Biography

Dr. Tarsha Jones is an Associate Professor of Nursing in the College of Nursing. Her area of expertise is in community and public health nursing. Her research interests focuses on cancer prevention and risk-reduction of breast and ovarian cancers. She is interested in developing an intervention to provide decision-support and to increase uptake of BRCA and other high penetrance genetic testing among underserved populations, particularly young Black and Hispanic women with a hereditary cancer risk in order to promote early detection, risk-reduction, and to reduce cancer health disparities among these groups. Her doctoral dissertation examined the use of cancer genetics services and factors associated with uptake of genetic counseling and testing among young Black breast cancer survivors diagnosed at age 45 and younger. Findings revealed an underutilization of cancer genetic services among these women and most reported that they did not receive a recommendation to have genetic testing despite being diagnosed with early-age-onset breast cancer. This work was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and selected for an oral podium presentation at the International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG) World Congress. Dr. Jones is also interested in integrating cancer risk assessment and genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes in nursing practice within community health settings.

Teaching

Undergraduate courses, NUR4638 population health: nursing situations 

Introduction to Public Health: Coronavirus, Contact Tracing, and Risk-Reduction Certificate Course

Recent Publications

Jones, T . , Silverman, T., Guzman, A., McGuinness, JE., Trivedi, MS., Kukafka, R., Crew. KD. (2022).  Qualitative analysis of shared decision-making for chemoprevention in the primary care setting: provider-related barriers. BMC Med Inform Decis Making. Aug 4;22(1):208.  doi: 10.1186/s12911-022-01954-y.

Ro, V., Jones, T., Silverman, T., McGuinness, JE., Guzman, A., Amenta, J., Kukafka, R., Crew, KD. (2022).  Patient, primary care provider, and stakeholder perspectives on mammography screening frequency: lessons learned from a qualitative study. BMC Cancer. Jul 27;22(1):819. doi: 10.1186/s12885-022-09900-x.PMID: 35897000 

Crew, KD., Bhatkhande, G., Silverman, T., Amenta, J., Jones, T., McGuinness, JE., Mata, J., Guzman, A.  Kukafka, R., Crew. KD.  Patient and Provider Web-Based Decision Support for Breast Cancer Chemoprevention: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cancer Prev Res (Phila).  2022 Jun 9:canprevres.0013.2022-1-6 11:21:31.897. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-22-0013.

McGuinness, JE., Bhatkhande, G., Amenta, J., Silverman, T., Mata, J., Guzman, A., He, T., Dimond, J., Jones, T., Kukafka, R., Crew, KD. (2022).  Strategies to Identify and Recruit Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer to a Randomized Controlled Trial of Web-based Decision Support Tools. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). Jun 2;15(6):399-406. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-21-0593.

Ro, V., McGuinness, JE., Guo, B., Trivedi, MS., Jones T., Chung, WK., Rao, R., Levinson, E., Koval, C., Russo, D., Chilton, I., Kukafka, R., Crew KD. (2022).  Association Between Genetic Testing for Hereditary Breast Cancer and Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Among Multiethnic Women Diagnosed With Early-Stage Breast Cancer. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022 Apr;18(4):e472-e483. doi: 10.1200/OP.21.00322.

Jones, T., Guzman, A., Silverman, T., Freeman-Costin, K., Kukafka, R., & Katherine D. Crew. (2021). Perceptions of racially/ethnically diverse women at high-risk for breast cancer regarding a web-based decision aid on chemoprevention: A Qualitative Study Nested Within a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research.  Jun 8;23(6):e23839:doi: 10.2196/23839.

