Camille Ragin

Camille Ragin, PhD, MPH is a Professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC), where she serves as Associate Director for Cancer Disparities Research and Research Integration within the Office of Research Initiatives for Strategic Excellence (RISE). She is Principal Investigator of The African Caribbean Cancer Consortium (AC3) and a member of the NCCN Advancing Cancer Care Access for All Forum Program. Her work focuses on understanding and addressing cancer disparities among populations of African ancestry through molecular epidemiology research.

Dr. Ragin earned her BS in Medical Laboratory Sciences from Hunter College, New York, NY, followed by a PhD in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology and an MPH in Epidemiology, both from the University of Pittsburgh, PA. Her educational background provides a strong foundation for her interdisciplinary approach to cancer disparities research.

Dr. Ragin's research focuses on the Molecular Epidemiology of Cancer in the African Diaspora, examining the genomic basis for cancer risks and outcomes among populations of African ancestry. She founded and leads the African Caribbean Cancer Consortium (AC3), a global effort to assess cancer burden in the African Diaspora. She established the Cancer Prevention Project of Philadelphia (CAP3), a multicultural community-based cohort of healthy participants, and the African Cancer Genome Registry (AGR), a multi-national cohort of Black participants diagnosed with cancer. Her work has particularly focused on racial disparities in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, where she has demonstrated that differences in outcomes between Black and White patients may be independent of barriers to care and screening.

Her recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on cancer disparities research, with particular focus on prostate cancer, head and neck cancer, and HPV-related cancers among populations of African ancestry. Her work increasingly incorporates advanced methodologies including AI applications, neighborhood-level variables, and genetic feedback mechanisms to better understand and address health inequities. She maintains a strong commitment to community engagement and participatory research approaches that empower underserved populations.

• AACR Team Science Award, African Caribbean Cancer Consortium Team (2023)
• International Community Service Award, TJB - Philadelphia, PA (2015)
• My Sisters' Health Watch Distinguished Stakeholder (2015)
• Citation from City Council of Philadelphia (2015, 2012)
• American Cancer Society's Cancer Control Award (2016)
• Charles Gordon Henry Award (2012)
• Keleti Prize for Excellence in Environmental Health (2005)

Dr. Ragin actively mentors the next generation of scientists, particularly from underrepresented backgrounds. Her lab includes doctoral students, postdoctoral associates, and research staff working on various aspects of cancer disparities research. She serves as mentor and trainer for students recruited from historically black colleges through the Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship program. Her community engagement model has been successfully adapted in both the Caribbean and Philadelphia metropolitan area, facilitating strong recruitment of participants of African ancestry for population-based molecular epidemiology studies.

Dr. Ragin leads the Cancer Prevention and Control research program with a dedicated team including doctoral students, research specialists, and administrative support. Her laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular basis for cancer disparities, particularly in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma among populations of African ancestry. The AC3 serves as a broad-based resource for education, training and research on cancer etiology, screening, prevention, treatment and survivorship related to populations of African descent.