Roshan Bastani

Roshan Bastani, PhD, is a professor in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and Director of the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity. Her leadership roles also include an 11-year term as Associate Dean for Research in the Fielding School of Public Health.

Bastani is a social and health psychologist whose main research interests are in disease prevention and control among disadvantaged groups, with a focus on implementing and rigorously testing individual, community, organization and system-directed interventions to improve access and reduce disparities. She has led a large number of studies targeting low income, ethnic minority and immigrant populations, and has had continuous research funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1988. She has established strong ties with an extensive network of community organizations that serve as partners in her collaborative community research.

Bastani’s research spans the developmental continuum and includes studies on breast, cervix, colorectal and prostate cancer screening and diagnostic follow-up; hepatitis B screening; tobacco control; melanoma prevention; obesity control; liver disease; and HPV vaccine uptake. This work includes examination of the drivers of disparities among underserved groups, implementation of pragmatic intervention trials to mitigate observed disparities and methodological studies, as well as studies to advance theory in the field.

In addition to conducting her own research, Bastani devotes considerable effort to mentoring junior investigators, particularly minority individuals and those interested in research among underserved populations. For over 15 years, she led a National Cancer Institute post-doctoral career development program with a heavy focus on transdisciplinary cancer control training and disparities research.