Find Academic Supervisors

Stephanie E. CombsView profile

Professor

• Radiation Oncology
• Radiation Therapy
• Highly Conformal Radiation Therapy
• +8 more

Prof. Dr. Stephanie E. Combs is a leading academic in Radiation Oncology at Technische Universität München (TUM), holding the position of Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. She also serves as the Dean of the TUM Faculty of Medicine since 2022. Her expertise spans highly conformal radiation therapy techniques (e.g., IMRT/IGRT/ART, proton, and carbon ion therapy), with a focus on brain and skull base tumors, pediatric oncology, gastrointestinal oncology, and biomarker-driven therapies. Prof. Combs studied medicine in Heidelberg and the United States, completed postdoctoral training in Heidelberg, and became Vice Chair of Radiation Oncology there before joining TUM in 2014. She has held leadership roles, including heading the TUM Senate from 2019 to 2022. Her research emphasizes precision medicine, radiation biology, and translational radiotherapy innovations. Her awards include the Basic/Translational Senior Science Award (2019), Robert Janker Award (2012), and multiple honors from German and international radiation oncology societies. Her work bridges clinical practice and research, with contributions to guidelines on target delineation for glioblastoma and skull base tumors. Prof. Combs’ publications focus on advancing radiation techniques, radiomics, and personalized therapy, with over 300 peer-reviewed articles. She leads initiatives in education, including a Master of Science program in Radiation Biology, and collaborates internationally in translational research.

Yingye ZhengView profile

Professor

• Biostatistics
• Cancer Biomarker Research
• Medical Decision-Making
• +6 more

Dr. Yingye Zheng is a Professor in the Biostatistics Program within the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Fred Hutch) and an Affiliate Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine. She serves as the Contact Principal Investigator for the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) Data Management and Coordinating Center and is a Member of the Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC) at Fred Hutch. Dr. Zheng earned her PhD in Biostatistics from the University of Washington in 2002, following an MS in Biostatistics (1999), an MA in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis (1997), and a BS in Psychology from Peking University (1992). Her research focuses on developing novel statistical tools for medical decision-making related to disease screening, diagnosis, prognosis, and outcome prediction. Dr. Zheng specializes in evaluating the clinical utility of biomarkers and risk models with censored time-to-event outcomes, dynamic risk prediction using longitudinal biomarkers, and evaluating cancer screening processes using electronic medical records. Her work is deeply integrated with national research networks including the EDRN and PROSPR (Population-Based Research Optimizing Screening through Personalized Regimens). Dr. Zheng's extensive publication record demonstrates leadership in statistical methodology for cancer biomarker research, particularly in prostate cancer active surveillance, liquid biopsy technologies, and cancer screening trial design. Her recent work has focused on improving randomized cancer screening trials, polygenic risk scores, and novel approaches to biomarker validation with time-to-event outcomes. Fellow of the American Statistical Association (2021) Principal Investigator for $7.5 million NCI grant for cancer screening statistical coordination center Co-Principal Investigator for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) research grant on randomized screening trial design Lead Statistician for the Prostate cancer Active Surveillance Study (PASS) Principal Investigator for Liquid Biopsy Consortium Data Management and Coordinating Unit As Director of COMPASS (Coordinating Multiple Projects in Applied Statistical Science), Dr. Zheng leads multi-center studies in public health research, providing statistical methodology, data management, and study coordination for several large-scale research networks. Her Zheng Lab develops statistical software packages for biomarker validation and risk prediction, including R packages like survAccuracyMeasures, partlyconditional, and longsurvAccuracyMeasures.

Hiro FarabiView profile

Researcher

• Health Economics
• Public Health
• Healthcare Policy
• +8 more

Dr. Hiro Farabi is a Health Economist at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), affiliated with the Wolfson Institute of Population Health and the Pragmatic Clinical Trials Unit (PCTU) at the Centre for Evaluation and Methods (CEM). He holds a BSc from the University of Isfahan (2007), an MSc in Economics from Urmiya University (2010), and a PhD in Health Economics from Iran University of Medical Sciences (2021). His research focuses on health economics methodologies including cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, activity-based costing, and systematic reviews of economic evaluations. Key interests include decision-analytic modeling, revealed and stated preferences in healthcare, and outcome assessment frameworks. His work spans diverse areas such as cancer screening economics, palliative care cost analyses, telemedicine utilization, and vaccine demand in low- and middle-income countries. He has published extensively on healthcare cost drivers in Iranian hospitals and contributed to studies on genetic testing, osteoporosis burden, and medical education costs. His affiliations with PCTU and CEM reflect his involvement in methodological and translational research in population health. Recent publications highlight themes of optimizing healthcare resource allocation, evaluating telemedicine impacts, and modeling patient willingness-to-pay for preventive care. His systematic reviews synthesize evidence on cost-effectiveness of treatments like osimertinib and palliative care interventions.

• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Implementation Science
• Oncology Care
• +4 more

Dr. Natasha Roberts is a Senior Research Fellow at the UQ Centre for Clinical Research and a Conjoint Research Fellow/Lecturer in Nursing within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Queensland. With a Doctor of Philosophy from Queensland University of Technology, she has established herself as a prominent researcher in patient-centered cancer care and implementation science. Her research interests focus on: Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) implementation in clinical care Health equity in cancer treatment for culturally and linguistically diverse populations Aged care quality assessment and improvement Oncology clinical trials participation barriers and facilitators Nursing research and clinical research pathways development mHealth applications in chronic disease management Dr. Roberts' extensive publication record demonstrates a strong commitment to improving healthcare delivery through evidence-based implementation of patient-centered approaches. Her work bridges implementation science with practical clinical applications, particularly in oncology and aged care settings. She has led significant studies on PRO implementation in medical oncology (the iPROMOS study), explored equity issues in cancer care for diverse populations in Queensland, and investigated factors influencing clinical trial participation in Australia. Dr. Roberts is actively involved in research supervision and has secured competitive funding including: The SUrvive and ThRive intErvention (SURE): Addressing unmet needs for men after prostate cancer treatment (2024-2026) Pharmacogenomics for better treatment of fungal infections in cancer (2023-2026) She currently supervises a Master of Philosophy student researching multi-factor determinants influencing oncology trial participation in Australia as Associate Advisor and previously served as Principal Advisor for a PhD student developing quality indicators for Australian aged care assessment services completed in 2025. Her work with the Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group demonstrates her strong connection to clinical research networks.

Kevin J. MuddView profile

Associate Clinical Professor

• Radiation Oncology
• Cancer Treatment
• Palliative Care
• +6 more

Kevin J. Mudd, M.D. serves as a part-time Associate Professor of Clinical Radiation Oncology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, practicing at Wilmot Cancer Institute in Batavia, NY, and maintaining medical staff privileges at Wyoming County Community Hospital, United Memorial Medical Center, and Medina Memorial Hospital. His educational background includes: MD from State University of New York at Brooklyn (1991) Residency in Internal Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital (1991-1992) Residency in Radiation Oncology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (1992-1996) Dr. Mudd specializes in treating head/neck cancers, lung, breast, prostate, and thyroid cancers (including radioactive iodine therapy), with additional expertise in palliative care and pain management. His patient-centered approach emphasizes clear communication and evidence-based treatment plans tailored to individual circumstances, particularly addressing gaps in understanding from prior consultations. He maintains exceptional patient satisfaction ratings (4.9/5 stars) across communication, empathy, and treatment explanation categories, with consistent praise for thoroughness and compassionate care in recent patient comments through May 2025.

• Psychosocial Oncology
• Health Psychology
• Cancer Survivorship
• +5 more

Sara MacLennan is a Personal Chair (Professor) at the University of Aberdeen, affiliated with the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition. She serves as Deputy Director of the Academic Urology Unit and Director of Operations for UCAN (Urological CANcer charity). Additionally, she holds an honorary contract with NHS Grampian and is an Honorary Research Fellow at Birkbeck University of London. Dr. MacLennan is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and a registered health psychologist with the Health & Care Professions Council. Her academic journey has established her as a leading figure in psychosocial oncology and health psychology with expertise in qualitative research methodology. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of cancer and treatment on individuals' lives and developing methods for involving diverse stakeholder groups in care design and delivery. She leads the Aberdeen Applied Cancer Research Group (ICANTREAT) which employs an interdisciplinary approach building global partnerships across academia, patient communities, non-profits, professional organizations, and policymakers. Her work spans cancer survivorship, supportive care, stakeholder engagement, and implementation science in healthcare contexts. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on cancer care, particularly prostate cancer and urological cancers, with significant involvement in large international consortia including PIONEER (prostate cancer big data) and OPTIMA (AI for solid tumors). Her research integrates patient perspectives with clinical practice guidelines, often using mixed-methods approaches to bridge qualitative insights with quantitative outcomes in healthcare implementation. European Cancer Organisation Steering Committee for Survivorship and Quality of Life British Psychosocial Oncology Society Executive Committee National Cancer Research Institute – Living With and Beyond Cancer Workstream European Association of Urologists Patient Advocacy Group Dr. MacLennan currently leads eleven funded projects totaling £5,644,624 across three main themes: stakeholder engagement in cancer care design (including ICANBE and EVOLVE), implementation of better cancer care (including OPTIMA and PARTNER), and delivery of care for urology and long-term conditions (including CATHETER II and PACFIND). She actively supervises PhD students interested in cancer survivorship and supportive care. She leads the ICANTREAT research group which focuses on understanding the impact of cancer on individuals' lives and improving patient involvement in care design. Her current projects include ICANBE (managing fear of cancer recurrence), EVOLVE (giving patients voice in clinical guidelines), ICANTREATNEPAL/ICANTREATINDIA (increasing participation in cancer screening in low-resource settings), and PIONEER (enhancing prostate cancer diagnosis through big data).

