Scientist, Women's College Research Institute
Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Cancer Care Ontario Research Chair in Population Studies
 

Dr. Joanne Kotsopoulos is a scientist in the Familial Breast Cancer Research Program at Women's College Research Institute and an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, with a cross-appointment to the Department of Nutritional Sciences. She is the recipient of a Cancer Care Ontario Research Chair in Population Studies.

Dr. Kotsopoulos' overall research efforts aims to help define novel strategies for the prevention, treatment and management of breast and ovarian cancer with a specific focus in high-risk populations. Her work evaluates the potential protective effects of modifiable risk factors, including diet and lifestyle, for women at a high-risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer due to a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. Currently she is studying the benefit of diindolylmethane (DIM), a nutrient that occurs naturally in cruciferous vegetables. Additional research interests include the use of biological markers (e.g., plasma hormone levels) as predictors of disease in epidemiological studies.

In addition to a focus on women with a BRCA1/2 mutation, Dr. Kotsopoulos works with Dr. Steven Narod to examine the heightened breast cancer risks facing women with a strong family history of breast cancer, even when no specific genetic risk factor can be identified.

The goal of Dr. Kotsopoulos' research is to provide women — particularly those with an inherited high-risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer — with a wider choice of less-invasive options to reduce their risk.