Photo of Peterson, Caryn E

Caryn E Peterson, PhD, MS

Research Associate Professor

Co-Director, UIC Cancer Health Equity and Career Development Program, Faculty Affiliate, UIC Center for Global Health

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Contact

Building & Room:

957 SPHPI

Address:

1603 W. Taylor St.

Office Phone:

(312) 355-3648

About

My research and publications focus on determinants of racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in cancer outcomes, including cervical, head & neck, and ovarian cancers, as well as Human Papillomavirus (HPV). My work has demonstrated the effects of individual- and community-level socioeconomic variables on ovarian cancer survival, differences in socio-cultural and behavioral characteristics and barriers to receiving care, and the increased risk of HPV-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinomas associated with higher area-level socioeconomic status. My current research explores clinical and community-based solutions to improve HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening rates in in the US and Senegal.

Selected Publications

Complete List of Published Work in https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/caryn.peterson.1/bibliography/public/

Professional Leadership

Fellow, Society of Behavioral Medicine Leadership Institute (Class of 2017), Society of Behavioral Medicine

Leadership Council for the American Society for Preventive Oncology's Cancer Disparities Special Interest Group, American Society for Preventive Oncology

Member, Workforce Capacity Building subcommittee, Consortium of Universities for Global Health

Education

PhD, Public Health Sciences, Epidemiology
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL
Dissertation: “The Survival Disparity in Black and White Women with Ovarian Cancer: The Role of Mediators and Neighborhood Context”

MS, Public Health Sciences, Epidemiology
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL
Thesis: “The Role of Folate and Carotenoids in the Persistence of Human Papillomavirus Infection: A Nutritional Index”

B.A., Philosophy and Fiction Writing
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Areas of Concentration: Medical Ethics (Department of Philosophy) and Fiction Writing (Department of English)
Senior Thesis: “Ethics of Physician Assisted Suicide”