Jennifer GirschikView profile

Academic

• Epidemiology
• Cancer
• Sleep
• +3 more

Dr. Jennifer Girschik is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia's School of Population and Global Health. She concurrently serves as a Principal Policy Officer in the Western Australian Department of Health's Public Health Strategy and Biosecurity Unit, focusing on pandemic response and project management during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, she held research roles at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the University of Western Australia, investigating sleep, occupational factors, and their links to breast, prostate, and bowel cancers. Roles: Adjunct Research Fellow, Principal Policy Officer (WA Department of Health) Affiliations: School of Population and Global Health (UWA), IARC Monographs Program Her research expertise spans epidemiology, cancer risk factors, and sleep's impact on health. Key contributions include studies on carcinogenicity of night shift work, industrial chemicals, and opium consumption. She has co-authored over 24 peer-reviewed publications and contributed to two grants addressing cancer epidemiology and chronic lymphocytic leukemia outcomes. Grants & Projects: NHMRC Equipment Grants (2009): Investigator for Actiwatch Spectrum Bank study Cancer after Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (2008): Investigator for Leukaemia Foundation-funded research Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to good health and well-being (SDG 3). No specific scientific awards are documented here.

• Digital Health
• Self-Driven Digital Healthcare
• Long-Term Condition Management
• +7 more

Dr. Patricia Schartau is a Clinical Associate Professor in Primary Care at University College London's Primary Care & Population Health Department, based at the Royal Free Hospital Campus. She serves as co-deputy lead of the eHealth Unit, NIHR School for Primary Care Research UCL Training & Capacity Budget lead, and NHSE Pan-London Academic GP Training Programme Director. Her professional roles include being a practicing GP at Hampstead Group Practice, sitting on the RCGP Scientific Advisory Board, providing consultancy for healthcare start-ups, and serving as an NHSE Clinical Entrepreneur Fellow and trustee for two National Charities. Education: BA in Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford PhD in Clinical Psychology & Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Cambridge MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), King's College London PGCert in Applied Research Methods with Merit, King's College London MRCGP (Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners) Diploma in Sexual & Reproductive Health (DFSRH) Dr. Schartau's research focuses on digitally-enabled healthcare solutions, particularly self-driven digital healthcare for long-term condition management with emphasis on cancer care. Her work examines evidence-practice gaps in clinical pathways to develop, deploy, and evaluate digital solutions that optimize healthcare experiences while supporting overstretched systems. She investigates how digital innovations impact patient-healthcare professional relationships, shared decision-making processes, and medical education. As a mixed-methods researcher, she employs systematic reviews, meta-analyses, cohort studies, RCTs, qualitative methods, and electronic health record analysis. Her publication portfolio reveals a strong pattern of research at the intersection of digital health, sexual dysfunction (particularly in prostate cancer patients), and mental health interventions. Over 70% of her recent work focuses on digital health applications across oncology, mental health, and primary care settings, with particular attention to sexual health issues in cancer patients and the effectiveness of social media interventions for mental health awareness. Dr. Schartau actively supervises medical, MSc and PhD students, post-docs, and Academic Fellows. She serves as MBBS Y4 & Y5 GP Mental Health Programme lead, BSc in Primary Care Research and Clinical Practice Digital Health Module lead, and Sexual Health Module deputy lead. She also acts as a pastoral and personal tutor and mentor for undergraduate and postgraduate students. She leads the eHealth Unit's research initiatives focused on person-centered self-driven healthcare solutions, with particular emphasis on remote monitoring and addressing health inequalities. Her work aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and 4 (Quality Education), demonstrating commitment to both healthcare improvement and educational advancement.

