Sarah Jackson, Ph.D., M.P.H. (she/her)
NCI Shady Grove
Biography
Sarah Jackson, Ph.D., M.P.H. (she/her), joined DCEG as a postdoctoral fellow in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch (IIB) in 2018, and was inducted into the NIH Independent Research Scholar Program and promoted to research fellow in 2021. She was selected as an Earl Stadtman tenure-track investigator and an NIH Distinguished Scholar in 2023. Dr. Jackson earned an M.P.H. in epidemiology in 2008 from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and a Ph.D. in epidemiology in 2018 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Dr. Jackson has received numerous awards for her work, including the Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fellowship for Women Scientists in Cancer Research, NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence, the NCI Director’s Intramural Innovation Award, William G. Coleman Jr. Ph.D., Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Innovation Award, and the DCEG Intramural Research Award.
Research Interests
Dr. Jackson’s research seeks to understand how the mechanisms by which differences in both sex and gender identity impact cancer risk and outcomes. Specifically, her research addresses how sex differences (hormones, chromosomes, etc.) influence cancer risk and survival.
Sex Differences in Cancer Incidence and Survival
Men and Cancer
Read Dr. Jackson's comments in the article "Men and Cancer", appearing in Cancer Today, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research®.
Sex and gender differences are especially stark in cancer incidence and survival where men have at least a 2–3 times higher risk than women of developing and dying from most non-reproductive cancers. Historically, this male predominance has been attributed to increased risk-taking behaviors among men contrasted with the health-seeking behaviors of women. However, a growing body of research has found that differences in hormones, chromosomes, and gene expression between males and females affect immune response to infections and cancer. Dr. Jackson’s research seeks to understand the relative contributions of these factors in the sex differences in non-reproductive cancer incidence and survival.
Current Fellows
Beth Maclin, Ph.D.
Ishita Singh, D.P.H., M.P.H., B.D.S.
Former Fellows
Reneé Brown, B.S.
Sararat (Joy) Tosakoon, B.S.
Press Contacts
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