Carola T. Sánchez Díaz, PhD

MEDICINA DEL CÁNCER

Dr. Carola T. Sánchez Díaz is an Assistant Investigator at the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico, Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Sánchez-Díaz completed a MS in Epidemiology from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus and earned her PhD in epidemiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health. Prior to joining the UPRCCC, Dr. Sánchez-Díaz served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Section of Cancer Epidemiology and Health Outcomes at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Dr. Sánchez-Díaz has a strong interest in establishing a research program focused on comprehending how social determinants of health at the individual and neighborhood level elucidate breast cancer risk factors, outcomes, and survivorship in minoritized populations. Her research has included efforts to better characterize neighborhoods (i.e. neighborhood archetypes) for epidemiological studies as well as an examination of modifiable factors that disproportionately impact underserved women, such as adiposity and cardiovascular health. Dr. Sánchez-Díaz has also led studies addressing health disparities in patient-reported outcomes, encompassing psychosocial stress, quality of life, and sleep quality among breast cancer survivors.

Research Interests: Cancer Epidemiology, Women’s Health, Breast Cancer, Health Disparities, Neighborhoods and Health, Lifestyle, Cardiovascular Epidemiology.

Publications

1. Colón-López V, Contreras-Mora HM, Pérez CM, Berríos-Ortiz H, Sánchez-Díaz CT, Disdier OM, Ríos-Morales N, Suáres-Pérez EL. (2023) Impact of Environmental and Public Health Disasters on Breast and Colorectal Cancer Screening in Puerto Rico. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. Sept 2023
2. Sánchez-Díaz CT, Strayhorn S, Tejeda S,  Vijayasiri G, Rauscher GH, Molina Y. What mediates the racial/ethnic disparity in psychosocial stress among breast cancer patients? Cancer Causes Control.  Apr;32(4):357-367. doi: 10.1007/s10552-021-01392-7. Epub 2021 Feb 9.
3. Sánchez-Díaz CT, Zeinomar N, Iyer HS, Perlstein M, Hong, CC, Bandera EV, Qin B. (2024) Comparing patient-reported outcomes and lifestyle factors before and after the COVID-19 pandemic among Black and Hispanic breast cancer survivors in New Jersey.Submitted to JACC – CardioOncology.
4. Sánchez-Díaz CT, Babel R, Iyer H, Goldman N, Zeinomar N, Rundle AG, Pawlish KS, Ambrosone CB, Demissie K, Hong CC, Lovasi GS, Bandera EV, Qin B. (2023) Neighborhood Archetypes and Cardiovascular Health among Black Breast Cancer Survivors in the Women’s Circle of Health Follow-Up Study. Submitted to Journal of Cancer Survivorship. 
5. Sánchez-Díaz CT, Fejerman L, Peterson C, Basu S, Fitzgibbon M., Rauscher GH. (2023). Ethnic enclaves, neighborhood socioeconomic status and obesity among Hispanic women in Chicago: a latent profile analysis. Submitted for publication at Social Science & Medicine.

Presentations

1. Sánchez-Díaz CT, Qin B, Zeinomar N, Iyer HS,  Perlstein, M,  Demissie K,  Hong CC,  Bandera EV. Prospective Associations of Adiposity with Health-Related Quality of Life during Breast Cancer Survivorship among Black Women. American Society for Preventive Oncology. Poster presentation. March 2024.
2. Sánchez-Díaz CT, Zeinomar N, Iyer HS, Perlstein M,Chi-Chen H, Qin B, Bandera EV. Associations of Adiposity with Health-Related Quality of Life during Breast Cancer Survivorship among Hispanic Women. Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos Conference. February 2024.
3. Sánchez-Díaz CT, Zeinomar N, Iyer HS, Perlstein M,Chi-Chen H, Bandera EV, Qin B. The association of COVID -19 pandemic restrictions with patient-reported outcomes and lifestyle behaviors among breast cancer survivors: Evidence from a cohort of Black and Hispanic women in New Jersey.  AACR Conference on the Science of Health Disparities in Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved. October 2023.
4. Sánchez-Díaz CT, Babel RA, Goldman N, Iyer HS, Zeinomar N, Rundle AG, Ambrosone CB, Demissie K, Hong CC, Lovasi GS, Bandera EV, Qin B. Neighborhood Archetypes and Cardiovascular Health among Black Breast Cancer Survivors in the Women’s Circle of Health Follow-Up Study. American Society for Preventive Oncology. Poster presentation. March 2023.
5. Sánchez-Díaz CT, Babel RA, Goldman N, Iyer HS, Zeinomar N, Rundle AG, Ambrosone CB, Demissie K, Hong CC, Lovasi GS, Bandera EV, Qin B. Neighborhood-Centered Approach to Characterizing Neighborhood Archetypes Among Black Breast Cancer Survivors in the Women’s Circle of Health Follow-Up Study. Solving Critical Problems in Cancer Control using Spatial Science Meeting. Oral presentation. January 2023.