Jessica Petrick PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Hematology & Medical Oncology
Center Faculty Member, Slone Epidemiology Center
72 E. Concord Street | (617) 206-6179jpetrick@bu.edu
Sections
Hematology & Medical Oncology
Centers
BU-BMC Cancer Center
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
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.
Education
Epidemiology, PhD, University of North Carolina
Epidemiology/Health Policy, MPH, Case Western Reserve University
Public Health/Medical Anthropology, BS, Case Western Reserve University
Publications
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.
Published on 9/17/2026Watling 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.
Published on 8/11/2026Stephenson 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.
Published on 8/3/2026Petrick 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.
Published on 8/1/2026Huang 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.
Published on 7/10/2026Watling CZ, Watts EL, Loftfield E, Graubard BI, Hong HG, Zhang X, Barnett MJ, Buring JE, Barnard ME, Chen Y, Eliassen AH, Gaziano JM, Hofmann JN, Huang WY, Kang JH, Koshiol J, 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, Wactawski-Wende J, Willett WC, Wu F, Zheng W, Campbell PT, Barupal D, Petrick JL, Mcglynn KA. Circulating pre-diagnostic metabolites and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a population-based study of 12 cohorts. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2026 Jul 10. PMID: 42429571.
Published on 6/25/2026Beachler DC, Parlett LE, Petrick JL, Lanes S, Barron J, Debono D, Fisch MJ. Comparative risk factors among pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients vs. neuroendocrine and other pancreatic cancer patients. Cancer Causes Control. 2026 Jun 25; 37(7). PMID: 42347880.
Published on 6/1/2026Watling CZ, Zhao L, Zhang X, Deubler E, Gonzalez-Feliciano AG, Graubard BI, Petrick JL, Wojt A, Butera G, Hofmann JN, Beane Freeman LE, Shrubsole MJ, Zheng W, Sudenga SL, Schernhammer E, Eliassen AH, Mucci LA, Sesso HD, Sinha R, Loftfield E, Um CY, McCullough ML, Jenab M, Zhang X, McGlynn KA. Artificially Sweetened and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and Risk of Liver Cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Jun 01; 9(6):e2617754. PMID: 42268607.
Published on 1/22/2026Manful 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 Jun; 169(6):1750-1763. PMID: 41580073.
Published on 12/22/2025Alvarez 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.
Media Mentions
Published on 9/21/2020
Four BU Junior Faculty Named Career Development Professors
View full list of 1 media mentions.