Roshan Bastani, PhD

Dr. Roshan Bastani is a social/health psychologist whose main research interests are in disease prevention and control among disadvantaged groups, with a focus on implementing and rigorously testing individual, community, organization and system-directed interventions to improve access and reduce disparities.

Bastani has conducted a large number of prevention-focused intervention studies targeting low income, ethnic minority and immigrant populations, has numerous peer-reviewed publications on the subject, and has had continuous research funding from the NIH since 1988. She has established strong ties with an extensive network of community clinics and other organizations, which serve as partners in her collaborative community research. Bastani's research experience spans studies on breast, cervix, colorectal and prostate cancer screening and diagnostic follow up; hepatitis B screening and vaccine receipt; HPV vaccine uptake; tobacco control; melanoma prevention; and healthy nutrition and physical activity promotion. She also leads a post-doctoral career development program which has a heavy focus on transdisciplinary cancer disparities training.

A few specific examples of Bastani's research include:

• A trial to increase colorectal cancer screening in an ethnically diverse sample with a family history of the disease (NIH R01)
• A community trial to increase informed decision making regarding prostate cancer screening among Latino men (NIH R01)
• A cluster randomized study to increase Hepatitis B screening among Koreans (NIH P01 project)
• An implementation trial, in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Health Department and a Federally Qualified Health Center, to increase HPV vaccine uptake among ethnic minority, low income adolescents (NIH R01)
• A cluster randomized study of a system-level obesity prevention intervention in worksites (NIH R24)
• A Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CDC-SIP) for implementation research to reduce ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in tobacco use, obesity and cancer screening
• Two CDC REACH projects that apply system and policy approaches to increase physical activity and healthful eating in low resource community settings.

Tsui J, Singhal R, Rodriguez HP, Gee GC, Glenn BA, Bastani R. Proximity to safety-net clinics and HPV vaccine uptake among low-income, ethnic minority girls. Vaccine. 2013 Apr 12;31(16):2028-34. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.02.046. Epub 2013 Mar 6.

Bastani R, Glenn BA, Tsui J, Chang LC, Marchand E, Taylor VM, Singhal R, Marchand EJ. Understanding suboptimal human papillomavirus vaccine uptake among ethnic minority girls. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011 Jul;20(7):1463-72. Epub 2011 May 20

Maxwell AE, Bastani R, Danao LL, Antonio C, Garcia GM, Crespi CM. Results of a community-based randomized trial to increase colorectal cancer screening among Filipino Americans. Am J Public Health. 2010 Nov;100(11):2228-34. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.176230. Epub 2010 Sep 23.

Bastani R, Yabroff KR, Myers RE, Glenn B. Interventions to improve follow-up of abnormal findings in cancer screening. Cancer. 2004 Sep 1;101(5 Suppl):1188-200.

Bastani R, Kaplan CP, Maxwell AE, Nisenbaum R, Pearce J, Marcus AC. Initial and repeat mammography screening in a low income multi-ethnic population in Los Angeles. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1995 Mar;4(2):161-7.