Professional Snapshot
Administrative Appointments
- Associate Director, Surveillance Research, Northern California Cancer Center (2006 - present)
Professional Education
| Ph.D: | Univ. of California, Berkeley, Epidemiology (1999) |
| MPH: | Tulane University, Epidemiology (1996) |
| BS: | Duke University, Biology (1995) |
Scientific Focus
Research Interests
Breast cancer: This research area involves descriptive work to describe geographic and temporal variations in incidence especially in the Bay Area, and analytic efforts to uncover possible immunologic and infectious causes. Dr. Clarke was among the first to note and report on the unprecedented decline in breast cancer incidence that occurred in mid-2002. Dr. Clarke recently completed two population-based case-control studies to explore environmental factors associated with immune system development (as identified by the “hygiene hypothesis” literature for asthma and allergy development). With colleagues, she is also investigating associations of breast cancer with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, human herpesviruses, and other markers of immune function and infection.
Lymphoid malignancies: this research area emphasizes population-based study of the causes and outcomes of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and the many subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Her dissertation research described patient survival after HL in the general population and with respect to a certain molecular marker (Epstein-Barr virus in HL tumor cells). With Dr. Sally Glaser, she has examined reproductive, infectious, social class and other risk factors for Hodgkin lymphoma in a population-based case control study of women. In addition to descriptive efforts to describe NHL incidence, she has conducted methodologic studies to improve the surveillance and study of NHL subtypes, which has been challenged by changing classifications over time and by inability to separate HIV-related from –unrelated forms.
Cancer surveillance: As Associate Director of the Surveillance Research division of the Greater Bay Area Cancer Registry, which is operated by NCCC as part of the NCI SEER and California Cancer Registry programs, Dr. Clarke monitors changes in cancer incidence and survival patterns among various population subgroups, particularly those defined by geography, race/ethnicity and...
Publications
- Increasing burden of melanoma in the United States. J Invest Dermatol. 2009; (7): 1666-74
- Uncovering disparities in survival after non-small-cell lung cancer among Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic populations in California. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009; (8): 2248-55
- Rapidly increasing trends of melanoma in nonwhite populations: new data from New Zealand. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009; (6): 1674-5
- Second primary breast cancer occurrence according to hormone receptor status. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009; (15): 1058-65
- Recent trends in breast cancer incidence in US white women by county-level urban/rural and poverty status. BMC Med. 2009: 31
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