Favil SinghView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Exercise Medicine
• Cancer Rehabilitation
• Prehabilitation
• +3 more

Dr Favil Singh is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Edith Cowan University's School of Medical and Health Sciences, affiliated with the Exercise Medicine Research Institute (EMRI). He specializes in integrating exercise interventions into cancer care, particularly focusing on prehabilitation for surgical patients and managing treatment-related side effects. His roles include coordinating the M89 Singapore Sport Science program and teaching advanced clinical exercise physiology units. Education: PhD in Exercise Physiology (Edith Cowan University, 2015), Bachelor of Science (Sports Science) Honours (2006), and Diploma in Electronics (Singapore, 1999). Research interests include exercise medicine for oncology patients, prehabilitation protocols, neo-adjuvant therapy support, and metabolic disease management. He has received awards such as the Vice-Chancellors’ Staff Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2020) and the Exercise Medicine Research Institute Early Career Researcher Award (2021). His work spans clinical trials funded by organizations like the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Council of WA. Teaching responsibilities include units on clinical exercise physiology for cardiovascular/pulmonary conditions and cancer/metabolic diseases. Current research projects focus on eccentric exercise effects in aging populations, telehealth exercise interventions, and gender diversity in healthcare systems. He supervises PhD and Master’s students in areas like eccentric training adaptations and exercise oncology.

Neil SpencerView profile

Professor

• Applied Statistics
• Multilevel Modelling
• Multivariate Methods
• +3 more

Neil Spencer is a Professor of Applied Statistics at the Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, where he leads the Statistical Services Consulting Unit. His research focuses on applied statistics across multiple domains, including multilevel modeling, multivariate methods, social statistics, health/medical statistics, and statistical computing. He has extensive experience in commercial and public sector engagement, including high-profile projects such as testing randomness for National Lottery machines and expert witness work in legal proceedings concerning drug contamination. His primary research areas include: Multilevel modeling techniques Multivariate statistical analysis Social and demographic statistics Health and medical statistics Statistical computing and programming Multiple testing methodologies Randomness testing frameworks Analysis of his recent publications reveals strong focus on both methodological innovations and practical applications in health sciences, social policy, and computational statistics. His recent work demonstrates consistent engagement with contemporary issues including labor economics during the pandemic, educational innovations in medicine, and cardiovascular biomarker research. Dr. Spencer teaches courses in data analytics, multivariate statistics, introductory statistics, and statistical computing. He maintains active collaborations across multiple institutions and supervises doctoral students in applied statistics research.

• Men's Ageing
• Gender Studies
• Age and Gender Intersectionality
• +7 more

Hanna Ojala is a Senior Lecturer in the Unit of Social Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University. She earned her PhD in Adult Education in 2011 and became a Docent in Gender Studies in 2015. Research Interests: Her work intersects age, gender, and class in contexts like men’s health, retirement, anti-ageing practices, grandfathering, and communities. She leads the ethnographic Yoga for Old Guys study and co-directs the longitudinal MANage project on Finnish men’s ageing. Additional collaborations include multidisciplinary psychosocial cancer research and feminist pedagogy development. Publications: Frequently appear in journals like Men & Masculinities , Ageing & Society , and The Gerontologist , with thematic emphasis on gendered age relations, bodily norms, and cancer survivorship. Leadership Roles: Vice-Chair, Network for Gender Studies Finland HILMA Vice-Chair, Finnish Association of Critical Studies on Men and Masculinities Board Member, Sukupuolentutkimus-Genusforskning journal

Han YuView profile

Associate Professor

• Modern Causal Inference and Discovery
• Structural/Functional Causal Models
• Bayesian Nonparametrics
• +6 more

Han Yu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Statistics and Research Methods at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), within the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. He joined UNC in 2017 and holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from Florida State University, alongside advanced degrees in Probability and Pure Mathematics. His teaching portfolio includes graduate courses such as Multivariate Analysis, Machine Learning/Data Mining, and Mathematical Statistics. Dr. Yu's research focuses on modeling complex network data through measure-theoretic probabilistic frameworks, emphasizing causal inference, Bayesian nonparametrics, and spatio-temporal statistics. He actively collaborates on interdisciplinary projects leveraging machine learning for structural causal discovery. His work bridges theoretical statistics with applied domains like public health, epidemiology, and computational biology. Key research interests include modern causal inference, hierarchical latent variable models, and network computational methods. His funded projects include an NSF grant for high-performance computing infrastructure and an epigenome-wide study on prostate cancer. Awards highlight his contributions to data science and statistical methodologies. Ph.D. in Statistics, Florida State University MS in Statistics, Florida State University MS in Probability & Statistics, Xiamen University BS in Pure Mathematics, Xiamen University His publications span journals like Journal of Applied Statistics , Computational Statistics & Data Analysis , and Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness . He advises students on research in kernel-based semiparametrics and machine learning applications.

