PURSUING RESEARCH TO TRANSLATE GENOMICS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFIT

The Emory Precision Public Health Research Program, established in 2016, aims to advance research to identify optimal intervention approaches for disseminating and implementing emerging genomic knowledge to promote population health and avert health disparities in Georgia and nationally. Our team is also committed to exploring genomic care disparities within minority populations through implementation science and Community-based Participatory Research.

News and Events‍

Upcoming Conference Presentations                                                  

Precision Public Health Transdisciplinary Conference 2025


Wed, 19 Nov, 4:00 PM EST - Thu, 20 Nov, 9:00 PM EST | Virtual Event

Oral presentation: A multilevel adaptation approach for the sustainable scale-up of family cancer history screening in public health clinics
Author list: Angela Zhang (presenter), Cindy Snyder, Cynthia Walters, Cam Escoffery, Angelo Marra, Yuan Liu, Shacoria Anderson, Dayanna Ramírez León, Sheryl Gabram, Denise Ballard, Yue Guan
Registration Link :https://events.humanitix.com/precision-public-health-transdisciplinary-conference-2025
Zoom link: https://zoom.uts.edu.au/j/87265056987
Password: 293714

18th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health


December 14-17, 2025 | National Harbor, MD

The 18th Annual Science of D&I Conference will explore success stories, methodological advancements, challenges, and opportunities to realize the benefits of our science across health care, community, and public health systems.

Poster Presentation: A multilevel adaptation approach for the sustainable scale-up of family cancer history screening in public health clinics
Author list: Yue Guan, PhD, ScM, CGC, Cindy Snyder, Shacoria Anderson, Angela Zhang, MPH (presenter), Dayanna Ramirez Leon, Cynthia Walters, Colleen McBride, PhD, Yuan Liu, Sheryl Gabram, Denise Ballard, Joseph Lipscomb, PhD, Lauren McCullough and Cam Escoffery, PhD, MPH, CHES.

Consortium for Cancer Implementation Science Annual Meeting


February 25-27, 2026 | Philadelphia, PA

This event will bring together researchers, practitioners, and partners to advance the field of implementation science (IS) in cancer under the theme Advancing Implementation Science Across the Cancer Continuum from Prevention to Survivorship.

Oral Presentation: A multilevel adaptation approach for the sustainable scale-up of family cancer history screening in public health clinics
Author list: Angela Zhang (presenter), Cindy Snyder, Cynthia Walters, Cam Escoffery, Angelo Marra, Yuan Liu, Shacoria Anderson, Dayanna Ramírez León, Sheryl Gabram, Denise Ballard, Yue Guan.

Society of Behavioral Medicine, 47th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions


April 22 - April 25, 2026 | Chicago, IL

Poster Presentation: Evaluating an evidence-based family history screening program adapted to increase reach and uptake of screening for BRCA-associated cancers in rural public health clinics
Author list: Angela Zhang (presenter), Angelo Marra, Yuan Liu, Cam Escoffery, Cindy Snyder, Cynthia Walters, Shacoria Anderson, Dayanna RamirezLeon, Sheryl Gabram, Denise Ballard, Yue Guan

Now Hiring                                                                                                             

Graduate Research Assistants
Latino Family Cancer History Screening Project - Spring 2026

Pay rate: $15/hour | Work schedule: 3-5 hours/week

We are seeking 2-3 Graduate Research Assistants to support participant recruitment for the project entitled “Voices for Choice: Partnering with Latino and Hispanic Communities to Enhance Family History Screening Access.”

The goal of this study is to examine preferences for different approaches to family cancer history screening among Hispanics/Latinos in Georgia. GRAs will play a key role in engaging community members, identifying and attending local events, and assisting with participant recruitment efforts.

Please email Dr. Yue Guan if interested: yue.guan@emory.edu
Application Document(s) required: Cover letter and Résumé

View the full job description here↗

Our approach

Precision Public Health, a term first coined in 2013, is a nascent research field (Khoury 2016; Olstad & McIntyre, 2019). A central tenet of the field is the aim to identify the right intervention for the right individuals at the right time (Olstad & McIntyre, 2019).

