Staff: Megan C. Roberts, PhD

Megan C. Roberts, PhD

• Office of the Associate Director (OAD)
• Behavioral Research Program (BRP)

Megan C. Roberts, Ph.D., was a Cancer Prevention Fellow in the Office of the Associate Director (OAD) within the Behavioral Research Program (BRP) from June 2015 to August 2018.

Dr. Roberts earned a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health. At UNC, she was a Cancer Control Education Program predoctoral fellow.

Dr. Roberts is interested in research that supports policies and clinical practices that reduce racial disparities in cancer prevention and treatment. Her dissertation research examined racial disparities in the uptake and use of a tumor gene-profiling test (Oncotype DX) that guides adjuvant treatment decisions for women with breast cancer.

Dr. Roberts' research interests include not only issues of access and cost of genetic technologies, but also communication about and implementation of genetic technologies in clinical care and prevention.

"Where are they now?": Following up with past BRP fellows
Updated October 2019

Current Title
Assistant Professor and Director of Implementation Science in Precision Health and Society
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Eshelman School of Pharmacy

How has your BRP fellowship influenced your career?
My fellowship provided me with the additional training I needed to pursue research in the implementation of genomic medicine. Through my fellowship, I was able to see how research agendas are formed on a national level, and how to collaborate across diverse disciplines.

Describe your current position, your current organization, and what you do.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. My research focuses on understanding and improving the implementation of genomic medicine in disease prevention and treatment.

Awards, Honors, and Recognitions

• 2018 New Presenter Award, American Public Health Association, Genomics Forum
• 2019 Silver Abstract Submission Award, Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer

Publications from Fellowship Work

• Roberts MC, Wood EM, Gaieski JB, Bradbury AR. Possible barriers for genetic counselors returning actionable genetic research results across state lines. Genet Med. 2017 Nov;19(11):1202-1204.
• Roberts MC, Dusetzina SB. The effect of a celebrity health disclosure on demand for health care: trends in BRCA testing and subsequent health services use. J Community Genet. 2017 Apr;8(2):141-146.
• Roberts MC, Miller DP, Shak S, Petkov VI. Breast cancer-specific survival in patients with lymph node-positive hormone receptor-positive invasive breast cancer and Oncotype DX Recurrence Score results in the SEER database. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2017 Jun;163(2):303-310.
• Roberts MC, Taber JM, Klein WM. Engagement with Genetic Information and Uptake of Genetic Testing: the Role of Trust and Personal Cancer History. J Cancer Educ. 2018 Aug;33(4):893-900.
• Roberts MC, Kennedy AE, Chambers DA, Khoury MJ. The current state of implementation science in genomic medicine: opportunities for improvement. Genet Med. 2017 Aug;19(8):858-863.

Current and/or past BRP mentors include William Klein.

To request edits to this profile, please contact us at ncidccpsbrpadvances@mail.nih.gov.