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Sarah L. Kerns, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Office: (585) 275-2229

Biography

Research

My research focus is on an area termed 'Radiogenomics', which is the study of genetic factors that are associated with increased risk of developing late effects from radiotherapy used in treatment of cancer. The long term goal of this work is to develop a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) - based signature that can identify individual cancer patients who are at high risk of developing various normal tissue effects from their radiation treatment. Several genome-wide association studies are underway among prostate cancer cohorts in which patients are treated with radiotherapy and followed-up for several years to monitor for development of late urinary, rectal and sexual effects. The goal of these studies is to identify SNPs associated with each of these types of late radiotherapy effects and then develop risk models using these SNPs. Such models could be incorporated into clinical trials aiming to personalize radiotherapy to an individual's risk of normal tissue effects.

Credentials

Education

2002
BS | University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biochemistry

2007
PhD | Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine
Cancer Biology

2008
MPH | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Public Health

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

07/2011 - 09/2013
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Radiation Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

07/2009 - 07/2011
Postdoctoral Fellow, Human Genetics Program, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY

Awards

2017 - 2021
NCI Clinical Loan Repayment Program Award
Sponsor: NIH/NCI

2015 - 2021
NCI K07 Career Development Award
Sponsor: NIH/NCI

2010
Annual Meeting Award
Sponsor: American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)

2008
MPH Field Experience Fund-Group Award
Sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

2004 - 2005
Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities Fellowship
Sponsor: Northwestern Univ. Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

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Publications

Journal Articles

4/13/2022
Kleckner AS, Kleckner IR, Culakova E, Wojtovich AP, Klinedinst NJ, Kerns SL, Hardy SJ, Inglis JE, Padula GDA, Mustian KM, Janelsins MC, Dorsey SG, Saligan LN, Peppone LJ. "Exploratory Analysis of Associations Between Whole Blood Mitochondrial Gene Expression and Cancer-Related Fatigue Among Breast Cancer Survivors." Nursing research.. 2022 Apr 13; Epub 2022 Apr 13.

3/15/2022
Van der Weijst L, Aguado-Barrera ME, Azria D, Berkovic P, Boisselier P, Briers E, Bultijnck R, Calvo-Crespo P, Chang-Claude J, Choudhury A, Defraene G, Demontois S, Dunning AM, Elliott RM, Ennis D, Faivre-Finn C, Franceschini M, Gutiérrez-Enríquez S, Herskind C, Higginson DS, Kerns SL, Johnson K, Mollà M, Lambrecht M, Ramos M, Rancati T, Rimner A, Rosenstein BS, De Ruysscher D, Salem A, Sangalli C, Seibold P, Sosa-Fajardo P, Sperk E, Stobart H, Summersgill H, Surmont V, Symonds P, Taboada-Lorenzo B, Talbot CJ, Valdagni R, Vega A, Veldeman L, Veldwijk MR, Ward T, Webb A, West CML, , Lievens Y. "Overview of health-related quality of life and toxicity of non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving curative-intent radiotherapy in a real-life setting (the REQUITE study)." Lung cancer : journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.. 2022 Mar 15; 166:228-241. Epub 2022 Mar 15.

1/22/2022
Kerns SL, Amidon Morlang A, Lee SM, Peterson DR, Marples B, Zhang H, Bylund K, Rosenzweig D, Hall W, De Ruyck K, Rosenstein BS, Stock RG, Gómez-Caamaño A, Vega A, Sosa-Fajardo P, Taboada-Valladares B, Aguado-Barrera ME, Parker C, Veldeman L, Fonteyne V, Bultijnck R, Talbot CJ, Paul Symonds R, Johnson K, Rattay T, Webb A, Lambrecht M, de Ruysscher D, Vanneste B, Choudhury A, Elliott RM, Sperk E, Herskind C, Veldwijk MR, Rancati T, Avuzzi B, Valdagni R, Azria D, Farcy Jacquet MP, Chang-Claude J, Seibold P, West C, Janelsins M, Chen Y, Messing E, Morrow G, . "Use of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors is Associated with Reduced Risk of Late Bladder Toxicity Following Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer." Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.. 2022 Jan 22; Epub 2022 Jan 22.

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