Jessica Chubak, PhD
“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
Jessica.Chubak@kp.org
206-287-2556
Animal-assisted interactions research on Facebook
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
-
Cancer
Epidemiology; colorectal cancer; medication use; survivorship; recurrence; secondary prevention; quality of life; automated data collection; screening; animal-assisted activities; survivorship
-
Health Services & Economics
Screening
-
Medication Use & Patient Safety
Cancer risk and use of common medications
Recent publications
Clark CR, Lykken JM, Chen PM, Haas JS, Feldman S, Ahn C, Gu CA, Kobrin S, Silver MI, Atlas SJ, Chubak J, Tiro JA. Barriers to the equitable implementation of risk-based cervical cancer management guidelines. J Gen Intern Med. 2025 May 30. doi: 10.1007/s11606-025-09611-6. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Lee JK, Jensen CD, Merchant SA, Chubak J, Halm EA, Corley DA; National Cancer Institute’s PROSPR Consortium. Adverse events after surveillance colonoscopy in older adults in a large integrated health system in the United States. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2025 May 17:S1542-3565(25)00421-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2025.03.028. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Tiro JA, Lykken JM, Chen PM, Clark CR, Kobrin S, Chubak J, Feldman S, Werner C, Atlas SJ, Silver MI, Haas JS. Delivering guideline-concordant care for patients with high-risk HPV and normal cytologic findings. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(1):e2454969. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.54969. PubMed
Harlass M, Dalmat RR, Chubak J, van den Puttelaar R, Udaltsova N, Corley DA, Jensen CD, Collier N, Ozik J, Lansdorp-Vogelaar I, Meester RGS. Optimal stopping ages for colorectal cancer screening. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Dec 2;7(12):e2451715. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.51715. PubMed
Chubak J, Ichikawa LE, Merchant SA, Dalmat RR, Ziebell RA, Jensen CD, Lee JK, Corley DA, Ghai NR, Green BB, Skinner CS, Schottinger JE, Breslau ES, Levin TR. Incidence of serious complications following screening colonoscopy in adults aged 76 to 85 years old. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2025 Feb 6;34(2):281-289. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-24-0551. PubMed
Figueroa Gray MS, Shapiro L, Dorsey CN, Randall S, Casperson M, Chawla N, Zebrack B, Fujii MM, Hahn EE, Keegan THM, Kirchhoff AC, Kushi LH, Nichols HB, Wernli KJ, Sauder CAM, Chubak J. A patient-centered conceptual model of AYA cancer survivorship care informed by a qualitative interview study. Cancers. 2024 Sep 4;16(17):3073. doi: 10.3390/cancers16173073. PubMed
Alimena S, Lykken JM, Tiro JA, Chubak J, Haas JS, Werner C, Kobrin SC, Silver MI, Perkins RB, Feldman S. Accessibility of criteria to exit cervical cancer screening at age 65 years in the electronic health record. O G Open. 1(3):p 032, September 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/og9.0000000000000035. [Epub 19 Sept 2024]. PubMed
Research
Study measures risks of screening colonoscopies for older adults
The findings can help guide colorectal cancer screening decisions later in life.
Research
Study sheds light on needs of young people with cancer
Understanding emergency department use among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors can help address care gaps.
Research
Improving cancer prevention and early detection
How KPWHRI is contributing to better cancer screening and better outcomes for patients.
Land Acknowledgment
Our Seattle offices sit on the occupied land of the Duwamish and by the shared waters of the Coast Salish people, who have been here thousands of years and remain. Learn about practicing land acknowledgment.