Robert M. Chamberlain, PHD, MA

Research PROFESSOR, EPIDEMIOLOGY

University of Nebraska Medical Center
College of Public Health

Professional Summary

• 2012 –present  Research Professor, Department of Epidemiology, UNMC, Omaha
• 2010 – 2012  Research Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• 1988 - present  Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston

Education

• BA, Westminster College 1964
• MA, Sociology and Anthropology, University of Missouri-Columbia 1967
• PhD, Sociology and Anthropology, University of Missouri-Columbia 1969

Educational Interests

Over the past 35 years Dr. Chamberlain has focused on the development of cancer prevention education programs. At M.D. Anderson, he developed two training grants funded by the National Cancer Institute NIH, and served as the principal investigator for 20 years. These grants supported approximately 10 graduate students and 10 postdoctoral fellows each year. More than 80 percent of these former trainees currently have positions in academic research settings, and most of the remaining 20 percent were graduate students who are now in postdoctoral positions. He has assisted more than 20 former postdoctoral fellows make applications for NCI K07, K22, or ACS junior faculty career development grants. He developed and coordinated a two-semester graduate course on cancer prevention that has been ongoing for 20 years at M.D. Anderson. He has served three terms as a member and recently chaired the NCI Review Group, Subcommittee G-Education. He is active in the American Association for Cancer Education and served as Secretary, President-Elect and President. He is also one of six associate editors of the Journal of Cancer Education. 

Research Interests

In research, Dr. Chamberlain has developed educationally based recruitment strategies for epidemiologic studies and chemoprevention trials. He was a member of the Special Populations and Outcomes Committees of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) that is involved with most of the group's trials. His international experience includes UNMC collaborations with Dr. Amr Soliman on epidemiologic and cancer prevention studies with universities and cancer centers in North Africa and the Middle East. He has mentored many trainees in their research, particularly in molecular and genetic epidemiology, and shared authorship in their manuscripts as reflected by an asterisk* in the publications listed below

Selected Publications

Soliman, A.S., Mullan, P.B., *O’Brien, K.S., *Thaivalappil, S., Chamberlain, R.M. (2011). Career Development Needs Assessment in Cancer Prevention and Control: Focus on Research in Minority and International Settings. Journal of Cancer Education, 26(3), 409-19.

*Chen, M., Gu, J., Delclos, G.P., Killary, A.M., Zhen, F., *Hildebrandt, M., Chamberlain, R.M., Grossman, H.B., Dinney, C.P., Wu, X. (2010). Genetic variations of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway and clinical outcome in muscle invasive and metastatic bladder cancer patients. Carcinogenesis, 31(8), 1387-1391.

Soliman, A.S., Mullan, P.B., Chamberlain, R.M. (2010). Research training of students in minority and international settings: Lessons learned from cancer epidemiology education in special populations. Journal of Cancer Education, 25, 263-269.

Wilkinson, A.V., *Vasudevan, V., Honn, S.E., Spitz, M.R., Chamberlain, R.M. (2009). Sociodemographic characteristics, health beliefs, and the accuracy of cancer knowledge. Journal of Cancer Education, 24(1), 58-64.

*Chen, M., Cassidy, A., Gu, J., Delclos, G.L., Zhen, F., Yang, H., *Hildebrandt, M.A., Lin, J., Ye, Y., Chamberlain, R.M., Dinney, C.P., Wu, X. (2009). Genetic variations in PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway and bladder cancer risk. Carcinogenesis, Dec. 30 (12), 2047-52, Epub.

Professional Affiliations

• American Society for Preventive Oncology
• University of Texas Academy of Health Science Education
• American Association for Cancer Education
• European Association for Cancer Education