Staff: Adaora Y. Ezeani, MD
Adaora Y. Ezeani, MD
iCURE Cancer Research Training Award Fellow
Adaora Ezeani, MD, was an iCURE Cancer Research Training Award fellow in the Health Behaviors Research Branch (HBRB) of the Behavioral Research Program from November 2019 to June 2024.
Dr. Ezeani's research interests focus on obesity and prostate cancer such as examining obesity's effect on prostate cancer progression, prostate cancer treatment outcomes, and the effect of lifestyle interventions on metabolic pathways and prostate cancer risk. She is also interested in examining cancer health disparities with the hope of reducing incidence and improving outcomes.
Before joining NCI, Dr. Ezeani completed a fellowship at the University of Florida, which focused on social, behavioral, and genetic risk factors for prostate cancer in Black men globally. During her fellowship, she also developed community-based behavioral interventions to improve the health outcomes in minority populations. Dr. Ezeani received her MD from the American University of the Caribbean and received her BS in Biology from Arizona State University.
"Where are they now?": Following up with past BRP fellows
Updated June 2024
Current Title
Family Medicine Resident Physician
MHC Healthcare
How has your BRP fellowship influenced your career?
The iCURE CRTA fellowship at BRP fostered my appreciation for population health, especially in the context of health disparities and cancer prevention. The program provided many opportunities to develop and refine my skills as a researcher through experiential learning, excellent mentorship, and collaboration with prolific scientists. The breadth of knowledge I have gained has prepared me well for a career in clinical scholarship.
Describe a favorite memory or two from your fellowship experience.
I enjoyed many of the iCURE and BRP activities, particularly the BRP holiday party during my first few weeks as a fellow.
Awards, Honors, and Recognitions
- Internal funding from the Behavioral Research Program for "Health Behaviors among US-born and Foreign-born Black Men: Evaluation of Prostate Cancer Risk" research project
Publications from Fellowship Work
- Pichardo CM, Ezeani A, Pichardo MS, Agurs-Collins T, Powell-Wiley TM, Ryan B, Minas TZ, Bailey-Whyte M, Tang W, Dorsey TH, Wooten W, Loffredo CA, Ambs S. Association of neighborhood gentrification with prostate cancer and immune markers in African American and European American men. Cancer Med. 2023 Dec 27;13(1):e6828. doi: 10.1002/cam4.6828. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38151903; PMCID: PMC10807554.
- Ezeani A, Boggan B, Hopper LN, Herren OM, Agurs-Collins T. Associations Between Cancer Risk Perceptions, Self-Efficacy, and Health Behaviors by BMI Category and Race and Ethnicity. Int J Behav Med. 2023 Nov 21. doi: 10.1007/s12529-023-10225-7. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37989826.
- Jayasekera J, El Kefi S, Fernandez JR, Wojcik KM, Woo JMP, Ezeani A, Ish JL, Bhattacharya M, Ogunsina K, Chang CJ, Cohen CM, Ponce S, Kamil D, Zhang J, Le R, Ramanathan AL, Butera G, Chapman C, Grant SJ, Lewis-Thames MW, Dash C, Bethea TN, Forde AT. Opportunities, challenges, and future directions for simulation modeling the effects of structural racism on cancer mortality in the United States: a scoping review. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 2023 Nov 8;2023(62):231-245. doi: 10.1093/jncimonographs/lgad020. PMID: 37947336; PMCID: PMC10637025.
- Ezeani A, Tcheugui JBE, Agurs-Collins T. Sex/gender differences in metabolic syndrome among cancer survivors in the US: an NHANES analysis. J Cancer Surviv. 2023 Jun 22. doi: 10.1007/s11764-023-01404-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37347429.
Current and/or past BRP mentors include Tanya Agurs-Collins.
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