Grantee: Stacy W. Gray, MD, AM

Stacy W. Gray

Stacy W. Gray, MD, AM

MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST
HCIRB FEATURED GRANTEE
Organization:
  • Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope

Current Title
Professor Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research

Describe your scientific identity.
I am a medical oncologist with a passion for improving healthcare for both patients with cancer and individuals who have an elevated risk of developing cancer.

What are your research interests?
My goal is to realize the promise of precision cancer medicine for all patients through communication science and translational genomics. In my lab, we aim to improve access to genomic testing and targeted therapies, develop innovative cancer prevention and screening strategies, help eliminate care disparities, and rapidly translate innovative and effective new technologies into the clinic.

What is the significance of your current research project?
Millions of individuals who are at high genetic risk for developing cancer are unaware of their risk. Through my current project, I aim to empower historically underrepresented individuals who have elevated genetic risk to more effectively communicate risk information to their family members. In doing so, we believe that we can increase the uptake of genetic testing in high-risk families and substantially increase efforts in cancer prevention.

What motivated you to work in health communication research?
All patients should have access to the medical care that will be most effective given their particular situation. But it often takes decades for highly effective medical interventions to become widely used and many patients never receive guideline recommended care. I believe that health communication science coupled with cancer care delivery research is an essential strategy that we can use to close these care gaps.

Describe something that had a profound influence on your program of research or scientific interests (an "ah-ha!" moment).
In the early 2000’s I attended an AACR Cancer Prevention meeting in Seattle. Dr. Vish Viswanath was a keynote speaker. He spoke about how communication science could be used to transform efforts in cancer prevention. It was truly an “ah-ha” moment! That single talk sparked my interest in health communication and led me to an NCI funded post-doctoral fellowship at the Cancer of Excellence in Communication Research at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Health communication research has been central to my work ever since.

Selected training, awards, and honors:

  • Internship, Residency and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship: The University of Chicago
  • Irving B. Harris Fellowship Award: University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy
  • Research Fellowship: Annenberg School for Communication (Cancer Communication Research), University of Pennsylvania
  • Research Fellowship: Institute for Technology Assessment (Cancer Outcomes Research Program), Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Young Investigator Award: American Society for Clinical Oncology
  • Carol Emmott Fellowship: National Fellowship for Women Leaders in Health


It often takes decades for highly effective medical interventions to become widely used and many patients never receive guideline recommended care. I believe that health communication science coupled with cancer care delivery research is an essential strategy that we can use to close these care gaps.”