MEET THE TEAM
Principal Investigators
Jim Lacey
Dr. James V. Lacey, Jr. is a cancer epidemiologist with expertise in female reproductive cancers. His current work focuses on innovative ways that informatics, analytics, and data science can improve epidemiologic research.
Elena Martinez
Dr. Elena Martinez is a cancer epidemiologist with expertise in cancer disparities. She has experience leading and coordinating national and international research projects. Her current work focuses on breast and gastrointestinal cancers.
Team Members
Cheryl Anderson
Dr. Anderson is a Professor and founding Dean of the University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. Dr. Anderson's research focuses on nutrition and chronic disease prevention using observational epidemiologic study designs, randomized clinical trials, and implementation science.
Jennifer Benbow
Jennifer Benbow has been a study manager and database architect with the CTS since 2013. She manages biobanking and survey projects; built and maintains the database and related software that support study tracking and participant correspondence; and provides project management support for the analytic data warehouse.
Sandeep Chandra
Sandeep Chandra is the Director for the SDSC Health CI Division and the Executive Director for Sherlock Cloud. Sandeep Chandra provides strategic vision, direction, management and implementation of concepts and methodologies for building CTS’s technology platform including the secure cloud and the data warehouse environment.
Jessica Clague DeHart
Dr. Jessica Clague DeHart is a molecular epidemiologist and assistant professor of community and global health. Her research focuses on examining the biological mechanisms underlying associations between modifiable risk factors and cancer prevention and survival.
Christine Duffy
Christine (Chris) Duffy has worked as a study manager on the California Teachers Study (CTS) since 1999! She has managed the collection of biospecimens, the validation of nutritional data and the innovation of better ways to improve the data collection experience for study participants.
Hannah Lui Park
Dr. Hannah Lui Park's research focuses on the effects of genetic variations on breast cancer risk. She is also interested in how lifestyle and environmental factors influence risk for diseases and the discovery of genetic and epigenetic markers for disease risk and early detection.
Kristen Savage
Kristen Savage has been with the California Teachers Study since 2015. As a Senior Research Study Program Manager, Kristen manages California Teachers Study programs and operations as well as leading participant engagement efforts.
Emma Spielfogel
Emma Spielfogel joined the California Teachers Study team in 2018. As a Senior Research Data & Report Analyst, Emma manages the CTS’ data activities and environment, provides analytic support to researchers, and leads efforts to visualize CTS data in innovative ways.
Caroline Thompson
Dr. Thompson is Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at UNC. Dr. Thompson's research focuses on understanding and improving cancer disparities through analysis of administrative claims, electronic health records, and other sources of "real world data".
Sophia Wang
Dr. Sophia Wang's research focuses on lymphoma and other blood-related cancers and seeks to understand the role of immunity and inflammation in cancer among women. She is also researching other chronic diseases which disproportionately affect women.