anne Bertrand, ScD
Associate Professor, 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.
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
Education
- Harvard School of Public Health, ScD
- Boston University School of Public Health, MPH
- Brown University, BS
Publications
- Published on 2/28/2025
Kim SH, Park GE, Bertrand KA, Sandler DP, Han K, Park YM. Mammographic density as a predictor of invasive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ in over six million South Korean women. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2025 Jun; 211(2):341-350. PMID: 40019668.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/3/2025
Bertrand KA, McCullough LE. Linking Neighborhood Socioenvironmental Factors to Breast Pathogenesis-Implications for Breast Cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Feb 03; 8(2):e2461353. PMID: 39992658.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/23/2025
Shan Y, Bertrand KA, Petrick JL, Sheehy S, Palmer JR. Planetary Health Diet Index in relation to mortality in a prospective cohort study of United States Black females. Am J Clin Nutr. 2025 Mar; 121(3):589-596. PMID: 39863116.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/16/2025
Wang ML, Bertrand KA. AI for all: bridging data gaps in machine learning and health. Transl Behav Med. 2025 Jan 16; 15(1). PMID: 39868946.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/6/2025
Huang H, Couch RE, Karam R, Hu C, Boddicker N, Polley EC, Na J, Ambrosone CB, Yao S, Trentham-Dietz A, Eliassen AH, Penney K, Brantley K, Bodelon C, Teras LR, Hodge J, Patel A, Haiman CA, John EM, Neuhausen SL, Martinez E, Lacey JV, O'Brien KM, Sandler DP, Weinberg CR, Palmer JR, Bertrand KA, Vachon CM, Olson JE, Ruddy KE, Anton-Culver H, Ziogas A, Goldgar DE, Nathanson KL, Domchek SM, Weitzel JN, Kraft P, Dolinsky JS, Pesaran T, Richardson ME, Yadav S, Couch FJ. Pathogenic Variants in Cancer Susceptibility Genes Predispose to Ductal Carcinoma In Situ of the Breast. Clin Cancer Res. 2025 Jan 06; 31(1):130-138. PMID: 39513960.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/1/2025
Peeri NC, Bertrand KA, Na R, De Vivo I, Setiawan VW, Seshan VE, Alemany L, Chen Y, Clarke MA, Clendenen T, Cook LS, Costas L, Dal Maso L, Freudenheim JL, Friedenreich CM, Gierach GL, Goodman MT, La Vecchia C, Levi F, Lopez-Querol M, Lu L, Moysich KB, Mutter G, Naduparambil J, Negri E, O'Connell K, O'Mara T, Palmer JR, Parazzini F, Penney KL, Petruzella S, Reynolds P, Ricceri F, Risch H, Rohan TE, Sacerdote C, Sandin S, Shu XO, Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ, Webb PM, Wentzensen N, Wilkens LR, Xu W, Yu H, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Zheng W, Guo X, Lipworth L, Du M. Understanding risk factors for endometrial cancer in young women. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2025 Jan 01; 117(1):76-88. PMID: 39235934.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/24/2024
Wang SS, Bertrand KA, Deubler EL, Chao CR, Birmann BM, Rosner BA, McCullough M, Shu YH, Wang K, Zhong C, Cauble EL, Patel AV, Lacey JV, Cockburn M. Prospective pooled analyses of ambient ultraviolet radiation levels and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Am J Epidemiol. 2024 Dec 24. PMID: 39745801.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/10/2024
Abdallah M, Arters F, Patel J, Edwards C, Lerner A, Petrocca F, Dockerty M, Fuller B, Godfrey A, Staron A, Sanchorawala V, Sloan JM, Bertrand K, Szalat R. Febrile neutropenia in patients with Duffy-null-associated neutrophil counts and multiple myeloma or AL amyloidosis. Blood Adv. 2024 Dec 10; 8(23):5935-5938. PMID: 39348709.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/2/2024
Bigham Z, Holder EX, Rodday AM, Breeze JL, Nelson KP, Palmer JR, Freund KM, Bertrand KA. Lifecourse Growth and Development Determinants of Mammographic Density in Black Women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024 Dec 02; 33(12):1640-1650. PMID: 39093038.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/19/2024
Holder EX, Bigham Z, Nelson KP, Barnard ME, Palmer JR, Bertrand KA. Mammographic density and breast cancer risk among Black American women. Int J Cancer. 2025 Mar 15; 156(6):1173-1180. PMID: 39425554.
Read at: PubMed
View 151 more publications: View full profile at BUMC