Biography

Dr. Jill Koshiol received her Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health in 2005. Subsequently, she joined the Genetic Epidemiology Branch of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics as a Cancer Prevention Fellow. There, she focused on the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in upper gastrointestinal and lung cancer, as well as infection- and immune-related conditions in lung and hematopoietic cancers. Dr. Koshiol joined the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch as a Research Fellow in 2008 and became an Earl Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator in 2010.

Research Interests

In addition to her continued interest in investigating the epidemiology of infectious agents and cancer, Dr. Koshiol is increasingly interested in the role of immune stimulation and inflammation in carcinogenesis. Infection elicits both immune and inflammatory responses. Measuring infection and immune and inflammatory responses in biological specimens can provide novel insights into carcinogenesis, identify molecular subtypes of cancer, and identify potential associations with cancer outcomes.

Given the growing interest in the role of chronic inflammation and immune stimulation in carcinogenesis, Dr. Koshiol has examined the association of lung cancer with self-reported lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia. She has also conducted records-based studies of immune-related conditions and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Many of Dr. Koshiol’s planned studies expand on this interest by applying biological markers of immunity. By clarifying the role of infections, immune stimulation, and inflammation in carcinogenesis, Dr. Koshiol hopes to elucidate etiologic mechanisms and aid cancer prevention through the identification of cancer-related molecular pathways and targets.

Keywords

Molecular epidemiology, molecular pathology, immune response, inflammation, human papillomavirus (HPV), infectious agents, cancer prevention, early detection, cervical cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Selected Publications

• Koshiol J, Rotunno M, Gillison ML, Van Doorn LJ, Chaturvedi AK, Tarantini L, Song H, Quint WG, Struijk L, Goldstein AM, Hildesheim A, Taylor PR, Wacholder S, Bertazzi PA, Landi MT, Caporaso NE. Assessment of Human Papillomavirus in Lung Tumor Tissue. J Natl Cancer Inst 2011 Feb 3;103:1-7.
• Koshiol J, Lam TK, Gridley G, Check D, Brown LM, Landgren O. Racial Differences in Chronic Immune Stimulatory Conditions and Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Veterans From the United States. J Clin Oncol 2011 Feb 1;29(4):378-85.
• Koshiol J, Wei WQ, Kreimer AR, Chen W, Gravitt P, Ren JS, Abnet CC, Wang JB, Kamangar F, Lin DM, von Knebel-Doeberitz M, Zhang Y, Viscidi R, Wang GQ, Gillison ML, Roth MJ, Dong ZW, Kim E, Taylor PR, Qiao YL, Dawsey SM. No role for human papillomavirus in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in China. Int J Cancer 2010 Jul 1;127(1):93-100.
• Koshiol J, Rotunno M, Consonni D, Pesatori AC, De Matteis S, Goldstein AM, Chaturvedi AK, Wacholder S, Landi MT, Lubin JH, Caporaso NE. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and altered risk of lung cancer in a population-based case-control study. PLoS One 2009 Oct 8;4(10):e7380.
• Koshiol J, Gridley G, Engels EA, McMaster ML, Landgren O. Chronic immune stimulation and subsequent Waldenström macroglobulinemia. Arch Intern Med 2008 Sep 22;168(17):1903-9.