Electra Paskett PhD, MSPH

Electra Paskett PhD, MSPH

If not for BCRF/PFP support, we would not have been able to obtain NCI-funding for the WHI Cancer Survivor Cohort, a unique resource for studying recurrence and late effects of treatment - surely to benefit all survivors.

Titles and Affiliations

Professor, School of Public Health
Division Chair, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
Marion N. Rowley Designated Chair in Cancer
Department of Medicine
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio

Areas of Focus

  • Heredity & Ethnicity
  • Lifestyle & Prevention
  • Survivorship

Research area

Investigating the effects of aging and of lifestyle interventions on breast cancer survivors.

Impact

Dr. Paskett is studying the effects of aging and of lifestyle factors on cancer survivors versus women who do not have cancer. Her team is examining recurrence and late effects of treatment and hope to provide information that could improve the lives of breast cancer survivors.

Progress Thus Far

Dr. Paskett is collaborating with the Women’s Health Initiative Cancer Survivor Cohort (WHI-CS) and has continued to retain and grow the cohort. She and her team have analyzed participant data to determine the effects of aging on breast cancer survivors, including conditions that interfere with daily function, and to identify predictors of physical activity among older survivors. Data from the first of these projects are widely available for researchers who would like to explore novel approaches to understanding the development and risk of breast cancer and breast cancer survivorship. 

What’s next

In the upcoming year, Dr. Paskett will continue her collaboration with WHI-CS to assess potential biomarkers of accelerated aging and explore the effects of the aging process on breast cancer survivors. She and her team aim to create the only known standardized, longitudinal assessment of physical function among a large cohort of older women with a history of breast cancer. Their findings will contribute to the understanding of the relevance of aging, lifestyle and behavioral factors, and nutrition on breast cancer incidence and the long-term impact of a breast cancer diagnosis.

Biography

Electra Paskett, received her doctorate in epidemiology from the University of Washington and became the Marion N. Rowley Professor of Cancer Research at The Ohio State University in 2002. She is Director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control in the College of Medicine, professor in the Division of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health and Associate Director for Population Sciences and Program Leader of the Cancer Control Program. She is also Director of the Diversity Enhancement Program at the James Cancer Hospital. Dr. Paskett’s publications showcase her work in intervention research directed at cancer prevention, early detection and survivorship issues specifically among underserved populations. She leads an NCI-funded study examining why rates of cervical cancer are high in Appalachia Ohio and is the Principal Investigator of the Ohio Patient Navigator Research Program. She also received funding from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and has two NIH grants to develop to test interventions to promote colorectal cancer screening. She continues to work with the Women’s Health Initiative studies looking at breast cancer prevention and survivorship as well as cardiovascular health in underserved populations. Dr. Paskett is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, past-President of the American Society of Preventive Oncology, Deputy Editor of the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, and Section Editor of the journal, CANCER. She is a member of the NIH EPIC study section and the chair of the Health Disparities Committee of the Alliance for Cooperative Trials in Oncology.