Erin E. Kent

Erin E. Kent is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health. In addition to expertise in epidemiology and health services, Dr. Kent has a background in mixed methods research and community-based participatory research. Dr. Kent’s focus is on the impact of social context, including the influence of demographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic influences on health outcomes for cancer patients and their families. She has written over 80 peer-reviewed publications in patient-centered and family-engaged outcomes research. At UNC, Dr. Kent is actively studying how we can improve cancer care delivery for cancer patients and their families and the reach of interventions to vulnerable populations through implementation science approaches. Prior to working at UNC, Dr. Kent served as a Program Director and Scientific Advisor for the Outcomes Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). There, Dr. Kent worked to establish funding opportunities and research resources to better understand the challenges that caregivers face and develop family-centered interventions for cancer patients and their caregivers. Dr. Kent was a Cancer Prevention Fellow and Merit Award Recipient in the Office of Cancer Survivorship at NCI.