Gaia Pocobelli, PhD

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“I provide epidemiological support for KPWHRI research projects in the areas of cancer epidemiology and perinatal epidemiology, with a focus on the risks and benefits of medication use.”

Gaia Pocobelli, PhD

Senior Collaborative Scientist, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute

Biography

Gaia Pocobelli, PhD, is passionate about providing rigorous epidemiological support for KPWHRI research projects in the areas of cancer epidemiology and perinatal epidemiology, with a focus on medication safety.

Dr. Pocobelli completed her doctoral work in epidemiology at the University of Washington. Her dissertation research was on menopausal hormone therapy and breast cancer mortality. As a doctoral student research associate she worked on a variety of cancer epidemiology studies at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and at Kaiser Permanente Washington with Dr. Jessica Chubak. After her doctoral work, she honed her skills in the area of perinatal epidemiology and medication safety during pregnancy as a National Institutes of Health Reproductive, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, working in part with Dr. Sascha Dublin of Kaiser Permanente.

Research interests and experience

  • Cancer

    Risk factors and survivorship

  • Women's Health

    Menopausal hormone therapy and perinatal epidemiology

  • Medication Use & Patient Safety

    Pharmacoepidemiology studies of cancer risk and medication safety in pregnancy

 

Recent publications

Pocobelli G, Cook LS, Brant R, Lee SS. Hepatocellular carcinoma incidence trends in Canada: analysis by birth cohort and period of diagnosis. Liver Int. 2008 Nov;28(9):1272-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2008.01704.x. Epub 2008 Apr 1. PubMed

Pocobelli G, Newcomb PA, Trenthan-Dietz A, Titus-Ernstoff L, Hampton JM, Egan KM. Statin use and risk of breast cancer. Cancer. 2008;112:27-33.

Newcomb PA, Pocobelli G, Chia V. Why hormones protect against large bowel cancer: old ideas, new evidence. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2008;617:259-69. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-69080-3_24. PubMed

Hilsden RJ, Verhoef MJ, Best A, Pocobelli G. Complementary and alternative medicine use by Canadian patients with inflammatory bowel disease: results from a national survey. Am J Gastroenterol. 2003 Jul;98(7):1563-8.DOI:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2003.07519.x. PubMed

Hilsden RJ, Verhoef MJ, Best A, Pocobelli G. A national survey on the patterns of treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in Canada. BMC Gastroenterol. 2003 Jun 5;3:10. DOI: 10.1186/1471-230X-3-10. PubMed

 

Research

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How did the pandemic impact hospital visits with animals?

Top pediatric oncology hospitals reported lasting changes to programs involving visits with animals.

diabetes research

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How do we screen for gestational diabetes?

In our learning health system, we discovered that a new screening approach had increased diagnoses without improving overall outcomes. So remarkably, we switched back.

medication safety

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Using phentermine for weight loss longer term found to be safe, effective

Dr. David Arterburn discusses reassuring news from his PCORnet study of the most widely used anti-obesity drug in the United States.