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Carolyn Y. Fang, PhD
About
Associate Professor
Co-Leader, Cancer Prevention and Control
Research Program
Education, Training & Credentials
Educational Background
- PhD, Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, 1997
- MA, Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, 1993
- BA, Psychology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, 1991
Certifications
- Certification in Cancer Survivorship Training and Rehab (STAR) Program, 2014
Honors & Awards
- Editorial Appreciation Award, Health Psychology, 2010-11
- Selected Participant, APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology, 2011
- American Cancer Society Cancer Control Award, ACS Southeast PA Committee, 2013
Research Profile
Research Program
Research Interests
- Psychosocial and behavioral factors associated with cancer prevention, risk management and survivorship
- Biobehavioral pathways in stress and health, including stress-related immune dysregulation in at-risk and cancer patient populations
- Community-based interventions to reduce cancer health disparities in Asian Americans
Lab Overview
Biobehavioral Oncology and Health Disparities
Our laboratory aims to identify biobehavioral factors that influence cancer risk across a variety of populations. Guided by a biobehavioral model of cancer stress and disease course, we incorporate the use of comprehensive psychosocial assessments along with cutting-edge molecular techniques in our multidisciplinary research studies. In particular, our laboratory has been examining basic biobehavioral mechanisms underlying the stress response within a paradigm of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In this research, we observed that higher levels of psychosocial stress were associated with impaired HPV-specific immune response among women with cervical dysplasia, suggesting a potential mechanism by which stress may be related to HPV persistence and cervical disease progression. Because accumulating data suggest that HPV infection of the upper aerodigestive tract may contribute to the development of a subset of head and neck cancers, we have been examining similar pathways among patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer. Together, these data will help define potential psychosocial, behavioral, and immunologic pathways underlying HPV-related cancer risk and development.
Other related projects examine cultural, psychosocial and environmental determinants of cancer health disparities in underserved Asian Americans, one of the fastest growing ethnic/racial groups in the US. In collaboration with Dr. Grace Ma and the Center for Asian Health at Temple University, we have developed and implemented various community-based interventions to enhance cancer screening and risk reduction behaviors. Together we have demonstrated that we can significantly improve cancer screening and prevention behaviors by utilizing a multifaceted approach that addresses social, personal, and access barriers to screening and other health-promoting behaviors in underserved Asian American populations
People
Denise Cothren, MS
Project Manager
Room: Young Pavilion, 4th Floor
215-728-7048
Colleen McKeown
Research Specialist
Room: Young Pavilion, 4th Floor
215-214-1664
Publications
Selected Publications
Fang CY, Boden G, Siu PT, Tseng M. Stressful life events are associated with insulin resistance among Chinese immigrant women in the United States. Preventive Medicine Reports, 2: 563-567, 2015. PubMed
Ma GX, Fang C, Tan Y, Feng Z, Ge S, Nguyen C. Increasing cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese Americans: A community-based intervention trial. J Health Care Poor Underserved, 26(2 Suppl):36-52, 2015. PubMed
Fang CY, Ross EA, Pathak HB, Godwin AK, Tseng M. Acculturative stress and inflammation among Chinese immigrant women. Psychosomatic Medicine, 76(5):320-6, 2014.PMC4164056 PubMed
Longacre ML, Wong YN, Fang CY. Caregiver psychological health and hospitalization characteristics of older adult care recipients: An integrative review of U.S. studies. Res Gerontol Nurs, 7(3):139-47, 2014.PMC4138695 PubMed
Fang CY, Egleston BL, Ridge JA, Lango MN, Bovbjerg DH, Studts JL, Burtness BA, Einarson MB, Klein-Szanto AJP. Psychosocial functioning and vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with head and neck cancer. Head & Neck, 36: 1113-1119, 2014.PMC4099415 PubMed
Wen KY, Fang CY, Ma GX. Breast cancer experience and survivorship among Asian Americans: A systematic review. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 8(1):94-107, 2014.PMC3945715 PubMed
Lango MN, Egleston B, Fang CY, Burtness B, Galloway T, Mehra R, Ebersole B, Li T, Ridge JA. Baseline health perceptions, dysphagia and survival in head and neck cancer. Cancer, 120(6):840-7, 2014.PMC3951722 PubMed
Fang CY, Longacre ML, Manne SL, Ridge JA, Lango MN, Burtness BA. (2012). Informational needs of head and neck cancer patients. Health and Technology, 2(1);57-62.PMC3327509 PubMed
Longacre ML, Ridge JA, Burtness BA, Galloway TJ, Fang CY. (2012). Psychosocial functioning of caregivers for head and neck cancer patients. Oral Oncology, 48:18-25.PMC3357183 PubMed
Fang CY, Reibel DK, Longacre ML, Rosenzweig S, Campbell DE, & Douglas SD. (2010). Enhanced psychosocial well-being following participation in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program is associated with increased natural killer cell activity. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(5): 531-538.PMC2921566 PubMed
Fang CY, Coups EJ, & Heckman CJ. (2010). Behavioral correlates of HPV vaccine acceptability in the 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 19(2): 319–326.PMC2820128. PubMed
Fang CY, Cherry C, Devarajan K, Li T, Malick J, & Daly MB. (2009). A prospective study of quality of life among women undergoing risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy versus gynecologic screening for ovarian cancer. Gynecologic Oncology, 112:594-600.PMC2697574. PubMed
Fang CY, Miller SM, Bovbjerg DH, Bergman C, Edelson MI, Rosenblum NG, Bove BA, Godwin AK, Campbell D, & Douglas SD. (2008). Perceived stress is associated with impaired T-cell response to HPV16 in women with cervical dysplasia. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 35, 87-96.PMC2396791. PubMed
Fang CY, Ma GX, Tan Y, & Chi N. (2007). A multifaceted intervention to increase cervical cancer screening among underserved Korean women. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 16, 1298-1302. PubMed