Jones, T., Howard, H., Freeman-Costin, K., Creighton, A., Wisdom-Chambers, K., & Underhill-Blazey, M. (2021). Knowledge and Perceptions of BRCA1/2 Genetic Testing and Needs of Diverse Women with a Personal or Family History of Breast Cancer in South Florida. Journal of Community Genetics. doi: 10.1007/s12687-021-00507-6

Ro V., McGuinness, JE., Guo, B., Trivedi, M., Jones, T., Chung, WK., Rao, R., Levinson, E., Koval, C., Russo, D., Chilton, I., Kukafka, R., Crew, KD. (2021). Association between Genetic Testing for Hereditary Breast Cancer and Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy among Multiethnic Women Diagnoses with Early Stage Breast Cancer.   JCO Oncol Pract . doi: 10.1200/OP.21.00322.  [Epub ahead of print]  PubMed PMID: 34705516.

Jones, T., Freeman, K., Ackerman, M., Trivedi, M.S., Silverman, T., Shapiro, P., Kukafka, R., & Crew, K.D. (2020). Mental Illness and BRCA1/2 Genetic Testing Intention Among Multiethnic Women Undergoing Screening Mammography. Oncology Nursing Forum. 1;47(1):E13-E24. doi: 10.1188/20.ONF.E13-E24.

Jones, T., Trivedi, M.S., Jiang, X., Silverman, T., Underhill, M., Chung, WK., Kukafka, R., & Crew, KD. (2019). Racial and Ethnic Differences in BRCA1/2 and Multigene Panel Testing Among Young Breast Cancer Patients. Journal of Cancer Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-019-01646-8

Crew, S., Vanegas, A., Trivedi, M., Dimond., Sin, M., Jones, T., Terry, MB., Tsai, WY., & Kukafka, R. (2019). Study protocol: Randomized controlled trial of web-based decision support tools for high-risk women and healthcare providers to increase breast cancer chemoprevention. ContempClin Trials Commum. 16:100433. Doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2019.100433. eCollection 2019 Dec.

Jones, T., Duquette,D., Underhill, M.,Mendelsohn-Victor, K.,Anderson, B., Milliron, K., Copeland,G., Janz, Northouse, L., Duffy, S., Merajver, S., & Katapodi, MC. (2018). Surveillance for cancer recurrence in long-term young breast cancer survivors randomly selected from a statewide cancer registry. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 169(1): 141-152.

Jones, T., McCarthy, AM.,Kim, Y., & Armstrong, K. (2017). Predictors of BRCA 1/2 genetic testing among Blackwomen with breast cancer: A population based-study. Cancer Medicine, 6(7):11787-1798. doi: 10.1002/cam4.1120.

Underhill, M., Hong, F., Jones, T., Sprunck-Harrild, K., Walsh, S., Boyajian, R., Berry, D., & Partridge, A. (2017). Feasibility and acceptability of a website to promote survivor care in survivors of Hodgkin Disease. JCO: Clinical Cancer Informatics, DOI: 10.1200/CCI.17.0012.

Jones, T., J.S. Lockhart, K.E. Mendelsohn-Victor, et al. (2016). Use of Cancer Genetics Services in African-American Young Breast Cancer Survivors. Am J Prev Med.  DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.03.016

Underhill, M., Jones, T., Habin, K. (2016). Disparities in cancer genetic risk assessment and testing. ONF, 43(4)519-23. DOI: 10.1188/16.ONF.519-523.

Jones, T., Katapodi, M., & Lockhart J. (2015). Factors influencing breast cancer screening and risk assessment among young African American women: An integrative review of the literature. JAANP, 27(9):521-9. DOI: 10.1002/2327-6924.12223

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honors/Awards

2003

Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society Induction, Seton Hall University

2009

Paul Ambrose Scholar, Association for Prevention Teaching and Research, Washington, DC

2009

Alumni Award for Excellence in Masters Studies, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

2016

Distinguished Dissertation Award, Duquesne University School of Nursing, PA

2015-2016

Appointment at Harvard Medical School as a Research Fellow

2016-2017     

Participant, City of Hope Intensive Cancer Risk Assessment Course

2016-2017

Participant, National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN-STAR) Steps Towards Academic Research Program

2017-          Nurse of the Year _Palm Health Foundation

2020-          FAU- Excellence and Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching Award

2021-          NIH- K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award to Promote Diversity