CalCARES Program

Theresa Keegan, Ph.D., M.S.

Theresa Keegan is a cancer epidemiologist with primary research interests in studies of cancer outcomes, health disparities and cancer survivorship. She has undertaken numerous studies with population-based cancer registry data in the United States, both alone and linked to other administrative and clinical databases, to understand patterns of cancer treatment and outcomes. Keegan has also been involved with multiple studies examining patient experiences with cancer and patient- reported outcomes after cancer diagnosis. A focus of her research is in adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology where her research has documented sociodemographic disparities in stage at diagnosis, treatment, access to specialized cancer center care, late effects and survival.

Ted Wun, M.D., FACP

Ted Wun is a hematologist and medical oncologist whose cancer relevant research is primarily in cancer-associated venous thrombosis (CAT). The research group he co-founded with Theresa Keegan is called the Center for Oncology and Hematology Outcomes Research and Training (COHORT). Other cancer relevant interests of COHORT include adolescent and young adult cancers, and cancer health disparities. His other research interest is in sickle cell disease.

Wun is professor of medicine and associate dean for clinical and translational research at UC Davis School of Medicine and is director/principal investigator of the UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center. He is one of the leaders of the California Cancer Reporting and Epidemiologic Surveillance (CalCARES) Program, which manages the California Cancer Registry. He also serves as chief, Division of Hematology and Oncology.

Arti Parikh-Patel, Ph.D., M.P.H

Arti Parikh-Patel provides executive leadership and oversight for all CalCARES Program operations. She has over 20 years of experience working with the California Cancer Registry and has held leadership roles within multiple public health and research programs in academic, non-profit and government settings. Parikh-Patel is a cancer epidemiologist and has conducted research using large population-based data sources to examine disparities in cancer treatment and outcomes by demographic and structural factors including race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geography and health insurance type. Parikh-Patel received her Ph.D. in epidemiology from UC Davis and holds additional undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology and public health from UC Berkeley and San Diego State University.

Jason Stovall

Jason Stovall manages the informatics and information technology operations of the CalCARES program. He has over 15 years of experience in information technology leadership roles, primarily in higher education, and has led technical teams in major medical school projects from design to accreditation, as well as wireless design and implementation. Stovall has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from San Jose State University and holds active certificates as a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional).

Brenda Hofer, M.S.

Brenda Hofer manages the surveillance and data use unit within the CalCARES Program. Brenda has over 17 years of experience working with the California Cancer Registry, conducting cancer research and surveillance, serving as technical lead on the production and evaluation of research data, and guiding researchers in the use and limitations of cancer registry data. Brenda has authored and collaborated in research studies and numerous surveillance reports evaluating the cancer burden in California. Her interests focus on cancer disparities and issues pertaining to data quality. She is a member of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) Research and Data Use Steering Committee, NAACCR Rare Cancers Workgroup, and leads a NAACCR workgroup developing a handbook for central registry data analysts. Brenda obtained a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the UC Davis and a master of arts degree in sociology from California State University, Sacramento.