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Our research focuses on improving the care and outcomes of young women with breast cancer

I am a cancer epidemiologist with an interest in the unique issues affecting young women with breast cancer; my research focuses on survivorship, quality of life, and treatment decision-making in this population. Intervention development is a core focus of my research. In 2015, I was awarded a K01 career development grant by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to conduct a mixed-methods study that aims to ultimately improve the quality of the surgical decision-making process for young women with breast cancer. As part of this project, I am leading a pilot study of a decision aid intervention for newly-diagnosed young women considering their breast cancer surgical options. 

Incorporating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) into both observational and intervention trials has also been an important focus of my work and this experience will help inform survey development for the proposed project. As a member of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology - Health Outcomes Committee as well as the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium PRO Working Group, I advise clinical trialists on how best to implement PROs into the design of clinical trials. Additionally, I am a co-investigator for a PCORI contract, where I help lead the study aim that will examine PROs among women who are diagnosed with DCIS.

Adjuvant Trastuzumab Emtansine Versus Paclitaxel in Combination With Trastuzumab for Stage I HER2-Positive Breast Cancer (ATEMPT): A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2021 Jul 20; 39(21):2375-2385.
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Impact of fertility concerns on endocrine therapy decisions in young breast cancer survivors. Cancer. 2021 Apr 22.
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Arm Morbidity After Local Therapy for Young Breast Cancer Patients. Ann Surg Oncol. 2021 Apr 21.
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Impact of Cancer History on Outcomes Among Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19. Oncologist. 2021 Apr 15.
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Surgical Treatment after Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy in Young Women with Breast Cancer: Results from a Prospective Cohort Study. Ann Surg. 2020 Dec 23; Publish Ahead of Print.
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Pregnancy after breast cancer: Results from a prospective cohort of young women with breast cancer. Cancer. 2021 Apr 01; 127(7):1021-1028.
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Tumor phenotype and concordance in synchronous bilateral breast cancer in young women. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2021 Apr; 186(3):815-821.
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Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the 21-gene Breast Recurrence Score test in young women with estrogen receptor-positive early breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2021 Feb; 186(1):157-165.
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Association of Breast Cancer Surgery With Quality of Life and Psychosocial Well-being in Young Breast Cancer Survivors. JAMA Surg. 2020 11 01; 155(11):1035-1042.
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Prospective evaluation of the impact of stress, anxiety, and depression on household income among young women with early breast cancer from the Young and Strong trial. BMC Public Health. 2020 Oct 06; 20(1):1514.
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Interventions to Enhance Adherence to Oral Antineoplastic Agents: A Scoping Review. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2020 05 01; 112(5):443-465.
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Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS): The importance of patient-reported outcomes (PRO). Curr Breast Cancer Rep. 2020 Jun; 12(2):90-97.
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Sensitive Detection of Minimal Residual Disease in Patients Treated for Early-Stage Breast Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 06 01; 26(11):2556-2564.
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Prognostic Impact of the 21-Gene Recurrence Score Assay Among Young Women With Node-Negative and Node-Positive ER-Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2020 03 01; 38(7):725-733.
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Contemporary management of breast cancer during pregnancy and subsequent lactation in a multicenter cohort of young women with breast cancer. Breast J. 2019 11; 25(6):1104-1110.
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Employment trends in young women following a breast cancer diagnosis. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2019 Aug; 177(1):207-214.
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Nonadherent behaviors among young women on adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer. Cancer. 2019 09 15; 125(18):3266-3274.
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Factors Affecting Surgical Decisions in Newly Diagnosed Young Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2019 08; 8(4):463-468.
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Developing a Novel Model to Improve Research and care for Cancer Survivors: a Feasibility Study. J Cancer Educ. 2019 04; 34(2):229-233.
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Identifying distinct trajectories of change in young breast cancer survivors' sexual functioning. Psychooncology. 2019 05; 28(5):1033-1040.
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A randomized study to improve care for young women with breast cancer at community and academic medical oncology practices in the United States: The Young and Strong study. Cancer. 2019 06 01; 125(11):1799-1806.
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Psychosocial needs of young breast cancer survivors in Mexico City, Mexico. PLoS One. 2018; 13(5):e0197931.
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"I don't want to take chances.": A qualitative exploration of surgical decision making in young breast cancer survivors. Psychooncology. 2018 06; 27(6):1524-1529.
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Anxiety and Depression in Young Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study. Psychosomatics. 2018 May - Jun; 59(3):251-258.
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Oncology Physicians' Perspectives on Practices and Barriers to Fertility Preservation and the Feasibility of a Prospective Study of Pregnancy After Breast Cancer. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2017 Sep; 6(3):429-434.
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Looking back, moving forward: the evolution of cancer survivorship care. Lancet Oncol. 2017 01; 18(1):18-19.
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Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy and quality of life: answering the unanswered questions? Gland Surg. 2016 Jun; 5(3):261-2.
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BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Testing in Young Women With Breast Cancer. JAMA Oncol. 2016 Jun 01; 2(6):730-6.
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Perceptions, Attributions, and Emotions Toward Endocrine Therapy in Young Women with Breast Cancer. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2016 Mar; 5(1):16-23.
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Management of breast cancer in very young women. Breast. 2015 Nov; 24 Suppl 2:S154-8.
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Breast Cancer in Young Women: Rare Disease or Public Health Problem? JAMA Oncol. 2015 Oct; 1(7):877-8.
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New Insights Into Nonadherence With Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy Among Young Women With Breast Cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2015 Oct; 107(10).
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Health care utilization, lifestyle, and emotional factors and mammography practices in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2015 Nov; 24(11):1699-706.
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Local Therapy Decision-Making and Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy in Young Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2015 Nov; 22(12):3809-15.
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Symptoms and Symptom Attribution Among Women on Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer. Oncologist. 2015 Jun; 20(6):598-604.
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Partner support and anxiety in young women with breast cancer. Psychooncology. 2015 Dec; 24(12):1679-85.
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Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy: An Opportunity for Shared Decision Making. JAMA Surg. 2014 Jun; 149(6):589-90.
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Treatment-related amenorrhea and sexual functioning in young breast cancer survivors. Cancer. 2014 Aug 01; 120(15):2264-71.
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Perceptions, knowledge, and satisfaction with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy among young women with breast cancer: a cross-sectional survey. Ann Intern Med. 2013 Sep 17; 159(6):373-81.
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Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy in women with breast cancer: trends, predictors, and areas for future research. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2013 Aug; 140(3):447-52.
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Premature menopause in young breast cancer: effects on quality of life and treatment interventions. J Thorac Dis. 2013 Jun; 5 Suppl 1:S55-61.
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Preadolescent and adolescent risk factors for benign breast disease. J Adolesc Health. 2013 May; 52(5 Suppl):S36-40.
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Body image in recently diagnosed young women with early breast cancer. Psychooncology. 2013 Aug; 22(8):1849-55.
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