Kala Visvanathan, F.R.A.C.P., M.B., B.S., M.H.S.

Associate Professor
Department of Epidemiology
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Department of Oncology

Trained as a medical oncologist and cancer epidemiologist, Dr Visvanathan’s primary research interest is in the primary and secondary prevention and control of breast and ovarian cancer. In particular, her focus is on the evaluation of novel genetic, molecular, and dietary biomarkers of risk and early detection in breast cancer, with an aim to modify those factors in the causal pathway with effective chemoprevention strategies.

A member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Association for Cancer Research, her research interests include:

1) the evaluation of biomarkers/exposures (i.e. hormones, obesity, inflammation) to identify women at risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer

2) the identification of biomarkers/exposures associated with an increase or decrease in breast or ovarian cancer or related precursor lesions as well as second primary cancers

3) the evaluation and validation of biomarkers for use in early phase breast and ovarian chemoprevention trials and

4) the conduct of early detection and chemoprevention studies/trials i.e sulforaphane.

Dr Visvanathan received her medical degree from the University of Sydney in Australia in 1989. She subsequently went on to complete her training in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology including a period as Chief Resident at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, a teaching hospital of the University of Sydney in Australia. She received her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology in 1996.

Since then she has obtained a Masters in Clinical/Cancer epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and done further retraining in Oncology at Johns Hopkins in the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr Visvanathan joined the faculty in Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in mid 2001 and the faculty in Medical Oncology, at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins, in 2003.

She will discuss 10 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer at A Woman's Journey in Session II, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.