Rachel Ceballos

Rachel Ceballos, PhD, is a Senior Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and holds the Huntsman Cancer Institute Endowed Chair in Cancer Research in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. She is also an Associate Professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and an Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Washington (UW) School of Public Health. Her academic career spans roles as Program Lead for Rural Health at the Fred Hutch/UW/Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium and leadership in equity-focused initiatives.

Dr. Ceballos earned her Bachelor of Psychology from California State University, Long Beach, and a PhD in Biobehavioral Health from Penn State University. Her postdoctoral training at UW expanded her expertise to community-engaged research addressing cancer inequities. She integrates laboratory research with community partnerships, focusing on marginalized populations including African American, Native American, and Latino communities.

Her research emphasizes mixed-methods studies on psychosocial impacts of cancer and bidirectional learning between researchers and communities. She leads the Outreach Core of the Partnership for the Advancement of Cancer Research (U54), fostering collaboration between academia and communities. Dr. Ceballos actively serves on EDI committees, including the National Latino Cancer Summit Steering Committee and Susan G. Komen Puget Sound’s LGBTQ Initiative.

Her professional service includes board memberships with Cancer Lifeline and UW School of Public Health admissions. Beyond academia, she enjoys social dancing, including salsa and west coast swing.