M. Robyn Andersen

Appointments and Affiliations
 
 
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Public Health Sciences Division
Molecular Diagnostics Program
Full Member, Appointed: 2012
University of Washington
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Health Services
Affiliate Associate Professor, Appointed: 2010
 Professional Headshot of M. Robyn Andersen

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 19024
M2-B230
1100 Fairview Avenue N
Seattle, Washington 98109-1024
United States

Contact

Phone: (206) 667-6684
Fax: (206) 667-7264
rander@fhcrc.org

Degrees

M.P.H., University of Washington, Public Health, 1996.
Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook, Social Psychology, 1994.
M.A., State University of New York at Stony Brook, Psychology, 1992.

Research Interests

As advances in medical care only improve public health when they are adopted and used by patients and physicians, my research examines issues related to the adoption of medical technologies for the prevention and treatment of cancer. In my work I try to bridge the disciplines of Health Psychology and Epidemiology using behavioral theory to understand the effect of medical interventions on people's understanding of their health and to develop interventions to improve public health.

This work has included; examinations of the effects of cancer screening on at risk women's sense of well being, and the effects of involvement in decision-making about testing for recurrant disease after cancer on breast cancer survivors' quality of life, effects of decision making about cancer treatment on cancer survivor's quality of life, and most recently on the effects of CAM use on cancer screening and diagnosis.

Future Research

I am currently involved in projects examining psychosocial predictors of quality of life for breast and ovarian cancer survivors, the influence of CAM on cancer diagnosis and treatment and the potential of a symptoms index to improve early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Memberships

American Psychological Association
American Society of Preventive Oncology
Society of Behavioral Medicine

Honors and Awards

2002, Best Paper Award, Health Education and Behavior
2000-2002, Career Development Award, Pacific Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium Specialized program of research excellence (SPORE)
1996, New Young Investigator, American Society of Preventive Oncology
1994-1996, Post-doctoral Trainee, National Institutes of Health Training Grant, Cancer Prevention
1993, Contribution to Undergraduate Teaching Award, State University of New York @ Stony Brook

Previous Positions

2003-1012, Associate Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Cancer Prevention, Public Health Sciences Division
1997-2003, Assistant Member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Cancer Prevention, Public Health Sciences Division
1996-1997, Staff Scientist, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Public Health Sciences Division
1994-1996, Postdoctoral Fellow, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Public Health Sciences Division

Funding

  • American Cancer Society (ACS): Study of Cancer Survivors - Prevalence, Sep 2002 to Sep 2003.
  • National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute: SPORE Project 5: Improving Quality of Life for Women with Ovarian Cancer, Sep 1999 to Oct 2004.
  • National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute: Quality of life effects of providing risk education and screening for ovarian cancer, Oct 1997 to Oct 2002.
  • National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute: Cost analysis of colon cancer screening promotion, May 2000 to May 2004.
  • National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute: Effects on Quality of Life of Consumer Involvement in Decision-Making, May 1996 to Sep 1997.
  • National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute: Assessment of quality of life and risk communications: The cancer genetic network ovarian cancer screening pilot trial in women at high risk for ovarian cancer, Jul 1998 to May 2003.
  • National Insitutes of Health / National Cancer Institute: Development of a strategy for examination of the hypothesis that distress influence cancer recovery through immunological mechansisms, Dec 2000 to Dec 2002.
  • National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute: Predicting Ovarian Cancer in a Population of at Risk Women, Dec 2000 to Dec 2002.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): Use of complementary and alternative medical (CAM) providers by cancer patients, 2005 to 2008.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): Smoking Acquisition and Cessation During Young Adulthood, 2004 to 2008.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): Role of social enviroments on youth smoking acuisition, 2003 to 2006.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): A longitudinal study of quality of life and immune system function in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, 1999 to 2004.

