Caretia Washington
Graduate Student, Department of Epidemiology, UF College of Medicine and UF College of Public Health and Health Professions
Lung cancer screening can save lives, especially for people with chronic lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the benefits and risks of lung cancer screening depend on the severity level of COPD. In this study, we looked at over 59,000 patients with COPD in Northern Florida to understand who gets screened for lung cancer and how this varies by health status and sociodemographic factors. We found that only 5% of people with COPD were receiving screening. By identifying five different COPD “types” based on medical history and treatment, the study showed that people with more health issues and severe COPD were more likely to be inappropriately screened, especially non-Hispanic Black patients. These results point not only to the need for better outreach for lung cancer screening, but to the need to tailor lung cancer screening to people who need it the most.
Caretia Washington is a fifth-year M.D.-Ph.D. student in her third year of the Epidemiology Ph.D. program. Her research in clinical and translational science, cancer epidemiology and health disparities aims to understand the social and clinical factors that impact lung cancer screening outcomes.
Core Standards
SC.912.L.16.8 Explain the relationship between mutation, cell cycle, and uncontrolled cell growth potentially resulting in cancer.
SC.912.L.16.10 Evaluate the impact of biotechnology on the individual, society and the environment, including medical and ethical issues
SC.912.N.4.2 Weigh the merits of alternative strategies for solving a specific societal problem by comparing a number of different costs and benefits, such as human, economic, and environmental.
SC.912.L.14.44 Describe the physiology of the respiratory system including the mechanisms of ventilation, gas exchange, gas transport and the mechanisms that control the rate of ventilation.
