Maira Castaneda-Avila, PhD, BS, MS

Dr. Maira Castañeda-Avila is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding and addressing cancer health inequalities in cancer screening and outcomes among Hispanic older adults. She specializes in studying colorectal cancer, multiple myeloma, and HPV-related cancers, as well as multiple chronic conditions, utilizing secondary data analysis, advanced statistical methods, and qualitative research. As a cancer epidemiologist, Dr. Castañeda-Avila has made significant contributions to studies across the entire cancer control continuum, from investigating cancer etiology to end-of-life care. Recently, Dr. Castañeda-Avila received a KL2 grant to identify and understand the associations between multiple chronic conditions and colorectal cancer related to the treatment and adverse outcomes among older Hispanic adults living in Puerto Rico.