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
Boudreau DM, Chen L, Yu O, Bowles EJA, Chubak J. Risk of second breast cancer events with chronic opioid use in breast cancer survivors. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2019 May;28(5):740-753. doi: 10.1002/pds.4779. Epub 2019 Apr 3. PubMed
Haas CB, Phipps AI, Hajat A, Chubak J, Wernli KJ. Time to fecal immunochemical test completion for colorectal cancer screening. Am J Manag Care. 2019 Apr;25(4):174-180. PubMed
Bowles EJA, Yu O, Ziebell R, Chen L, Boudreau DM, Ritzwoller DP, Hubbard RA, Boggs JM, Burnett-Hartman AN, Sterrett A, Fujii M, Chubak J. Cardiovascular medication use and risks of colon cancer recurrences and additional cancer events: a cohort study. BMC Cancer. 2019;19(1):270. doi: 10.1186/s12885-019-5493-8. PubMed
Aiello Bowles EJ, Crane PK, Walker RL, Chubak J, LaCroix AZ, Anderson ML, Rosenberg D, Keene CD, Larson EB. Cognitive resilience to Alzheimer's disease pathology in the human brain. J Alzheimers Dis. 2019;68(3):1071-1083. doi: 10.3233/JAD-180942. PubMed
Pocobelli G, Yu O, Ziebell RA, Aiello Bowles EJ, Fujii MM, Sterrett AT, Boggs JM, Chen L, Boudreau DM, Ritzwoller DP, Hubbard RA, Chubak J. Use of antidepressants after colon cancer diagnosis and risk of recurrence. Psycho-oncology. 2019 Jan 31. doi: 10.1002/pon.5015. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Mayer SE, Weiss NS, Chubak J, Doody DR, Carlson CS, Makar KW, Wurscher MA, Malone KE. CYP2D6-inhibiting medication use and inherited CYP2D6 variation in relation to adverse breast cancer outcomes after tamoxifen therapy. LID - 10.1007/s10552-018-1117-x [doi] Cancer Causes Control. 2018 Dec 12. pii: 10.1007/s10552-018-1117-x. doi: 10.1007/s10552-018-1117-x [Epub ahead of print] PubMed
Chubak J, McLerran D, Zheng Y, Singal AG, Corley DA, Doria-Rose VP, Doubeni CA, Kamineni A, Haas JS, Halm EA, Skinner CS, Zauber AG, Wernli KJ, Beaber EF. Receipt of colonoscopy following diagnosis of advanced adenomas: an analysis within integrated healthcare delivery systems. lid - 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-18-0452 [doi] Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2018 Nov 20. pii: 1055-9965.EPI-18-0452. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-18-0452 [Epub ahead of print] PubMed
The findings can help guide colorectal cancer screening decisions later in life.
Understanding emergency department use among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors can help address care gaps.
How KPWHRI is contributing to better cancer screening and better outcomes for patients.