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Sandi Pruitt, Ph.D.

Sandi Pruitt, Ph.D.

Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Crossroads Community Services https://ccsdallas.org/

Professor

Endowed Title
Barrett Family Professorship in Cancer Research
School
School of Public Health
Department
Public Health | Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Biography

    Download Curriculum Vitae

    I am a Professor and serve as the Associate Director of Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

    The goal of my research program is to generate evidence that can be used to inform policies and programs to improve health equity, increase access to nourishing food, and reduce the cancer burden in the Dallas Fort Worth community and beyond. My research program sits at the interface of epidemiology, behavioral and social science, and health equity research. I use community engaged research methods and geospatial, administrative, and clinical data to document geographic, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic inequities in cancer outcomes, monitor the health of low- and middle- income populations, and inspire evidence-based action. My team’s DFW Community Profile publicly available dashboard is a great example of how sharing data can improve awareness about our local community, and thus inspire change. In another example, in 2019, I led a team of UT System and UT Southwestern investigators to document life expectancy inequities by geography, sex, and race/ethnicity across Texas: https://www.texashealthmaps.com/lfex As part of my community service and belief in the transformative power of food assistance, I also serve as vice chair of the board of directors for the non-profit organization Crossroads Community Services. Currently, I am PI of two cancer epidemiology R01s; one generating evidence for an the under-studied and growing population of individuals with multiple primary cancers and the second quantifying breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer disparities within ethnic enclaves among Hispanic or Latino populations and Asian American populations in five U.S. states.

  • Education
    Undergraduate
    Evergreen State College (1998), Liberal Arts
    Graduate School
    University of Texas Health Sci (2003), Public Health
    Graduate School
    University of Texas Health Sci (2008), Public Health
  • Research Interest
    • Administrative data research (Census, ACS, EHR, claims)
    • Cancer outcomes and disparities
    • Cancer prevention and screening
    • Food insecurity and health
    • Health disparities
    • Multilevel modeling, geographic information systems
    • Neighborhoods, geography, and health
    • Pragmatic interventions in food pantry settings
  • Publications

    Star Featured Publications

    Featured Featured Featured
    Exposures at day labor corners: using existing georeferenced data to describe features of urban environments.
    Fernández-Esquer ME, Hughes AE, Pruitt SL, Ann Epidemiol 2019 11 39 54-62
    Cervical Cancer Burden and Opportunities for Prevention in a Safety-net Healthcare System.
    Pruitt SL, Werner CL, Borton EK, Sanders JM, Balasubramanian BA, Barnes A, Betts AC, Skinner CS, Tiro JA Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2018 Sep
    Overlapping geographic clusters of food security and health: Where do social determinants and health outcomes converge in the U.S?
    Leonard T, Hughes AE, Donegan C, Santillan A, Pruitt SL SSM Popul Health 2018 Aug 5 160-170
    Social disadvantage, healthcare utilization, and colorectal cancer screening: Leveraging longitudinal patient address and electronic health records data.
    Hughes AE, Tiro JA, Balasubramanian BA, Skinner CS, Pruitt SL Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2018 Aug
    Family and Social Context Contributes to the Interplay of Economic Insecurity, Food Insecurity, and Health.
    Higashi RT, Craddock Lee SJ, Pezzia C, Quirk L, Leonard T, Pruitt SL Ann Anthropol Pract 2017 Nov 41 2 67-77
    Prevalence of Prior Cancer Among Persons Newly Diagnosed With Cancer: An Initial Report From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program.
    Murphy CC, Gerber DE, Pruitt SL JAMA Oncol 2017 Nov
    Revisiting a longstanding clinical trial exclusion criterion: impact of prior cancer in early-stage lung cancer.
    Pruitt SL, Laccetti AL, Xuan L, Halm EA, Gerber DE Br. J. Cancer 2017 Feb
  • Honors & Awards
    • CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research award for First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Members
      (2012)