Departmental Affiliations
Brittany Jenkins-Lord, PhD, MPH ’20, MS, is a molecular cancer biologist who investigates the relationships between socio-environmental risk factors and tumor biology in diverse populations.
Research Interests
Cancer disparities; breast cancer; cancer biology; genetics; immunology; epidemiology; cancer risk factors; health equity
Additional Links
Experiences & Accomplishments
The Jenkins-Lord Laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular consequences of breast cancer disparities in African American women. This is accomplished through investigating the interplay between the molecular, genetic, environmental, and social contributors to breast cancer risk, and how these impact cancer outcomes in this population. Additionally, we have a special interest in characterizing how the immune microenvironment and gene expression are modulated in breast cancer based on this increased socio-environmental risk.
Honors & Awards
Maryland Cancer Moonshot Scholar, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Director's Award of Merit - Leading Diversity, National Cancer Institute
Director's Award of Merit - Champion Award for Outstanding Mentor, National Cancer Institute
NextGen Star, American Association for Cancer Research
Woman Scientist Advisor's Scholars Award, National Institutes of Health
Dr. Eddie Mendez Scholar Award, Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center
Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Select Publications
Lord BD, Harris AR, Ambs S. Influence of the built and social environment on cancer biology in Black Americans. Cancer Causes and Control 2022. PMID: 36562901. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-022-01664-w
Davis Lynn BC, Lord BD, Cora R, Pfeiffer RM, Lawrence S, Zirpoli G, Bethea TN, Palmer JR, Gierach GL. Associations between quantitative measures of TDLU involution and breast tumor molecular subtypes among breast cancer cases in the Black Women’s Health Study: a case-case analysis. Breast Cancer Research 2022; 24:86. PMID: 36471360. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-022-01577-1
Martini RN, Dorsaint P, Chu TR, Arora K, Lord BD, Verma A, Chen Y, Gebregzabher E, Oppong JK, Adjei EK, Jibril A, Awuah B, Bekele M, Abebe E, Kyei I, Aitpillah FS, Adinku MO, Ankomah K, Osei-Bonsu EB, Chitale D, Bensenhaver JM, Nathansan SD, Jackson L, Jiagge E, Petersen LF, Proctor, Gyan KK, Gibbs L, Monojlovic Z, Kittles R, White J, Yates C, Manne U, Gardner K, Mongan N, Cheng E, Ginter P, Hoda S, Elemento O, Robine N, Sboner A, Carpten J, Newman L, Davis MB. African-Ancestry Associated Gene Expression Signatures and Pathways in Triple Negative Breast Cancer, a Comparison Across Women of African Descent. Cancer Discovery 2022 (11):2530-2551. PMID: 36121736. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.cd-22-0138.
Lord BD, Martini RN, Davis MD. Understanding how genetic ancestry may influence cancer development. Trends in Cancer 2022; S2405-8033(21)00259-4. PMID: 35027335. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2021.12.006
Jenkins BD, Martini RN, Hire R, Brown A, Bennett B, Brown I, Howerth EW, Egan M, Hodgson J, Yates C, Kittles R, Chitale D, Nathanson D, Nikolinakos P, Newman LA, Monteil M and Davis MB. Atypical Chemokine Receptor 1 (DARC/ACKR1) breast tumors is associated with Survival, Circulating Chemokines, Tumor-Infiltrating Immune Cells, and African Ancestry. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2019;28(4):690-700. PMCID: PMC6450416. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.epi-18-0955
Minas TZ*, Lord BD, Zhang AL, Dorsey TH, Baker F, Tang W, Candia J, Kiely M, Smith CJ, Obadi OM, Ajao A, Jordan SV, Tettey Y, Richard B. Biritwum RB, Adjei AA, Mensah JE, Hoover RN, Hsing AW, Loffredo CA, Yates C, Cook MB, and Ambs S. Circulating trans fatty acids are associated with prostate cancer in Ghanaian, African American, and European American men. Nature Communications. 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39865-9