Kimberly Anne Bertrand ScD
Associate Professor, Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology
Associate Professor, Slone Epidemiology Center
72 E. Concord Street | (617) 206-6174kab15@bu.edu

Sections
Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology
Centers
BU-BMC Cancer Center
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
Education
Epidemiology, ScD, Harvard School of Public Health
Epidemiology, MPH, Boston University School of Public Health
Biology, BS, Brown University
Publications
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.
Published on 1/1/2025Peeri 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.
Published on 12/24/2024Wang 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.
Published on 12/10/2024Abdallah 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.
Published on 12/2/2024Bigham 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.
Published on 10/19/2024Holder EX, Bigham Z, Nelson KP, Barnard ME, Palmer JR, Bertrand KA. Mammographic density and breast cancer risk among Black American women. Int J Cancer. 2024 Oct 19. PMID: 39425554.
Published on 9/30/2024O'Driscoll J, Burton A, Maskarinec G, Perez-Gomez B, Vachon C, Miao H, Lajous M, López-Ridaura R, Eliassen AH, Pereira A, Garmendia ML, Tamimi RM, Bertrand K, Kwong A, Ursin G, Lee E, Qureshi SA, Ma H, Vinnicombe S, Moss S, Allen S, Ndumia R, Vinayak S, Teo SH, Mariapun S, Fadzli F, Peplonska B, Nagata C, Stone J, Hopper JL, Giles G, Ozmen V, Aribal ME, Schüz J, Van Gils CH, Wanders JOP, Sirous R, Sirous M, Hipwell J, Kim J, Lee JW, Hartman M, Li J, Scott C, Chiarelli AM, Linton L, Pollan M, Flugelman AA, Salem D, Kamal R, Boyd N, Dos-Santos-Silva I, McCormack V, Mullooly M. Reproductive factors and mammographic density within the International Consortium of Mammographic Density: A cross-sectional study. Breast Cancer Res. 2024 Sep 30; 26(1):139. PMID: 39350230.
Published on 7/18/2024Titus L, Hatch EE, Bertrand KA, Palmer JR, Strohsnitter WC, Huo D, Curry M, Hyer M, Aagaard K, Gierach GL, Troisi R. Benign and Malignant Outcomes in the Offspring of Females Exposed In Utero to Diethylstilbestrol (DES): An Update from the NCI Third Generation Study. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Jul 18; 16(14). PMID: 39061214.
Published on 6/3/2024Habeshian TS, Peeri NC, De Vivo I, Schouten LJ, Shu XO, Cote ML, Bertrand KA, Chen Y, Clarke MA, Clendenen TV, Cook LS, Costas L, Dal Maso L, Freudenheim JL, Friedenreich CM, Gallagher G, Gierach GL, Goodman MT, Jordan SJ, La Vecchia C, Lacey JV, Levi F, Liao LM, Lipworth L, Lu L, Matias-Guiu X, Moysich KB, Mutter GL, Na R, Naduparambil J, Negri E, O'Connell K, O'Mara TA, Onieva Hernández I, Palmer JR, Parazzini F, Patel AV, Penney KL, Prizment AE, Ricceri F, Risch HA, Sacerdote C, Sandin S, Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ, van den Brandt PA, Webb PM, Wentzensen N, Wijayabahu AT, Wilkens LR, Xu W, Yu H, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Zheng W, Du M, Setiawan VW. Hypertension and Risk of Endometrial Cancer: A Pooled Analysis in the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium (E2C2). Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024 Jun 03; 33(6):788-795. PMID: 38530242.
Published on 2/29/2024Troisi R, Bertrand K, Hatch EE, Strohsnitter WC, Aagaard K, Robboy SJ, Gierach G, Titus L. An Update on Prenatal Diethylstilbestrol Exposure and High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions of the Lower Genital Tract. Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Apr 01; 143(4):603-606. PMID: 38422500.
Media Mentions
Published on 6/17/2024
How Colorism Impacts Black Women’s Physical and Mental Health
Published on 2/29/2024
FDA’s Plan to Ban Hair Relaxer Chemical Called Too Little, Too Late
Published on 2/7/2024
FDA Move to Ban Hair Relaxer Chemical Called Too Little, Too Late
Published on 2/6/2024
FDA move to ban formaldehyde in hair straighteners called too little, too late
Published on 12/12/2023
Can using everyday hair care products be harmful to your health?
Published on 12/5/2023
'It's long overdue': Local salons react to FDA proposal to ban hair relaxers
Published on 11/14/2023
Hair Straighteners and Relaxers May Be Harmful to Health. Here’s How to Make Them Better
Published on 11/2/2023
Moderate, Heavy Use of Chemical Hair Relaxer Linked to Uterine Cancer
Published on 11/1/2023
If You're Using Any of These Toxic Hair Products, Stop Now, FDA Warns`
Published on 11/1/2023
There’s a straight line between natural-hair discrimination and a higher risk of cancer
View full list of 42 media mentions.