Jane McElroy, PhD

University of Missouri School of Medicine researcher Jane McElroy, PhD, is uncovering clues to better health.

Dr. McElroy is a professor of research in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She studies health issues in the general population as well as among LGBTQ individuals and rural communities. She is co-director of the Rural Health Research Center (RHRC) and Missouri Practice-Based Innovations Network (MO-PIN) and assistant director of the NextGen Center for Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases (CIEID). Much of Dr. McElroy’s work involves primary data collection, including surveys and biospecimens, for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. She has documented that a growing number of patients receive breast cancer diagnoses over the telephone and investigated ways in which queer-identifying individuals may experience greater stress during breast cancer treatment. Dr. McElroy has highlighted the fact that queer Black women experience unique struggles when diagnosed with cancer, yet little research exists on the topic. Through interviews with family practice clinicians, she has learned about the trust they build with their rural patients and the critical need for resources to enhance cancer survivors’ quality of life and follow-up care.

In addition, Dr. McElroy has explored causes of endometrial cancer and applied geographical information systems (GIS) in her research. As co-director of the Missouri Partnership to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening (MPICCS) project, she collaborates with more than 65 clinics that are a critical component of the health care safety net among rural residents in central and southwestern Missouri. She co-leads a team of practice facilitators in helping these clinics implement evidence-based interventions to increase colorectal cancer screening. And, with the need for understanding more about SARS CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic, she and collaborator Henry Wan, PhD, have reported findings about COVID-19 variant distribution in Missouri, co-infection with influenza and the immune response among pregnant and lactating women who are vaccinated. Most recently, in collaboration with Regina DePietro, MD, Dr. McElroy is exploring GLP-1 weight loss medication use from patient perspectives. Dr. McElroy’s findings have appeared in Women’s Health Issues, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Environmental Health Perspectives, Journal of Medical Virology, Preventing Chronic Disease and other leading publications.

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