Cancer Center fellow Sarah Yeo awarded $100,000 Prevent Cancer Foundation grant

A postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sarah Yeo, Ph.D., has been awarded a $100,000 research grant from the Prevent Cancer Foundation to advance efforts to improve breast and cervical cancer screening among underserved women.

Yeo is a National Institutes of Health T32 fellow and received the Richard C. Devereaux Outstanding Young Investigator Award, which provides $100,000 over two years to support innovative cancer prevention and early detection research.

Her project, “Promoting Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Among Underserved Women,” focuses on refugee women from Muslim-majority countries who face significant barriers to preventive health care in the United States.

“Breast and cervical cancers are highly treatable when detected early, yet many women never receive routine screenings,” Yeo said. “Refugee women often come from places without preventive healthcare systems. Language differences, cultural beliefs, modesty concerns, and challenges navigating the U.S. health care system can make screening even more difficult.”

Addressing cultural and practical barriers

Yeo's research aims to develop and evaluate a culturally and linguistically appropriate program to help refugee women access lifesaving mammograms and Pap tests. The program will partner with trained community health workers who share the cultural and language backgrounds of participants. 

Community health workers will lead educational sessions, answer questions and provide hands-on support to women ages 45 to 65 who are not up to date on recommended breast and cervical cancer screenings. The study will measure changes in participants’ knowledge, attitudes and screening completion over six months to assess the program’s feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness.

By addressing both cultural and logistical barriers, Yeo and her team hope to create a scalable model that can be adapted for refugee and immigrant communities nationwide.

A commitment shaped by global experience

Before joining the University of Arizona Cancer Center as an NIH T32 postdoctoral fellow, Yeo worked as an evaluation and research specialist at World Vision, one of the world’s largest international development organizations. She led and managed multiple research and evaluation projects worldwide, including programs serving Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.

While overseeing international programs and later working with resettled refugees in the United States, Yeo saw firsthand how health disparities persist long after families arrive in a new country.

“Many refugees remain invisible in the healthcare system,” Yeo said. “Seeing women struggle to access lifesaving care inspired me to focus my research on underserved populations who are too often overlooked.”

Advancing cancer prevention and health equity

Support from the Prevent Cancer Foundation will allow Yeo to generate data to develop a culturally tailored cancer screening intervention. Findings from the project could inform larger studies and expand access to preventive care for underserved communities.

“Dr. Yeo’s work exemplifies our commitment to reducing cancer disparities through community-engaged research,” said Gloria Coronado, associate director of population science for the U of A Cancer Center. “By partnering with community health workers and addressing real-world barriers, this project has the potential to save lives through earlier detection.”

The Prevent Cancer Foundation awarded nearly $1 million in new research grants this year to support nine scientists across the United States. Each researcher received $100,000 for a two-year period to advance cancer prevention and early detection. Concurrent to her fellowship with the U of A Cancer Center, Yeo is also a scientific analyst in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Before her fellowship with the U of A Cancer Center, Yeo graduated from the U of A Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health with a PhD in 2023.