Christina M. LaVecchiaView profile

Assistant Professor

• Rhetoric and Composition
• Writing Pedagogies
• Relational Rhetorics
• +9 more

Christina M. LaVecchia is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Cincinnati and Research Collaborator in the Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit at Mayo Clinic. She specializes in rhetoric and composition, with a focus on writing pedagogies, patient-clinician communication, and qualitative research methods. Education: Ph.D., Rhetoric & Composition, University of Cincinnati (2017) M.A., English, University of Cincinnati (2011) B.A., English & Music, Moravian University (2007) Her research bridges relational rhetorics in academic writing with health services research on shared decision-making. She co-edited Revising Moves: Writing Stories of (Re)Making (2024) and has contributed to journals like College English , The BMJ , and Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality, & Outcomes . Recent publications emphasize trends in patient-centered care , cost communication , and social support systems , reflecting her dual expertise in discipline-based education research and health humanities . Scientific Awards: Relève Étoile Jacques-Genest (2025) University of Cincinnati Teaching Awards (2012, 2014) She previously directed the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program at Neumann University and trains biomedical researchers in scientific writing. Her work on " undercared-for chronic suffering " has been cited in Vox and global health discourse.

Agnieszka MichaelView profile

Professor

• Oncology
• Immunotherapy
• Ovarian Cancer
• +5 more

Professor Agnieszka Michael is a Clinical Academic at the University of Surrey and Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust. She holds a PhD in Cancer Immunotherapy from St George's, University of London. Her research focuses on ovarian and urological cancers, immunotherapy, and managing chemotherapy toxicities in frail patients. She leads clinical trials involving novel immunotherapy agents, gene therapy, and cancer vaccines. Professor Michael has held roles as Clinical Lead for the National Ovarian Cancer Audit, Chair of Non-surgical Oncology at the British Gynaecological Cancer Society, and Director of Surrey Clinical Trials Unit. She contributed to a £1m grant for a cancer patient support app and oversees research on the Electronic Frailty Index's impact on chemotherapy outcomes. Her work includes evaluating Elemental Diet alternatives for nutritional support in inoperable bowel obstruction. She actively participates in NICE clinical guidelines and the NCRN Clinical Research Network.

• Clinical Quality Registries
• Health Services Research
• Data Governance
• +5 more

Professor Susannah Ahern is a medical administrator and academic at Monash University, leading the Clinical Outcomes Data Reporting and Research Program. She serves as the Monash Academic Lead for six national clinical quality registries in dementia, cystic fibrosis, breast devices, spine surgery, and pelvic floor procedures. Her research focuses on registry governance, data utilization, benchmarking, and stakeholder engagement. Ahern manages over $4M in annual research projects and contributes to national policy through roles in expert advisory groups. She has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and serves on committees such as the Australian Clinical Trial Alliance Registry Special Interest Group and the International Collaboration of Breast Registry Activities (ICOBRA). Education: MBBS (Hons) from the University of Melbourne (1997), MBA from Monash University (2005), and PhD from the University of Melbourne (2016). Academic leadership includes directing Monash’s Health Management Master’s courses and co-authoring core units in Clinical Leadership and Digital Health. Research Interests: Clinical registry methodology, patient-reported outcomes, registry data integration with clinical governance, and policy development. Her work informs national strategies for registries and health service improvements. Grants & Funding: Leads projects funded by government and industry, including the $4M+ annual portfolio. Notable collaborations include the Centre of Research Excellence in Enhanced Dementia Diagnosis (CREEDD) and the Australian Cystic Fibrosis Data Registry. Awards: Recognized for contributions to health administration and education, including the 2023 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Industry and Community Programs. Labs/Teams: Coordinates national registry initiatives and chairs the Australian Clinical Trial Alliance Registry Special Interest Group. Active in multidisciplinary groups like the Cystic Fibrosis Registries International Data Harmonization Working Group.