Ellen O’Meara, PhD

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“Our work in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium is to make notable contributions to understanding cancer risk, screening effectiveness, and how to ensure the best outcomes for women with breast cancer.”

Ellen O’Meara, PhD

Principal Collaborative Scientist, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute

Biography

Ellen O’Meara, PhD, came to Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in 2009 with an array of scientific interests. The common thread across her more than two decades of research experience is studying the epidemiology of common diseases in adults, such as cancer, Alzheimer's, and cardiovascular disease.

Due to her strong interests in screening for disease and outcomes after diagnosis, Dr. O’Meara co-directs the Kaiser Permanente Washington-led Statistical Coordinating Center for the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium—a national network of breast imaging and breast cancer researchers. One of her goals is to find ways to optimize breast cancer screening—that is, to find the best balance of benefits and harms in subgroups of women based on their risks.

Dr. O’Meara’s other professional activities include memberships in the Society for Epidemiologic Research and the American Society of Preventive Oncology.

Research interests and experience

Recent publications

Mandelblatt JS, Schechter CB, Stout NK, Huang H, Stein S, Hunter Chapman C, Trentham-Dietz A, Jayasekera J, Gangnon RE, Hampton JM, Abraham L, O'Meara ES, Sheppard VB, Lee SJ. Population simulation modeling of disparities in US breast cancer mortality.  J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 2023;2023(62):178-187. doi: 10.1093/jncimonographs/lgad023.  PubMed

Kerlikowske K, Zhu W, Su YR, Sprague BL, Stout NK, Onega T, O'Meara ES, Henderson LM, Tosteson ANA, Wernli K, Miglioretti DL. Supplemental magnetic resonance imaging plus mammography compared with magnetic resonance imaging or mammography by extent of breast density. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2023 Oct 27:djad201. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djad201. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Gard CC, Lange J, Miglioretti DL, O'Meara ES, Lee CI, Etzioni R. Risk of cancer versus risk of cancer diagnosis? Accounting for diagnostic bias in predictions of breast cancer risk by race and ethnicity. J Med Screen. 2023 Jun 12;9691413231180028. doi: 10.1177/09691413231180028. PubMed

Sprague BL, Ichikawa L, Eavey J, Lowry KP, Rauscher G, O'Meara ES, Miglioretti DL, Chen S, Lee JM, Stout NK, Mandelblatt JS, Alsheik N, Herschorn SD, Perry H, Weaver DL, Kerlikowske K. Breast cancer risk characteristics of women undergoing whole-breast ultrasound screening versus mammography alone. Cancer. 2023 Aug 15;129(16):2456-2468. doi: 10.1002/cncr.34768. Epub 2023 Jun 12. PubMed

Nichols H, Wernli KJ, Chawla N, O’Meara ES, Figueroa Gray M, Green LE, Baggett CD, Casperson M, Chao C, Jones SM, Kirchhoff AC, Kuo T, Lee C , Malogolowkin M, Quesenberry CP, Ruddy KJ, Wun T, Zebrack B, Chubak J, Hahn EE, Keegan TH, Kushi LH. Challenges and opportunities of epidemiological studies to reduce the burden of cancers in young adults. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2023 Sep;10(3):115-124. doi: 10.1007/s40471-022-00286-9. Epub 2022 Mar 29. PubMed

Kerlikowske K, Su YR, Sprague BL, Tosteson ANA, Buist DSM, Onega T, Henderson LM, Alsheik N, Bissell MCS, O'Meara ES, Lee CI, Miglioretti DL. Association of screening with digital breast tomosynthesis vs digital mammography with risk of interval invasive and advanced breast cancer. JAMA. 2022 Jun 14;327(22):2220-2230. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.7672. PubMed

Ryser MD, Lange J, Inoue LYT, O'Meara ES, Gard C, Miglioretti DL, Bulliard JL, Brouwer AF, Hwang ES, Etzioni RB. Estimation of breast cancer overdiagnosis in a U.S. breast screening cohort. Ann Intern Med. 2022 Mar 1. doi: 10.7326/M21-3577. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Tuzzio L, O'Meara ES, Holden E, Parchman ML, Ralston JD, Powell JA, Baldwin LM. Barriers to implementing cardiovascular risk calculation in primary care: alignment with the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Am J Prev Med. 2021 Feb;60(2):250-257. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.07.027. Epub 2020 Dec 3. PubMed

Schousboe JT, Sprague BL, Abraham L, O'Meara ES, Onega T, Advani S, Henderson LM, Wernli KJ, Zhang D, Miglioretti DL, Braithwaite D, Kerlikowske K. Cost-effectiveness of screening mammography beyond age 75 years: a cost-effectiveness analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2022 Jan;175(1):11-19. doi: 10.7326/M20-8076. Epub 2021 Nov 23. PubMed

Zhang D, Abraham L, Sprague BL, Onega T, Advani S, Demb J, Miglioretti DL, Henderson LM, Wernli KJ, Walter LC, Kerlikowske K, Schousboe JT, Chrischilles E, Braithwaite D, O'Meara ES; Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium. Mammography adherence in relation to function-related indicators in older women. PPrev Med. 2022 Jan;154:106869. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106869. Epub 2021 Nov 9. PubMed

 

Research

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Improving cancer prevention and early detection

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Research

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Roundup of 3 recent studies on breast cancer screening

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VOICE STUDY

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Understanding young adults’ experiences with cancer

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Cancer screening

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Catching breast cancers when mammograms are limited

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