Researcher Background
Primary Academic Title
Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, WashU Medicine
Training
- 2013 - 2015: Postdoctoral Fellow, Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Education
- 2013: ScD, Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- 2009: MPH, Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, NY
Research & Selected Publications
Research Interest
Cao’s research aims to advance how we understand the emergence of cancer at younger ages, with a primary focus on colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers. Her lab is committed to uncovering when, where, and how early-onset cancers begin, and how they can be intercepted. By constructing a multidimensional framework across exposures, tissue types, life stages, and populations, the lab investigates both external and internal drivers to uncover causal pathways of cancer risk and progression in younger individuals. Cao lab is deeply committed to advancing team science to address complex challenges in cancer and public health. She co-leads the Cancer Grand Challenges Team PROSPECT, Biobank and Big Data Core at the WashU Digestive Diseases Research Core Center, and WashU Transcend Initiative on Air Quality and Health.
Research Publications