Ellen O’Meara, PhD
“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
Senior Research Associate, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Ellen.S.O'Meara@kp.org
206-287-2938
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
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Cancer
Cancer screening and surveillance; breast cancer
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Aging & Geriatrics
Dementia and cognition; age-related disability
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Cardiovascular Health
Stroke; heart disease
Recent publications
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
Sprague BL, O'Meara ES, Lee CI, Lee JM, Henderson LM, Buist DSM, Alsheik N, Macarol T, Perry H, Tosteson ANA, Onega T, Kerlikowske K, Miglioretti DL. Prioritizing breast imaging services during the COVID pandemic: a survey of breast imaging facilities within the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium. Prev Med. 2021 Oct;151:106540. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106540. Epub 2021 Jun 30. PubMed
Zhang D, Abraham L, Demb J, Miglioretti DL, Advani S, Sprague BL, Henderson LM, Onega T, Wernli KJ, Walter LC, Kerlikowske K, Schousboe JT, O'Meara ES, Braithwaite D. Function-related indicators and outcomes of screening mammography in older women: evidence from the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2021 Jun 2:cebp.0152.2021. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-21-0152. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Miglioretti DL, Bissell MCS, Kerlikowske K, Buist DSM, Cummings SR, Henderson LM, Onega T, O'Meara ES, Rauscher GH, Sprague BL, Tosteson ANA, Wernli KJ, Lee JM, Lee CI. Assessment of a risk-based approach for triaging mammography examinations during periods of reduced capacity. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(3):e211974. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.1974. PubMed
Lee CI, Zhu W, Onega T, Henderson LM, Kerlikowske K, Sprague BL, Rauscher GH, O'Meara ES, Tosteson ANA, Haas JS, diFlorio-Alexander R, Kaplan C, Miglioretti DL. Comparative Access to and Use of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Screening by Women's Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e2037546. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.37546. PubMed
Henderson LM, O'Meara ES, Haas JS, Lee CI, Kerlikowske K, Sprague BL, Alford-Teaster J, Onega T. The role of social determinants of health in self-reported access to health care among women undergoing screening mammography. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2020 May 5. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2019.8267. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Demb J, Abraham L, Miglioretti DL, Sprague BL, O'Meara ES, Advani S, Henderson LM, Onega T, Buist DSM, Schousboe JT, Walter LC, Kerlikowske K, Braithwaite D. Screening mammography outcomes: risk of breast cancer and mortality by comorbidity score and age. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2019 Sep 6. pii: 5556084. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djz172. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Parchman ML, Anderson ML, Dorr DA, Fagnan LJ, O’Meara ES, Tuzzio L, Penfold RB, Cook AJ, Hummel J, Conway C, Cholan R, Baldwin LM. A randomized trial of external practice support to improve cardiovascular risk factors in primary care. Ann Fam Med. 2019 Aug 12;17(Suppl 1):S40-S49. doi: 10.1370/afm.2407. PubMed
Kerlikowske K, Sprague BL, Tosteson ANA, Wernli KJ, Rauscher GH, Johnson D, Buist DSM, Onega T, Henderson LM, O'Meara ES, Miglioretti DL. Strategies to identify women at high risk of advanced breast cancer during routine screening for discussion of supplemental imaging. JAMA Intern Med. 2019 Jul 1. pii: 2737320. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.1758. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
White AJ, Weinberg CR, O'Meara ES, Sandler DP, Sprague BL. Airborne metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in relation to mammographic breast density. Breast Cancer Res. 2019;21(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s13058-019-1110-7. PubMed
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research into action
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