Our developing program is organized around six domains of public health research.  In considering what research to pursue, we ask how evidence-based genomic discovery could inform innovative interventions that promote advancement in these domains.

Learn more about our approach

Behavioral Research

Interventions to disseminate genomic risk stratification efforts to public health settings.

Communication Research

Interventions to foster family communication and promote uptake of preventive behaviors.

Survivorship Research

Interventions to influence adherence to secondary prevention.

Surveillance Research

Characterizing needs of sub-populations at genomic risks.

Healthcare Delivery Research

Interventions to support expansion of the reach of genomic services.

Implementation Science

Promoting dissemination of evidence-based guidelines related to genomic interventions.

Our team

Our multidisciplinary research team is dedicated to advancing precision public health through innovative research and community-driven approaches.

Yue Guan, PhD, ScM, CGC

Director

Angela Zhang, MPH

Program Manager

Shacoria Anderson, MPH

Shacoria Anderson, MPH

PhD Candidate- Behavioral, Social, & Health Education Sciences

Dayanna Ramirez, MPH

Dayanna Ramirez, MPH

PhD Student - Behavioral, Social, & Health Education Sciences

Alumni

We've worked with people who have contributed to our mission and continue to make an impact in the field.

Colleen McBride, PhD

Professor Emerita

Jingsong Zhao, MPH, PhD

Post doctoral research associate - Queen Mary University of London

Our research

Situated at the Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, Georgia, we partner with local organizations and communities to promote population health through the effective translation of evidence-based, genomics-informed programs and policies.

Our team has a wide collection of amazing work within the public health precision medicine field.

See all publications

Current Projects

Testing a Low Cost Population- and Theory-Based Outreach Interventions to Engage Ovarian Cancer Survivors and their Close Relatives to Consider Genetic Services

National Cancer Institute U01 (2020 - 2025)

About the Study: In partnership with the Georgia Cancer Registry and community cancer organizations, we will develop and evaluate the reach of a low cost population- and theory-based outreach intervention to identify ovarian cancer survivors and their close relatives. In doing so, we will evaluate participants' preferences related to how close relatives are contacted and their association with uptake of genetic services. Results of this study could inform the adaptation of similar traceback programs for other heritable cancers and in other states to increase the likelihood for fair distribution of precision medicine advances.

Evaluating an Evidence-based Family History Screening Program Adapted to Increase Reach and Uptake for BRCA-Associated Cancers in Rural Public Health Clinics

National Cancer Institute R37 (2023 - 2028)

About the Study: We propose to adapt Georgia's existing statewide family history screening program for BRCA-associated cancers with the goal to increase the number and diversity of women who receive family history assessment and the opportunity to access risk-stratified cancer prevention in rural public health clinics. Study findings will further inform program dissemination and sustainability across all 187 Georgia public health clinics, and yield insights enabling improved implementation of other genomic applications at the population level and among other rural, underserved communities.

Selected Completed Projects

Examining Multilevel Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation of Genetic Risk-Stratified Breast Cancer Screening Guideline

Emory Winship Invest Grant (2020 - 2021)

Evaluating Deliberative Democracy Approaches with Citizens of African Ancestry Regarding Population Screening for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes

National Cancer Institute R21 (2019 - 2021)

Exploring the Role of Community Health Workers in Improving Uptake of Family Health History Assessment Among Patients and Providers

Emory-Georgia Tech Healthcare Innovation Program in Partnership with the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance, Allen, McKinney, Lawrence (2018-2019)

Exploring Result Understanding and Mammography Screening Behavior among Women at Low Risk for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer

Emory Winship Cancer Institute Pilot Fund (2016 – 2017)

Join our team

Emory Precision Public Health Research Program is growing. We are looking for Graduate Research Assistants to bring onto our current projects. If you are a current Rollins student wanting to get involved, this is a great opportunity.

Please reach out to Yue Guan for more information.

Contact us