 

Recent Publications

2013
Andersen, MR, Sweet E, Lowe KA, Standish LJ, Drescher CW, Goff BA.  2013.  Dangerous Combinations: Ingestible CAM Supplement Use During Chemotherapy in Patients with Ovarian Cancer.. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.). Abstract
Sweet, ES, Standish LJ, Goff BA, Andersen MR.  2013.  Adverse Events Associated With Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Ovarian Cancer Patients.. Integrative cancer therapies. Abstract
2012
Andersen, MR, Sweet E, Lowe KA, Standish LJ, Drescher CW, Goff BA.  2012.  Involvement in decision-making about treatment and ovarian cancer survivor quality of life.. Gynecologic oncology. 124(3):465-470. Abstract
Goff, BA, Lowe KA, Kane JC, Robertson MD, Gaul MA, Andersen MR.  2012.  Symptom triggered screening for ovarian cancer: a pilot study of feasibility and acceptability.. Gynecologic oncology. 124(2):230-5. Abstract
2011
Andersen, MR.  2011.  Symptoms of breast cancer in an age of technologic screening.. Journal of women's health (2002). 20(8):1129-31.
2010
Andersen, MR, Goff BA, Lowe KA, Scholler N, Bergan L, Drescher CW, Paley P, Urban ND.  2010.  Use of a Symptom Index, CA125, and HE4 to predict ovarian cancer.. Gynecologic oncology. 116(3):378-83. Abstract
2009
Shah, CA, Lowe KA, Paley P, Wallace E, Anderson GL, McIntosh MW, Andersen MR, Scholler N, Bergan LA, Thorpe JD et al..  2009.  Influence of ovarian cancer risk status on the diagnostic performance of the serum biomarkers mesothelin, HE4, and CA125.. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology. 18(5):1365-72. Abstract
Bricker, JB, Rajan BK, Zalewski M, Ramey M, Peterson AV, Andersen MR.  2009.  Psychological and social risk factors in adolescent smoking transitions: a population-based longitudinal study.. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association. 28(4):439-47. Abstract
Andersen, MR, Bowen DJ, Morea J, Stein KD, Baker F.  2009.  Involvement in decision-making and breast cancer survivor quality of life.. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association. 28(1):29-37. Abstract
Lowe, KA, Andersen MR, Urban ND, Paley P, Drescher CW, Goff BA.  2009.  The temporal stability of the Symptom Index among women at high-risk for ovarian cancer.. Gynecologic oncology. 114(2):225-30. Abstract
2008
Lowe, KA, Shah C, Wallace E, Anderson G, Paley P, McIntosh MW, Andersen MR, Scholler N, Bergan L, Thorpe J et al..  2008.  Effects of personal characteristics on serum CA125, mesothelin, and HE4 levels in healthy postmenopausal women at high-risk for ovarian cancer.. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology. 17(9):2480-7. Abstract
Lafferty, WE, Tyree PT, Devlin SM, Andersen MR, Diehr PK.  2008.  Complementary and alternative medicine provider use and expenditures by cancer treatment phase.. The American journal of managed care. 14(5):326-34. Abstract
Andersen, MR, Goff BA, Lowe KA, Scholler N, Bergan L, Drescher CW, Paley P, Urban ND.  2008.  Combining a symptoms index with CA 125 to improve detection of ovarian cancer.. Cancer. 113(3):484-9. Abstract
Andersen, MR, Bowen DJ, Morea J, Stein K, Baker F.  2008.  Frequent search for sense by long-term breast cancer survivors associated with reduced HRQOL.. Women & health. 47(4):19-37. Abstract
2007
Bricker, JB, Peterson AV, Andersen MR, Sarason IG, Rajan BK, Leroux BG.  2007.  Parents' and older siblings' smoking during childhood: changing influences on smoking acquisition and escalation over the course of adolescence.. Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. 9(9):915-26. Abstract
Bricker, JB, Andersen MR, Rajan BK, Sarason IG, Peterson AV.  2007.  The role of schoolmates' smoking and non-smoking in adolescents' smoking transitions: a longitudinal study.. Addiction (Abingdon, England). 102(10):1665-75. Abstract
Bricker, JB, Peterson AV, Sarason IG, Andersen MR, Rajan BK.  2007.  Changes in the influence of parents' and close friends' smoking on adolescent smoking transitions.. Addictive behaviors. 32(4):740-57. Abstract