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

Curriculum vitae (CV)

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

Hamilton JG, Birmingham WS, Tehranifar P, Irwin ML, Klein WM, Nebling L, Chubak J. Transitioning to independence and maintaining a career in the new funding climate: a report from the American Society of Preventive Oncology’s Junior Members Interest Group. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013 Nov;22(11):2138-42. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-0807. PubMed

Chubak J, Boudreau DM, Wirtz HS, McKnight B, Weiss NS. Threats to validity of nonrandomized studies of postdiagnosis exposures on cancer recurrence and survival. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2013 Oct 2;105(19):1456-62.doi:10.1093/jnci/djt211. Epub 2013 Aug 12. Review. PubMed

Wirtz HS, Buist DS, Gralow JR, Barlow WE, Gray SL, Chubak J, Yu O, Bowles EJ, Fujii M, Boudreau DM. Frequent antibiotic use and second breast cancer events. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013 Sep;22(9):1588-99. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-0454. Epub 2013 Jul 5. PubMed

Perdue DG, Chubak J, Bogart A, Dillard DA, Garroutte EM, Buchwald D. A comparison of colorectal cancer screening uptake among average-risk insured American Indian/Alaska native and white women. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2013 Aug;24(3):1125-35. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2013.0139. PubMed

Chubak J, Yu O, Buist DS, Wirtz HS, Boudreau DM. Time scale in follow-up studies: considering disease prognosis. Epidemiology. 2013;24(4):628-9. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3182961708. PubMed

Lowry SJ, Chubak J, Press OW, McKnight B, Weiss NS. Risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in relation to tricyclic antidepressant use. Ann Epidemiol. 2013;23(6):349-54. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2013.04.006. PubMed

Chubak J, Rutter CM, Kamineni A, Johnson EA, Stout NK, Weiss NS, Doria-Rose VP, Doubeni CA, Buist DS. Measurement in comparative effectiveness research. Am J Prev Med. 2013 May;44(5):513-9. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.01.006. PubMed