The mission of the Genomics, Risk, and Health Decision-Making Laboratory, launched in 2016 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is to optimize the translation of novel discoveries regarding cancer risk and genomics into clinical practice. Our research concerns cancer risk perceptions and health decision-making in patients, families, healthcare providers, and members of the general public across diverse populations and settings.
The Laboratory has two broad domains of inquiry:
- Theories and methods in health decision-making: The Laboratory aims to apply theories and methods at the intersection of behavioral science and decision-making to evolving cancer control contexts. This includes a focus on ways cancer risk perceptions lead to health decisions, and the development of strategies to identify and reach those who are not receptive to standard risk communication interventions.
- Genomics and risk communication: The Laboratory also seeks to use cutting-edge behavioral/social science theory and methods to anticipate, characterize, and address the challenges and public health opportunities presented by the era of cancer genomics and precision cancer care. This includes a focus on developing and evaluating risk communication approaches that promote understanding and adaptive behavioral responses to emerging genomic technologies.