Grantee: Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc, PhD (Hon)

Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc, PhD (Hon)

Organization:

• New York University School of Medicine

Current Title
Professor of Urology and Population Health

Describe your scientific identity.
I am a urologist and population scientist conducting research on the quality of information about cancer in online networks and its influence on cancer care.

What are your research interests?
My primary research interest is the impact of online health communication for cancer care.

What is the significance of your current research project?
In our current research project, we have identified widespread misinformation about prostate cancer in online networks. This misinformation spans a variety of topics ranging from risk factors, prevention, screening, and treatment. This is problematic since these posts are widely viewed and may have a negative impact on cancer care.

What motivated you to work in health communication research?
The vast majority of U.S. adults look online for health information, but very little is known about the quality of information that they encounter and its influence on clinical decision-making. I am particularly interested in the impact of online information and misinformation for health disparities in cancer.

Describe something that had a profound influence on your program of research or scientific interests (an "ah-ha!" moment).
My “ah-ha” moment came when attending a medical meeting in Australia and comments about the presentations were coming in from around the world through social media in real-time. This showed me the incredible power of social media for rapid dissemination of evidence-based health information, but also the tremendous potential for harm by facilitating broad global dissemination of misinformation at an unprecedented speed.

Selected training, awards, and honors:

• Honorary doctorate at Uppsala University in Sweden (2020)
• American Urological Association Gold Cystoscope Award (2021)

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