Robin T Higashi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Robin T. Higashi, PhD. joined the faculty as Instructor and member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2019. Prior to her promotion to the faculty, Dr. Higashi served as Senior Research Associate in the Department of Population and Data Sciences for 6 years.

Dr. Higashi specializes in using qualitative and mixed methods design in healthcare delivery research with underserved populations. Currently she is Co-Investigator on three studies: (1) an NCI award (R01 CA203856) to improve care coordination for patients with cancer and chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes; (2) an NCI award (UM1CA221940) to evaluate and optimize cervical cancer screening across 3 major U.S. health systems; (3) an NCI supplement award (P30CA142543) to explore linkage to cancer treatment among border populations in south Texas. Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Higashi engages directly with a broad population of safety-net patients, clinical and community stakeholders.

Dr. Higashi has published on a wide variety of health topics, such as: HIV continuity of care, Hepatitis C screening, breast and colorectal cancer screening and surveillance, diabetes prevention, food insecurity, and physician socialization. She contributes to the Medical School and Graduate School curriculum through invited lectures and mentorship of students, and provides formal consulting on qualitative methods to faculty investigators.

Undergraduate

Stanford University (1998), Psychology

Graduate School

Uni of California-Sfrancisco (2010), Medical Anthropology

• impact of structural inequality on health experience and outcomes
• mixed methods program evaluation
• Spanish-speaking (im)migrant populations

Featured Publications

Patient-Centered Measure Development and Spanish Validation Exemplar.

Higashi RT, Juengst SB, Health Lit Res Pract 2019 Oct 3 4 e243-e249

Patient and provider perspectives on delivery of oral cancer therapies.

Murphy CC, Lee SJC, Gerber DE, Cox JV, Fullington HM, Higashi RT, Patient Educ Couns 2019 Jun

Patient and Provider Perspectives on 30-Day Readmissions, Preventability, and Strategies for Improving Transitions of Care for Patients with HIV at a Safety Net Hospital.

Nijhawan AE, Higashi RT, Marks EG, Tiruneh YM, Lee SC, J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care 2019 Jan-Dec 18 2325958219827615

Effects of program scale-up on time to resolution for patients with abnormal screening mammography results.

Lee SC, Higashi RT, Sanders JM, Zhu H, Inrig SJ, Mejias C, Argenbright KE, Tiro JA, Cancer Causes Control 2018 Oct 29 10 995-1005

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

The 'worthy' patient: rethinking the 'hidden curriculum' in medical education.

Higashi RT, Tillack A, Steinman MA, Johnston CB, Harper GM, Anthropol Med 2013 Apr 20 1 13-23

The art of observation: a qualitative analysis of medical students' experiences.

He B, Prasad S, Higashi RT, Goff HW, BMC Med Educ 2019 Jun 19 1 234

Parent-Provider Communication of HPV Vaccine Hesitancy.

Shay LA, Baldwin AS, Betts AC, Marks EG, Higashi RT, Street RL, Persaud D, Tiro JA, Pediatrics 2018 06 141 6

The Influence of Financial Strain on Health Decision-Making.

Nguyen OK, Higashi RT, Makam AN, Mijares JC, Lee SC, J Gen Intern Med 2018 04 33 4 406-408

Identifying quality improvement targets to facilitate colorectal cancer screening completion.

Lee SJC, Inrig SJ, Balasubramanian BA, Skinner CS, Higashi RT, McCallister K, Bishop WP, Santini NO, Tiro JA, Prev Med Rep 2018 Mar 9 138-143

 Featured Books

Elder care as ?frustrating? and ?boring?: Understanding the persistence of negative attitudes toward older patients among physicians-in-training. In The Social Medicine Reader

Higashi RT, A Tillack, MA Steinman, M Harper, CB Johnston (2019). Durham, NC, Duke University Press