Alison M. Pilsner, MPH, CPH
Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) Fellow
Alison Pilsner is a Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) Fellow in the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch. As a CRTA Fellow, Ms. Pilsner’s responsibilities include assisting in the strategic planning, coordination, development, and implementation of health communication research and translation/dissemination activities, specifically in the areas of health disparities and population sciences. Her primary research interests include health disparities, communication, and the broader determinants of health (specifically among underserved populations). In this regard, Ms. Pilsner is currently involved in projects related to family functioning, quality of life issues, and culturally-competent health care for childhood cancer diagnosis and treatment. To date, Ms. Pilsner has participated in several cyberinfrastructure-related projects (including the November 2008 DCCPS Fall Forum on Cyberinfrastructure), has represented the branch at several national conferences, and has assisted in the coordination of branch-related communities activities, including the branch website and communication materials. Additionally, she continues to collaborate with a multidisciplinary group of investigators at several comprehensive cancer centers on research related to maternal problem-solving skills training following a child’s cancer diagnosis. Ms. Pilsner is also looking forward to collaborating with NCI staff on health disparities research proposals, secondary analyses of HINTS data, and pediatric cancer clinical research at the NIH Clinical Center.
Ms. Pilsner joined the NCI in June of 2008. Prior to, she served as a LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, one of 34 multidisciplinary disabilities training programs funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. In this capacity, she primarily dedicated her clinical, community, and research efforts to childhood disabilities and chronic illness among Hispanic families and was also very active in community health promotion and education, both in Pittsburgh and internationally.
Ms. Pilsner received her MPH in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in April 2008. She was also the first student at the University to complete the Graduate Certificate in Health Disparities and Minority Health. She received her B.S. in Psychology (and Certificate in Western European Studies/Spanish) from the University of Pittsburgh. Ms. Pilsner was also a member of the Charter Class to receive Certification in Public Health (CPH).
Recent Presentations
Shaikh, A.R., Bock, B., Pilsner, A., Hesse, B. (2009). Health Information Technology: Enabling the Future of Behavioral Informatics. Oral presentation accepted for Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions. Montreal, Canada, April 2009.
Backinger, C., Frydl, A., Augustson, E., Pilsner, A., Phillips, T., Nadeau, J. (2009). YouTube as a Source of Information on Quitting Smoking. Poster accepted for the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health. Mumbai, India, March 2009.
Pilsner, A. (2008). Maternal Distress at the Time of a Child’s Cancer Diagnosis: Implications for Random Trauma & Culturally-Competent Care. Oral presentation at The Johns Hopkins University 1st Annual Region III Health Disparities Conference. Baltimore, MD, December 5, 2008.
Pilsner, A. (2008.) Problem-Solving Skills and Maternal Distress at the Time of a Child’s Diagnosis with Cancer: Implications for Random Health-Related Trauma. Poster presented at the 2008 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Annual Conference. Washington, DC, November 11, 2008.
Pilsner, A. (2008). Problem-Solving Skills and Maternal Distress at the Time of a Child’s Diagnosis with Cancer: Implications for Random Trauma. Oral Presentation at the ASCO-Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Symposium. Denver, CO, October 22, 2008.
Manuscripts in Progress
Pilsner, A., Sahler, O.J., Askins, M., Katz, E., Dolgin, M., Butler, R. Noll, R. Problem-solving skills and maternal distress at the time of a child’s diagnosis with cancer: Implications for random trauma. American Journal of Public Health.
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