Jessica Chubak, PhD

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“My research focuses on improving cancer control by finding effective ways to get screened for cancer and to navigate treatment and survivorship.”

Jessica Chubak, PhD

Senior Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute

Biography

Jessica Chubak, PhD, is an epidemiologist who works to improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, control, and survivorship. She contributes to several national collaborations that are finding practical, efficient, effective ways to screen for cancer, especially colorectal cancer. She also studies how common medications affect cancer risk and recurrence. Intrigued by how pets positively affect health, Dr. Chubak is studying animal-assisted activities in clinics and hospitals where children get treated for cancer. Dr. Chubak’s methodological research focuses on the use of administrative and electronic health record data in epidemiologic and health services studies.

Dr. Chubak joined KPWHRI in 2007, bringing expertise in epidemiologic methods, pharmacoepidemiology, and cancer. Awarded a Fulbright graduate student grant, Dr. Chubak pursued her master's degree in bioethics and health law in New Zealand before completing her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Washington (UW). Dr. Chubak is an affiliate associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UW School of Public Health, where she enjoys guest-lecturing and getting to work with students.

Research interests and experience

 

Recent publications

Chubak J, Aiello Bowles EJ, Tuzzio L, Ludman E, Rutter CM, Reid RJ, Wagner E. Perspectives of cancer survivors on the role of different healthcare providers in an integrated delivery system. J Cancer Surviv. 2014 Jun;8(2):229-38. doi: 10.1007/s11764-013-0335-1. Epub 2013 Dec 19. PubMed

Wernli KJ, Hubbard RA, Johnson E, Chubak J, Kamineni A, Green BB, Rutter CM. Patterns of colorectal cancer screening uptake in newly-eligible men and women.  Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2014 Jul;23(7):1230-7. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-1360. Epub 2014 May 3. PubMed

Boudreau DM, Yu O, Chubak J, Wirtz HS, Bowles EJ, Fujii M, Buist DS. Comparative safety of cardiovascular medication use and breast cancer outcomes among women with early stage breast cancer.  Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2014 Apr;144(2):405-16. doi: 10.1007/s10549-014-2870-5. Epub 2014 Feb 21. PubMed

Carrell DS, Halgrim S, Tran DT, Buist DS, Chubak J, Chapman WW, Savova G. "Response to invited commentary 'observational research in the age of the electronic health record' by Christopher G. Chute, MD, DrPH." Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Mar 15;179(6):762-3. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwt444. Epub 2014 Jan 30. PubMed

Carrell DS, Halgrim S, Tran DT, Buist DS, Chubak J, Chapman WW, Savova G. Using natural language processing to improve efficiency of manual chart abstraction in research: the case of breast cancer recurrence.  Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Mar 15;179(6):749-58. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwt441. Epub 2014 Jan 30. PubMed

Carrell DS, Halgrim S, Tran DT, Buist DS, Chubak J, Chapman WW, Savova G. Carrell et al. respond to "Observational research and the EHR." Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Mar 15;179(6):762-3. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwt444. Epub 2014 Jan 30. PubMed

Laing SS, Bogart A, Chubak J, Fuller S, Green BB. Psychological distress after a positive fecal occult blood test result among members of an integrated healthcare delivery system. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2014 Jan;23(1):154-9. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-0722. Epub 2013 Nov 12. PubMed

 

Research

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Improving cancer prevention and early detection

How KPWHRI is contributing to better cancer screening and better outcomes for patients.

Research

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How did the pandemic impact hospital visits with animals?

Top pediatric oncology hospitals reported lasting changes to programs involving visits with animals.

Healthy findings blog

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Improving reporting of cancer screening harms

Aruna Kamineni, PhD, MPH, discusses her recent study on how guidelines report screening risks.