Rena J. Pasick, DrPH Adjunct Professor of Medicine General Internal Medicine Associate Director, Community Education & Outreach UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center

Education

1974-78    George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
                 M.A.    Health Care Admin.

1979-80    University of California, Berkeley
                  M.P.H.    Health Educ.

1980-85    University of California, Berkeley 
                 Dr.P.H.    Health Policy & Admin.

Areas of Interest

• Mixed methods research
• Culture, literacy, and health communication
• Increasing diversity among public health researchers
• Cancer control in diverse populations
• Community outreach
• Behavioral theory across cultures

Rena Pasick is Adjunct Professor of Medicine at UCSF and Associate Director, Education and Outreach at the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Trained as a health educator, Dr. Pasick has worked in population-based cancer control research for the past 15 years. Her past research included large-scale intervention trials designed to increase the use of breast and cervical cancer screening among ethnically diverse and underserved women in African American, Chinese, Filipino, Latino, Vietnamese, and white communities.

Current research includes health communication for diverse communities; the assessment of survey research methods across cultures and languages; and the cultural appropriateness of health behavior theories. Her past and current NCI-funded R01 grants include: Behavioral Constructs and Culture in Cancer Screening (2001-2006), Cross-Cultural Communication for Colorectal Screening (2001-2005), Interactive Outreach: CIS - Link to the Underserved (2004-2008), and Statewide Communication to Reach Diverse Low Income Women (2007-2012). Dr. Pasick also leads an NCI-funded training grant to encourage minority master's students and master's-trained health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and career in cancer control.

Dr. Pasick trained at the University of Michigan, George Washington University, and UC-Berkeley, where she received her MPH and Dr PH degrees.

Selected peer review publications:

1. Pasick RJ, Sabogal F, Bird J, D'Onofrio C, Jenkins CNH, Lee M, Engelstad L, Hiatt RA: Problems and Progress in Translation of Health Survey Questions: The Pathways Experience.  Health Educ Q 23(S):S28-S40, 1996.
   

2.  Pasick RJ, D'Onofrio CN, Otero-Sabogal R: Similarities and Differences Across Cultures: Questions to Inform a Third Generation for Health Promotion Research.  Health Educ Q  23(S):S142-S161, 1996. 
   

3. Pasick RJ, Stewart SL, Bird JA, D'Onofrio C:  Data Quality in Multi-Ethnic Health Surveys. Pub Hlth Rep 116: 223-243, 2001.
   

4. Pasick RJ, Hiatt RA, Paskett E. Lessons Learned from Community-Based Cancer Screening Intervention Research.  Cancer 101 (5 Supp):1146-64, 2004.
   

5. Pasick RJ, Burke NJ. A Critical Review of Theory in Breast Cancer Screening Promotion across Cultures. Annual Review of Public Health (in press, 2007).

6. Yancey A, Kagawa-Singer M, Ratliff P, Valdez A, Jiménez L, Banks P, Stewart S, Pasick RJ. Progress in the Pipeline: Replication of the Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research. (in press, Journal of Cancer Education).