Leslie Kerr
Associate Professor

Research interests:

My primary research interest examines how psychosocial factors may mediate physiological mechanisms

underlying illness and disease.  Specifically, I examine behavioural as well as physiological

(e.g. endocrine, immune) and cellular (e.g. receptor or oncogene expression) mechanisms that may

mediate the effects of early social environments and care-giving experiences on normal and malignant

mammary gland growth in mice.   In addition to my primary area of research, a colleague and collaborative

partner in the Psychology Department, Dr. Elaine Scharfe, and I are examining a similar question in a

human-based study.  In this study, we are indirectly examining, via on-line questionnaires, the influences

of different care-giving styles and infants’ psychological development and breast cancer risk and treatment

outcomes. This avenue of research will aid in the development of models that identify individuals at-risk

based on family history, personality, and related health behaviours and will allow for the development of

comprehensive health promotion practices aimed at increasing the likelihood of cancer prevention and early detection.

Teaching

On leave 2011-12

Selected publications

Kerr, L.R., Andrews, H.N., Strange, K.S., Emerman, J.T., & Weinberg, J.  (2006). Temporal factors alter effects of

  social housing conditions on responses to chemotherapy and hormone levels in a Shionogi mammary tumor

  model. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68,966-75.

Winocur, G., Vardy,J.,  Binns, M.,  Kerr, L. & Tannock, I. (2006). The Effects of the Anti-C ancer Drugs

   Methotrexate and 5-Fluorouracil on Cognitive Function in Mice.  Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. 85, 66-75

Hilakivi-Clarke, L., Cabanes, A., Olivo, S., Kerr, L., Bouker, K.B. & Clarke, R.  (2002). Do estrogens always

   increase breast cancer risk? Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and  Molecular Biology 80,163-174.

Kerr, L.R., Hundal, R., Silva, W.A., Emerman, J.T. & Weinberg, J. (2001). Effects of social housing condition on

   chemotherapeutic efficacy in a Shionogi Carcinoma (SC115) mouse tumor model: influences of temporal factors,

   tumor size, and tumor growth rate. Psychosomatic Medicine, 63, 973-984.

Andrews, H.N., Kerr, L.R., Strange, K.S., Weinberg, J. & Emerman, J.T. (2000).  Effect of social housing condition

   on heat shock protein (HSP) expression in the Shionogi mouse mammary carcinoma (SC115). Breast Cancer

   Research and Treatment, 59, 199-209.

Strange, K.S., Kerr, L.R., Andrews, H.N., Emerman, J.T. & Weinberg, J. (2000). Psychosocial stress and

   mammary tumor growth: a mouse model. Journal of Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 22: 89-102.

Kerr, L.R., Wilkinson, D.A., Emerman, J.T. & Weinberg, J. (1999).  Interactive effects of housing condition, stress

   and gender on mouse mammary tumor (SC115V) growth. Physiology and Behavior 66: 277-284.