Cancer prevention and control is an area of health services research that spans the continuum of cancer care — prevention and risk reduction, screening, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and end-of-life care. Cancer prevention and control research in the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases focuses primarily on improving health outcomes in colorectal and liver cancer. Colorectal cancer is the third-most common cancer in the United States. Liver cancer, while less prevalent, has very high mortality rates and is one of the few cancers with rising incidence nationally.

Division gastroenterologists, hepatologists, and colleagues from other academic disciplines investigate a number of areas that relate to cancer outcomes, including:

  • Behavioral characteristics of individuals and populations that contribute to cancer risk, including factors such as physical activity and diet
  • The development and evaluation of interventions to improve access to and uptake of cancer screenings that allow providers to detect cancers at earlier, more intervenable stages
  • The development of community-focused and patient-focused health education programs and interventions to improve knowledge about cancer risk and risk reduction with a focus on capacity-building in underserved, low-income populations and minority communities
  • Partnerships with community-based clinics and other community organizations to increase awareness of cancer risk, cancer prevention strategies and cancer screening
  • Research to inform health policy to improve access to preventive services and cancer care in the surrounding community and nation
Yvonne Flores, PhD
Yvonne Flores, PhD
Annette E. Maxwell, DrPH
Annette E Maxwell, DrPH
Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil
Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil
William McCarthy, PhD
William McCarthy, PhD

Dr. Bastani’s research interests are in addressing health inequities, with a focus on conducting rigorous yet pragmatic individual, community, organization and system-directed intervention trials to improve access and reduce disparities. 

Dr. Flores ...information coming soon.

Dr. Glenn ...information coming soon

Dr. Kahn has over 30 years of experience leading multiple national and local projects involving health care program evaluation, health care quality measurement and improvement, patient-reported outcomes, measurement of structure-processes-and-outcomes, and the medical home.

Dr. Maxwell is professor of health policy and management and conducts research at the Center for Cancer Prevention and Control Research and the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity. She has developed a cancer research program that focuses on reducing cancer disparities.

Dr. May's research focuses on eliminating patient, provider, and system-level barriers to colorectal cancer screening in Federally Qualified Health Centers and in the Veterans Health Administration.  

Dr. McCarthy has devoted most of his 30-year career to using behavioral strategies to help people to eat better, exercise more, and avoid tobacco use. Most of his research focus has been on low-income populations.

Dr. Ong's research interests focus on improving the delivery of appropriate and efficient health care. His research has applied this focus in several areas of general medicine, including health system-based care, mental health, tobacco control, and and GI/liver related research.