Education
PhD
Saint Louis University
2008
MPH
Saint Louis University
2007
MA
Boston University
2002
BA
Washington University in St. Louis
1998
Overview
Dr. Joshu is a cancer epidemiologist. She is the Director of the Master's Program in the Department of Epidemiology. She is also a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC) at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Joshu's research examines the role of modifiable risk factors, in particular obesity, on cancer incidence and outcomes. With this work, she aims to (1) inform our understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie these associations, and (2) translate these findings into clinically useful strategies to prevent disease and/or poor outcomes among those with cancer. She conducts both population-based and tissue-based research to address these questions. Dr. Joshu also conducts research to identify opportunities to improve cancer prevention and treatment across the lifespan with particular focus on residents of the Baltimore region and people with HIV.
Dr. Joshu is an active participant in several multidisciplinary studies on cancer etiology, prevention, and control. Dr. Joshu co-leads the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Cancer Working Group, and co-directed the effort to enhance ARIC’s infrastructure for cancer research. To facilitate the conduct of tissue-based research in population-based studies, she established a tissue repository for Washington County ARIC participants and participants of two long-standing Washington County cancer cohorts, CLUE I and CLUE II, which includes specimens from ~1,800 ARIC participants and ~9,300 CLUE I and CLUE II participants. She has also partnered with leadership of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians (JHCP) and the Baltimore City Health Department to identify opportunities to improve cancer prevention, including HPV vaccination and colorectal and lung cancer screening, in the Baltimore region.
