Meng-Han Tsai, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Cancer Prevention, Control, & Population Health Program
Medicine College of Georgia at Augusta University
Dr. Tsai’s research interests are broadly related to health disparities with the following major research threads: (1) racial /ethnic disparities, (2) cancer prevention and control, and (3) access to care and health care utilization. Her early research topics include discussing utilization and cancer prevention on colonoscopy screening and surveillance, utilization of emergency room, and development of patient interview tool for ambulance use among stroke patients. She has several years of experience with data management, SAS programming and analysis of clinical data with multi-level nested units of analysis. She has experiences on cancer registry, national survey, electronic medical record (EMR), Medicare claim, and longitudinal data as well. She also has conducted research focuses on cancer screening prevention and control among the Latino population in an agricultural community, California. Currently, Dr. Tsai research focuses on the time trends of colorectal cancer incidence/mortality, predictors of cancer survival, and the impact of social determinant of health on cancer prevention, outcome, and survival. Her long-term goal of research is to increase the awareness of cancer prevention and improve healthcare access among minority/underserved populations through community-based research setting, especially for those impacted by colorectal cancer.
Meng-Han Tsai, PhD
Health Sciences Campus
Georgia Cancer Center - M. Bert Storey Research Building
CN-2154
(706) 721-0295
Colorectal cancer outcome and survivorship
Dr. Tsai is currently utilizing 2000-2018 cancer registry data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program to examine the time trends of CRC and predictors of cancer survival across several public health districts with high CRC mortality in the State of Georgia.
Dr. Tsai serves as principal investigator for The Study of Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the State of Georgia, 2000-2018 funded by 2021 Georgia Cancer Center Paceline funding mechanism, Jul 2022-Jun 2023.
Colorectal cancer screening and prevention
Dr. Tsai is currently utilizing data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to develop multiple studies in secondary CRC prevention through guideline-concordant CRC screening across different cancer survivorships.
Cancer screening utilization and follow-up among Latino population.
Dr. Tsai has focused on identifying health beliefs, cultural mediators, socio-environmental determinants, and healthcare delivery system factors that would explain the cancer screening utilization and follow-up among the Latino population in an agricultural community. Cancer screening use includes breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer. The findings from this project will inform the direction for future intervention research that ultimately can increase community knowledge of the benefits afforded by cancer early detection and timely treatment. In addition, Dr. Tsai and her colleague also integrated this project components into social justice and global health course in spring 2020.
Dr. Tsai serves as co-investigator for Study of Latino Cancer Screening and Follow-up in a Remote Agricultural Community-SOLCS funded by California State University-Monterey Bay.
Dr. Tsai serves as co-principal investigator for Community-engaged research, scholarship course development funded by California State University-Monterey Bay.
Cancer risk perception among Black men
Dr. Tsai has used a self-administered questionnaire and was conducted in five cities in the State of Florida: Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee, and Tampa. This research is to examine the socio-economic status and other socio-demographic characteristics, health care utilization patterns, disease prevention activities, and a personal and family history of CRC or other chronic health conditions among Black men that are associated with screening use. Particularly, she and her collaborators apply the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) to examine CRC risk perceptions in relationship to Black male subjective norms and CRC screening behaviors.
The impact of family history of CRC on the utilization of colonoscopy screening among the US adults.
Dr. Tsai has focused on the utilization of colonoscopy screening among adults with a family history of colorectal cancer (CRC), using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. She also examined racial disparities in Colonoscopy screening of adults with a family history of CRC. These studies suggested that patient navigation programs to reach out to younger first-degree relatives (FDRs) and less educated African Americans.
Journal:
Tsai, M.H., Moore, J.X., Odhiambo, L.A., Andrzejak, S.E, Tingen, M.S. Colorectal Cancer Screening Utilization among Breast, Cervical, Prostate, Skin, and Lung Cancer Survivors. Accepted by Journal of Cancer Survivorship, Sep 12, 2022.
Xirasagar, S., Wu, Y., Tsai, M.H., et al. Colorectal Cancer Prevention by CLEAR Principles-based Colonoscopy Protocol: An Observational Study. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. 2020;91(4):905-916.e4.
Tsai, M.H., Xirasagar, S., Carroll, S., Bryan, C.S., Gallagher, P.J., Davis, K., Jauch, E.C. Reducing High-users’ Visits to the Emergency Department (ED) by a Primary Care Intervention for the Uninsured – A Retrospective Study. Inquiry.2018; 55:46958018763917.
Tsai, M.H., Xirasagar, S., de Groen, P.C. Persisting Racial Disparities in Colonoscopy Screening of Persons with a Family History of Colorectal Cancer. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2018; 5(4):737-746.
Tsai, M.H., Xirasagar, S., Li, Y.J., de Groen, P.C. Colonoscopy Screening Among US Adults Aged 40 or Older with a Family History of Colorectal Cancer. Prev Chronic Dis. 2015 May; 12:E80.
Xirasagar, S., Li, Y.J., Hurley, T.G., Tsai, M.H., et al. Colorectal cancer prevention by an optimized colonoscopy protocol in routine practice. Int J Cancer. 2015; 136(6): E731-42.
Conference:
Tsai, M.H., Moore, J.X., Odhiambo, L.A., Andrzejak, S.E, Tingen, M.S. Colorectal Cancer Screening Utilization among Breast, Cervical, Prostate, Skin, and Lung Cancer Survivors, submitted to the 15th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, Sep 16-19, 2022.
Tsai, M.H., Cabral, D.N., Gishe, J., Dagne, G.A. Colorectal Cancer Risk Perceptions in Black Men, Submitted to 2022 Society for Epidemiologic Research Annual Meeting, Jun 14-17, 2022. Poster session.
Tsai, M.H., Cabral, D. Exploratory Study of Cervical Cancer and Breast Cancer Screening among Latinas in a Remote Agricultural Community, Submitted to 2022 Academy Health annual meeting, Jun 4-7, 2022. Poster session.
