Staff: Rachelle S. Brick, PhD, MSPH, OTR/L

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Rachelle S. Brick

Rachelle S. Brick, PhD, MSPH, OTR/L

(she/her/hers)
Former Fellow, Transitioned Outside of the Program

Cancer Prevention Fellow
Former Organization:

Rachelle Brick, PhD, MSPH, OTR/L, was a Cancer Prevention Fellow in the Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences Branch of the Behavioral Research Program from September 2022 to April 2024.

Dr. Brick's research examines the influence of access and delivery of cancer rehabilitation services on cancer survivorship outcomes. She is also interested in examining biological and behavioral factors associated with accelerated aging in cancer survivors. Prior to joining NCI, Dr. Brick worked clinically as an occupational therapist with a specialty in cancer-related cognitive impairment. Her previous work focused on using qualitative and quantitative approaches to develop interventions addressing disability in older cancer survivors.

Dr. Brick received her MSPH from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, PhD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, her MSOT from Boston University Sargent College, and her Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the University of Pittsburgh.


Current and/or past BRP mentors include Paige Green and Michelle Mollica.

"Where are they now?": Following up with past BRP fellows
Updated April 2024

Current Title
Program Director
Healthcare Delivery Research Program
National Cancer Institute

How has your BRP fellowship influenced your career?
The fellowship allowed me to grow personally and professionally in numerous ways. I was able to participate in multiple projects, including secondary data analyses, systematic reviews, and portfolio analyses. I collaborated with countless brilliant BRP colleagues to help steward research regarding cancer rehabilitation. I was also fortunate to call Dr. Paige Green my mentor while I was in BRP. In collaboration with my secondary mentor, Michelle Mollica, I have been inspired to support other trainees to achieve their career goals.

Describe a favorite memory or two from your fellowship experience.
One of my favorite memories of fellowship was being invited to present at an international conference in Valencia, Spain on models of cancer rehabilitation in geriatric oncology. I also found it incredibly rewarding to work with and learn from incredible leaders in NCI and NICHD on an ongoing cancer rehabilitation portfolio analysis. My collaborators are some of the most thoughtful, talented, and supportive colleagues I have ever had.

Describe your current position, your current organization, and what you do.
I am a Program Director in the Health Systems and Interventions Research Branch within the Healthcare Delivery Research Program at the National Cancer Institute. I will also serve as a Cancer Care Delivery Research Project Scientist in the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program.

Awards, Honors, and Recognitions

  • 2023 NCI Director's Award for Emerging Leader-NCI Champions
  • 2023 NCI Director's Award for Outstanding Mentor - NCI Champions
  • 2023 Trans-Fellowship Research Award Recipient
  • 2023 DCCPS Fellows Symposium Best Poster Presentation (Fellows)

Publications from Fellowship Work

  • Brick, R. & Tonorezos E. (in-press). Addressing disability in cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology.
  • Brick, R., Gallicchio, L., Mollica, M. A., Zaleta, A. K., Jacobsen, P. B., Tonorezos, E, Castro, K., & Miller, M. (in-press). Survivorship concerns among individuals diagnosed with metastatic cancer: Findings from the Cancer Experience Registry. Journal of Cancer Survivorship.
  • Jensen, R., Brick, R., Medel, J., Tuovinen, P., Jacobsen, P.B., Hardesty, R., Vanderpool, RC. (in-press). National Cancer Institute–funded grants focused on synchronous telehealth cancer care delivery: a portfolio analysis. Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs.
  • Mollica MA, Zaleta AK, Gallicchio L, Brick R, Jacobsen PB, Tonorezos E, Castro KM, Miller MF. Financial toxicity among people with metastatic cancer: findings from the Cancer Experience Registry. Support Care Cancer. 2024 Jan 30;32(2):137. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08328-2. PMID: 38286846.
  • Brick R, Voss L, Arbid S, Joshi Y, Ammendolia Tomé G, El Hassanieh D, Sleight AG, Klein C, Sabir A, Wechsler S, Campbell G, Campbell KL, Lam A, Lyons KD, Padgett L, Jones JM. Reporting Rigor of Cancer Rehabilitation Interventions: Application of the CReDECI-2 Guidelines. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2023 Nov 1;102(11):1029-1033. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000002324. Epub 2023 Aug 18. PMID: 37594223; PMCID: PMC10592237.
  • Brick R, Padgett L, Jones J, Wood KC, Pergolotti M, Marshall TF, Campbell G, Eilers R, Keshavarzi S, Flores AM, Silver JK, Virani A, Livinski AA, Ahmed MF, Kendig T, Khalid B, Barnett J, Borhani A, Bernard G, Lyons KD. The influence of telehealth-based cancer rehabilitation interventions on disability: a systematic review. J Cancer Surviv. 2023 Dec;17(6):1725-1750. doi: 10.1007/s11764-022-01181-4. Epub 2022 Feb 26. PMID: 35218521; PMCID: PMC8881759.



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