Roshan Bastani, PhD

Dr. Roshan Bastani, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and Director of the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity and Co-Director of the UCLA Center for Cancer Prevention and Control Research. In the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, she is Director for Community Engagement. She also served an 11-year term as Associate Dean for Research in the School of Public Health.

Dr. Bastani is a social and health psychologist who has been conducting population science intervention research for over 35 years, with a focus on implementing rigorous yet pragmatic individual, community, and system-directed intervention trials to improve quality of care and health outcomes. She has led a large number of studies involving communities with limited access to health resources in both clinical and community settings, and has had continuous research funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1988. Her research is conceptually grounded and includes strong community partnerships. Her methodological expertise includes survey research; qualitative and quantitative methods; research design; comparative effectiveness trials; program evaluation; implementation science; and utilization of electronic health records and other administrative databases for research. She teaches doctoral-level courses in Implementation Science Theory and Methodology and Grant Proposal Writing.

Dr. Bastani's research includes studies on breast, colorectal, lung, cervix, and prostate cancer screening and diagnostic follow-up; hepatitis B screening; tobacco control; melanoma prevention; obesity control; liver disease; and HPV vaccine uptake. This work includes examination of factors contributing to differences in health outcomes across populations, implementation of pragmatic intervention trials, methodological studies, as well as studies to advance theory in the field. Examples of current/recent research include system-focused pragmatic implementation trials to increase HPV vaccine uptake among adolescents in the county health department and two large multi-site Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) (NCI R01; PCORI); a system-level cluster-randomized obesity prevention trial set in preschools located in underserved neighborhoods (NICHD R01); a trial of a multilevel, system intervention to improve CRC screening in a large FQHC serving under-insured and uninsured patients (CA-TRDRP); a cluster randomized trial to increase diagnostic follow-up of abnormal findings on Fecal Immunochemical testing (NCI R01); an evaluation of effective approaches for reducing the excess cervical cancer burden in Malawi and Kenya (NCI R37); a trial of a multilevel health system intervention to increase surveillance colonoscopy for high risk polyps (NCI R01); and studies to increase uptake of lung cancer screening, including at community hospitals (Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, CA-TRDRP), and reduce tobacco use among high-risk groups (CA-TRDRP). In addition to conducting her own research, one of her major contributions to science and society has been the mentoring of junior investigators, particularly individuals traditionally underrepresented in science and those interested in research to address health disparities. Dr. Bastani’s approach to mentoring incorporates attention to career advancement, navigating the academic environment, establishing effective collaborations and mentoring teams, managing expectations, work-life balance, and assistance with obtaining independent research funding. For over 15 years, she led a National Cancer Institute post-doctoral career development program with a heavy focus on transdisciplinary cancer control training and disparities research.

Tsui J, Singhal R, Rodriguez HP, Gee GC, Glenn BA, Bastani R. Proximity to safety-net clinics and HPV vaccine uptake among low-income, ethnic minority girls. Vaccine. 2013 Apr 12;31(16):2028-34. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.02.046. Epub 2013 Mar 6.

Bastani R, Glenn BA, Tsui J, Chang LC, Marchand E, Taylor VM, Singhal R, Marchand EJ. Understanding suboptimal human papillomavirus vaccine uptake among ethnic minority girls. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011 Jul;20(7):1463-72. Epub 2011 May 20

Maxwell AE, Bastani R, Danao LL, Antonio C, Garcia GM, Crespi CM. Results of a community-based randomized trial to increase colorectal cancer screening among Filipino Americans. Am J Public Health. 2010 Nov;100(11):2228-34. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.176230. Epub 2010 Sep 23.

Bastani R, Yabroff KR, Myers RE, Glenn B. Interventions to improve follow-up of abnormal findings in cancer screening. Cancer. 2004 Sep 1;101(5 Suppl):1188-200.

Bastani R, Kaplan CP, Maxwell AE, Nisenbaum R, Pearce J, Marcus AC. Initial and repeat mammography screening in a low income multi-ethnic population in Los Angeles. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1995 Mar;4(2):161-7.