Jessica Dennis

Dr. Jessica Dennis is an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, and an investigator at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. A genetic epidemiologist by training, Jessica applies computational methods to large-scale genomic and population health data to identify the basis of human health and disease. She uses a life-course perspective to understand how genes and environment contribute from conception onwards to variation in disease susceptibility, response to treatment, and recovery, so that we may develop precision, patient-centered care. A primary goal of her research is to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying the prenatal and early childhood origins of complex diseases, including psychiatric disorders.

Jessica completed postdoctoral training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto, where she was a fellow in the interdisciplinary CIHR-STAGE Program (Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategic Training for Advanced Genetic Epidemiology).

For an up-to-date list of publications by Jessica, see her NCBI bibliography.