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.
Epidemiology; colorectal cancer; medication use; survivorship; recurrence; secondary prevention; quality of life; automated data collection; screening; animal-assisted activities; survivorship
Screening
Cancer risk and use of common medications
Sarma EA, Thompson MJ, Bowles EA, Burnett-Hartman AN, Hubbard RA, Yu O, Chubak J. Patient and tumor characteristics of screening-age adults diagnosed with screen-detected versus symptomatic colon cancer. Colorectal Dis. 2022 Jun 23. doi: 10.1111/codi.16232. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Beatty JD, Sun Q, Markowitz D, Chubak J, Huang B, Etzioni R. Identifying breast cancer recurrence histories via patient-reported outcomes. J Cancer Surviv. 2021 Apr 14. doi: 10.1007/s11764-021-01033-7. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Hubbard RA, Lett E, Ho GYF, Chubak J. Characterizing bias due to differential exposure ascertainment in electronic health record data. Health Serv Outcomes Res Methodol. 2021;21(3):309-323. doi: 10.1007/s10742-020-00235-3. Epub 2021 Jan 4. PubMed
A'mar T, Beatty JD, Fedorenko C, Markowitz D, Corey T, Lange J, Schwartz SM, Huang B, Chubak J, Etzioni R. Correction: incorporating breast cancer recurrence events into population-based cancer registries using medical claims: cohort study. JMIR Cancer. 2020;6(2):e23821. doi: 10.2196/23821. PubMed
Zheng Y, Corley DA, Doubeni C, Halm E, Shortreed SM, Barlow WE, Zauber A, Tosteson TD, Chubak J. Analyses of preventive care measures with incomplete historical data in electronic medical records: an example from colorectal cancer screening. Ann Appl Stat.14(2), 1030-1044. https://doi.org/10.1214/20-AOAS1342.
A'mar T, Beatty JD, Fedorenko C, Markowitz D, Corey T, Lange J, Schwartz SM, Huang B, Chubak J, Etzioni R. Incorporating breast cancer recurrence events into population-based cancer registries using medical claims: cohort study. JMIR Cancer. 2020 Aug 17;6(2):e18143. doi: 10.2196/18143. PubMed
Ghai NR, Jensen CD, Merchant SA, Schottinger JE, Lee JK, Chubak J, Kamineni A, Halm EA, Skinner CS, Haas JS, Green BB, Cannizarro NT, Schneider JL, Corley DA. Primary care provider beliefs and recommendations about colorectal cancer screening in four healthcare systems. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2020 Nov;13(11):947-958. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-20-0109. Epub 2020 Jul 15. PubMed
How KPWHRI is contributing to better cancer screening and better outcomes for patients.
Top pediatric oncology hospitals reported lasting changes to programs involving visits with animals.
Aruna Kamineni, PhD, MPH, discusses her recent study on how guidelines report screening risks.