Lisa Spees, PhD

Lisa Spees, PhD, is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy. At Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC), she is the Director of Cancer Health Assets and Needs Assessment (CHANA) in the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, an Associate Member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program, and a member of the Culture, Climate, and Training Committee within the Lineberger Equity Council. She is trained as a health services researcher and decision scientist focused on improving care quality, equity, and cost for cancer populations. Her previous research focuses on identifying multi-level barriers across the cancer care continuum using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Dr. Spees is especially knowledgeable in handling complex healthcare claims analyses, including CIPHR (North Carolina Cancer Registry Data linked to private and public insurance claims data) and SEER-Medicare.

Currently, Lisa’s research focuses specifically on improving rural cancer care through community-engaged research methods and cost-effectiveness analyses. She is funded through a K01 from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities. This project aims to identify multi-level barriers to endometrial cancer treatment among patients living in rural areas by developing (via intervention mapping) and piloting a patient navigation intervention.

Additionally, as the CHANA Director of Lineberger’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, she is leading the state-wide initiative to comprehensively capture and communicate the cancer burden and opportunities to address cancer needs in North Carolina. This multi-phased project involves: 1) curating publicly available data to compare North Carolina cancer/health and socioeconomic metrics to the broader US population and across all 100 NC counties; 2) utilizing data from the CIPHR to obtain the most up-to-date North Carolina-specific cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality estimates at both the state- and county-level, to identify patterns of cancer screening, treatment, and survivorship care, and to map treatment and screening facilities across North Carolina; 3) collecting primary data through mixed methods (surveys and stakeholder interviews) to describe the experiences and needs of cancer survivors and evaluate the cancer information and knowledge needs in local communities. Products, including an in-print report and online dashboard, that will be distributed to North Carolina residents, leaders of community-based organizations, and other key community partners.

Lisa’s hobbies include playing and watching tennis, traveling, hiking with her dog Kassie, and reading a book surrounded by her two cats, Sass and Lyon.