Brock C Christensen, PhD
Title(s):
Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine
Associate Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology
Department(s):
Epidemiology
Community and Family Medicine
Molecular and Systems Biology
Education:
Harvard University, Ph.D. 2008
University of Wisconsin - Madison, B.S. 2002
Programs:
Program in Experimental and Molecular Medicine
Quantitative Biomedical Sciences
Websites:
http:
Contact Information:
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
660 Williamson Translation Research Building
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon NH 03756
Office: 660 Williamson
Phone: 603-650-1827
Fax: 603-650-1129
Email: Brock.Christensen@Dartmouth.edu
Professional Interests:
Dr. Christensen's research is focused on combining advances in molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics with the powerful techniques of modern epidemiology and statistics to characterize epigenetic states in human health and disease. His interests include understanding relationships between epigenetic states and exposures in the context of disease susceptibility, occurrence, and progression. By investigating complex interactions between the environment and somatic epigenetic alterations in target tissues, as well as epigenetic susceptibility traits in surrogate tissues, he hopes to develop their potential translational utility for diagnostic, prognostic, and/or treatment purposes.
Grant Information:
P20GM104416 – (Karagas) Molecular Epidemiology COBRE
Role: Project leader: Early risk factor related epigenetic alterations in breast carcinogenesis
R01CA216265 - Immune epigenetic biomarkers of bladder cancer outcomes
Role: PI
Courses Taught:
PEMM103 Introductory Applied Biostatistics with R (Course director)
Biography:
Dr. Christensen received his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin Madison in Medical Microbiology & Immunology and French in 2002, and his Ph.D. from the Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health at Harvard University in 2008. He trained as a postdoctoral research associate in molecular epidemiology of cancer at Brown University in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Christensen joined the faculty at Dartmouth in 2011 as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Community and Family Medicine in the Section of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Pharmacology and Toxicology.
Selected Publications: |
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PyMethylProcess - convenient high-throughput preprocessing workflow for DNA methylation data. Molecular and epigenetic profiles of BRCA1-like hormone-receptor-positive breast tumors identified with development and application of a copy-number-based classifier. MicroRNA-Related Genetic Variants Associated with Survival of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. An optimized library for reference-based deconvolution of whole-blood biospecimens assayed using the Illumina HumanMethylationEPIC BeadArray. Cell-type deconvolution from DNA methylation: a review of recent applications. Deconvolution of DNA methylation identifies differentially methylated gene regions on 1p36 across breast cancer subtypes. Concordance of DNA methylation profiles between breast core biopsy and surgical excision specimens containing ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Normal breast tissue DNA methylation differences at regulatory elements are associated with the cancer risk factor age. Genome-scale identification of microRNA-related SNPs associated with risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Integrative epigenetic and genetic pan-cancer somatic alteration portraits. |
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