Current Research Interests

Dr. Bernstein is the PI of the WECARE Study (Women’s Environmental, Cancer, and Radiation Epidemiology) which examines genetic susceptibility and risk of contralateral breast cancer, especially relating to treatment. Current investigations involving this resource include studies of the role mutations in candidate genes, including ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, Palb2, Chek2, 53BPI, MDC1, Rad50, and MRN genes, DNA repair pathways, tumor molecular biomarkers and risk of developing contralateral breast cancer. Also, within the WECARE Study, Dr. Bernstein is examining whether mammographic density is an important risk factor for contralateral breast cancer and she is currently leading an investigation focused on non-cancer outcomes following treatment for breast cancer. Lastly, with other WECARE Study investigators, she is in the field collecting the tumor tissue from the WECARE Study participants in order to examine the molecular pathoepidemiology of contralateral breast cancer. Across all endeavors, the WECARE Study involves collaboration from over 75 investigators from over 25 different institutions in the US, Canada, Denmark, the UK, Norway, and Sweden. The WECARE Study population includes 1500 women with contralateral breast cancer who serve as cases and 2200 women with unilateral breast cancer matched to the cases. All participants answered detailed questionnaires, provided biospecimens and medical records, and for those women treated with radiation, detailed location-specific dose estimates were calculated. Dr. Bernstein with Drs. Malcolm Pike, Elizabeth Morris, Janice Sung and others, are leading the tri-institutional IMAGINE (for IMAGINg and Epidemiology) Study examining background parenchymal enhancement as seen on MRI as a biomarker of breast cancer risk. In addition, Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Sara Olson are collaborating with investigators from 15 institutions on the international NIH-funded, multi-center GLIOGENE (Genetic Epidemiology of Glioma) Study characterizing genes in familial and sporadic glioma cases. Dr. Bernstein continues to serve on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (in Hiroshima), the U.S. EPA Radiation Advisory Committee, and as both a Board Member and Council Member of the National Committee Radiation Protection and Measurement. She is Past President of the American College of Epidemiology and a member of the American Epidemiological Society. She continues to serve on the Conference on Radiation and Health - Radiation Research Society bi-annual meetings. At MSK, she serves as co-Leader for the institution-wide Population Sciences Research Program of the CCSG.