Jacqueline B. Vo, Ph.D., R.N., M.P.H.

Tenure-Track Investigator

Radiation Epidemiology Branch

NCI Shady Grove | Room 7E534

240-449-7168

jacqueline.vo@nih.gov

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Biography

Jacqueline B. Vo, Ph.D., R.N., M.P.H., joined the Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB) as a Cancer Prevention Postdoctoral Fellow in 2019 and was the first nurse appointed as an assistant clinical investigator within NCI in 2022. In 2023, Dr. Vo was selected for the competitive NIH Distinguished Scholars Program. In 2024, she was appointed as a tenure-track investigator in REB. She is credentialed as a nurse in the NIH Clinical Center.

Four graphs displaying leading-cause death rates among Asian Americans (sections with white background), and Pacific Islanders (sections with gray background. The first set of graphs shows data on females, age 20-84, while the second set of graphs shows data on males, age 20-84. Pacific Islander females and males experienced higher death rates in all categories compared with their Asian American counterparts.

Asian American, Pacific Islander Adults Have Distinct Overall, Leading-Cause Death Rates

Drs. Vo, Shing, and their colleagues observed significantly higher death rates among Pacific Islander individuals compared to Asian Americans, demonstrating continued need to disaggregate AAPI health data.

Dr. Vo earned her B.S. in nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2014. After graduation, she worked as a cardiothoracic intensive care nurse and community oncology nurse. Dr. Vo completed a Ph.D. in nursing science at UAB in 2018, where she studied breast cancer survivorship. During her Ph.D. training, she was a Robert Wood Johnson Future of Nursing Scholar, Susan G. Komen Graduate Trainee in Research, and recipient of the American Cancer Society Doctoral Degree Scholarship in Cancer Nursing. In 2019, Dr. Vo earned an M.P.H. in quantitative methods from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Vo has received numerous awards, including the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program Transfellowship Research Award, the Coleman Research Innovation Award, the DCEG Fellow's Cancer Research Award, the NCI Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program Merit Award, and the NCI Director’s Award: NCI Champion Awards for Emerging Leader and Outstanding Mentor. In 2022, Dr. Vo received the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence and the American Association for Cancer Research Scholar-In-Training Award.

Research Interests

Dr. Vo’s interdisciplinary research program center on adverse treatment-related health effects among cancer survivors, particularly cardiovascular disease and subsequent malignancies, and how these outcomes might differ across various populations.

Some Breast Cancer Treatments Linked to Long-term Cardiovascular Disease Risk

This study may inform long-term and age-specific cardiovascular disease follow-up for breast cancer survivors.

Treatment-Related Cardiovascular Disease

Dr. Vo has an interest in studying the intersection between cancer and cardiovascular disease, which share certain risk factors. Cardiovascular disease is a growing public health concern for cancer survivors due to treatment-related cardiotoxicity. Cancer treatments, such as chest irradiation, anthracycline-based chemotherapy, trastuzumab, and endocrine therapy, are associated with increased risks of cardiotoxicity. Breast cancer survivors comprise the largest population of cancer survivors and experience increased cardiovascular disease risk compared to the general population. Dr. Vo studies treatment-related cardiovascular disease by leveraging NCI’s Kaiser Permanente Breast Cancer Survivors Cohort, which is a multi-site cohort with detailed medical record data, prescription data, and long-term follow-up for which she serves as co-principal investigator. Dr. Vo is also leading studies on treatment-related cardiovascular disease among survivors of hematologic malignancies, who also receive cardiotoxic cancer treatments.

Treatment-Related Subsequent Malignancies

To understand better the risk factors associated with subsequent malignancies, Dr. Vo has an interest in studying the intersection of ionizing radiation treatment, chemotherapy, and comorbidities including cardiovascular disease on the risk of second cancers, such as thoracic soft tissues sarcomas, among cancer survivors. The results of her studies can better inform clinical decision-making on treatment risks and benefits and improve the quality of life of cancer survivors.

Health Differences Among Cancer Survivors

Dr. Vo is also interested in quantifying health differences among cancer survivors, including the disaggregation of Asian American and Pacific Islander populations. Dr. Vo has led the expansion of the NCI’s Kaiser Permanente Breast Cancer Survivors Cohort to include additional Kaiser Permanente centers, add cardiovascular disease as an outcome, and link to area-level attributes. Through these studies, Dr. Vo investigates health differences across cancer incidence, mortality, and treatment-related cardiovascular disease or subsequent malignancies.