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

Chubak J, Boudreau DM, Rulyak SJ, Mandelson MT. Colorectal cancer risk in relation to use of acid suppressive medications. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2009;18(7):540-4. Epub 2009 Apr 14. PubMed

Chubak J, Bowles EJ, Terry MB, Trentham-Dietz A, Buist DS. Antidepressant medications and change in mammographic density in postmenopausal women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009;18(2):676-9. Epub 2009 Feb 3. PubMed

Chubak J, Boudreau D, Rulyak S, Mandelson M. Colorectal cancer risk in relation to antidepressant use. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009;18(2):692.

Hawkins V, Foster-Schubert K, Chubak J, Sorensen B, Ulrich CM, Stancyzk FZ, Plymate S, Stanford J, White E, Potter JD, McTiernan A. Effect of exercise on serum sex hormones in men: a 12-month randomized clinical trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008;40(2):223-233.

Chubak J, Buist DS, Boudreau DM, Rossing MA, Lumley T, Weiss NS. Breast cancer recurrence risk in relation to antidepressant use after diagnosis. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2008;112(1):123-32. Epub 2007 Dec 6. PubMed

Ulrich CM, Chubak J, McTiernan A. Re: Exercise, vitamins and respiratory tract infections. American Journal of Medicine. 2007 Dec;120(12):e19.

Chubak J, Doherty JA, Cushing-Haugen KL, Voigt LF, Saltzman BS, Hill DA, Beresford SAA, Weiss NS. Endometrial cancer risk in estrogen users after switching to estrogen-progestin therapy. Cancer Causes Control. 2007 Nov;18(9):1001-1007.