Angela Sy, DrPH
Associate Member, Population Sciences in the Pacific Program (Cancer Prevention in the Pacific), University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center
Academic Appointment(s):
Assistant Researcher, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Honors Program, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Degree(s):
DrPH (Public Health), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
MPH (Public Health), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Research Focus
Angela Sy conducts research on cancer disparities among Asian and Pacific Islanders with a focus on colorectal cancer prevention, community engaged research and program evaluation. She works with communities represented by the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands: American Samoa, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Republic of Palau. Angela's research interest is in identifying, developing, implementing, and evaluating cancer prevention interventions for Asians and Pacific Islanders that are community and culturally relevant (e.g. health literacy, social networks). She is also involved with mentoring initiatives including serving as a mentor for George Washington University Cancer Center Mentorship Program where she is working with a mentee from Palau. Angela is a Co-Investigator of a NIMHD American Samoa Indigenous Partnership to Initiate Research Excellence in Colorectal Cancer Health Literacy (PI - Victor Tofaeono, MD) to increase research capacity in and to assess colorectal cancer screening literacy in American Samoa. She was formerly a Research Director of a NCI-funded Asian American Network of Cancer Research, Awareness, and Training (AANCART) with the University of California Davis and San Francisco (PIs - Moon Chen, PhD, Tung Nguyen, MD, Edward Chow, MD) randomized controlled trial to investigate lay health workers in promoting colorectal screening among Filipino, Hmong, and Korean Americans.
Selected Publications
Tofaeono V, Kaʻopua LS, Sy A, Terada T, Purcell RTV, Aoelua-Fanene D, Tong K, Tofaeono V, Unutoa-Mageo T, Scanlan L, Cassel K, Rosario A. (2019). Research Capacity Strengthening in American Samoa. Fa’avaeina le Fa’atelega o le Tomai Sa’ili’ili i Amerika Samoa. British Journal of Social Work 0:1-23 doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcz160.
Rollins L, Sy A, Crowell N, Rivers D, Miller A, Cooper P, Teague D, Jackson C, Akintobi TH, Ofili T. (2018). Learning and actions in community health: using the health belief model to assess and educate African American community residents about participation in clinical research. Int J Environ Res Public Health; 15:1862.
Sy A, Lim E, Kaʻopua LS, Kataoka-Yahiro M, Kinoshita Y, Stewart SL. (2018). Colorectal cancer screening prevalence and predictors among Asian American subgroups usingMedical Expenditure Panel Survery National Data. Cancer; Suppl 7:1535-1542.
Cuaresma C, Sy A, Nguyen TT, Ho R, Gildengorin G, Tsoh JY, Jo A, Tong E, Kagawa-Singer M, Steward S. (2018). Results of a lay health education intervention to increase colorectal cancer screening among Filipino Americans: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Cancer; Suppl 7:1535-1542.
Sy A, Hernandez BY, Tareg A, Reichhardt M, Buenconsejo-Lum LE. (2017). Acceptability and feasibility of a community based participatory research project comparing cytology and ruing HPV DNA testing for cervical cancer screening in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia. Cancer Epidemiology; 50:283-288.
Publication list via PubMed
Active Grants
A. Sy, Community Engagement Core Evaluator; B. Mancera, PD; R Kirken, PI
NIH #2U54MD007592-01
Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso
The goal of the Community Engagement Core of the Border Biomedical Research Center is to build a sustainable infrastructure that fosters investigative collaboration and translation of project findings throughout the scientific community and the Paso del Norte border region.
08/01/19 – 2/29/24
A. Sy, Evaluator and Program Administrator; Vivek Nerurkar, PI
NIH #2T37MD008636-07
“Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research Training for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Students, John A.Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa”
The goal of this training grant is to teach underrepresented minority students in Hawaiʻi, who are primarily of Hawaiian, Pacific Island and Filipino descent, basic concepts in biomedical research.
12/1/13 – 11/30/23
A. Sy, Co-Investigator; V. Tofaeono, PI
NIH #U24MD011202-04
American Samoa Indigenous Partnership to Initiate Research
"Excellence in Colorectal Cancer Health Literacy American Samoan Cancer Coalition"
The goal of this project is to increase research capacity in American Samoa and to conduct a pilot research project on colorectal cancer screening literacy
7/1/16 – 6/30/21
A. Sy, Evaluator; R. Yanagihara, PI
NIH # 1P30GM114737-05
"Pacific Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Department of Pediatrics, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa"
The goal of this project is to evaluate Phase III of the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence for emerging infectious diseases which aims to enhance the conditions that accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, heighten research productivity and increase competitiveness for extramural funding.
7/1/15 – 6/30/20
