Housten Lab

The Housten Lab focuses on supporting cancer screening and treatment decision-making to reduce health disparities and to address challenges associated with health literacy in diverse populations.

The lab is led by Ashley Housten, OTD, MSCI, OTR/L, an associate professor of surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences at WashU Medicine.

Dr. Housten earned a doctorate in occupational therapy and a master of science in clinical investigation from WashU. During her time as a student in the Program in Occupational Therapy, she focused on health literacy and disparities by working with her mentor to deliver community and hospital-based interventions to youth and families with or at-risk for sickle cell disease. Dr. Housten then applied her skills in health literacy and disparities to post-doctoral research training in decision sciences at WashU and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her recent research has centered on decision-making in the context of limited evidence and divergent guidelines among vulnerable populations.

Specifically, she is interested in the dissemination and implementation of decision support strategies to improve health behaviors and outcomes, particularly in populations that experience cancer-related health inequity. With a focus on how people evaluate and apply health information, her research uses qualitative and mixed-methods to identify challenges and opportunities to strengthen patient-provider engagement in decision-making across the cancer care continuum.

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Principal investigator

Current research

Literacy, equity and implementation

Dr. Housten’s research focuses on supporting screening and treatment decision-making to reduce health disparities and to address challenges associated with health literacy in diverse populations. Specifically, she is interested in the dissemination and implementation of decision support strategies to improve health behaviors and outcomes, particularly in populations that experience health inequity. With a focus on how people evaluate and apply health information, her research uses qualitative and mixed-methods to identify challenges and opportunities to strengthen patient-provider engagement in health-related decision-making.

• Developing and evaluating decision support tools via user-centered design
• Dissemination and implementation of decision support interventions to address health inequity
• Working closely with clinical collaborators to improve health communication among those with limited health literacy

General description of student activities

Students will have the opportunity to learn and engage in a research lab collecting primary data for qualitative and mixed-methods analyses. Students will be expected to work with other lab members to complete one hypothesis driven research project in addition to participating in other lab research opportunities. Data are collected primarily at the Taylor Avenue Building (TAB; 600 S. Taylor on Washington University’s Medical Campus). Some studies may include evening or weekend data collection.

Examples of projects

• Qualitative analysis of racially/ethnically diverse women’s priorities and values related to the initiation, frequency, and discontinuation of cancer screening
• Early-stage breast cancer treatment decision-making for older adults with multiple comorbidities
• Systematic review of health literacy interventions in the context of cancer screening
• Needs assessment to identify gaps in knowledge and opportunities for implementation
• Cognitive interviews with participants testing decision aids during the user-centered design process

Our team

Staff

Michelle Eggers, MA
Senior Public Health Research Coordinator

Rachelle Roy, BS
Public Health Research Coordinator II

Kate Gladhart-Hayes, MSOT/MPH
Public Health Research Coordinator I

Andrew Vu, PhD
Post-Doctoral Research Scholar

Irania Santaliz Moreno, MS
PhD Student in Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Ross Buchman, BS
Graduate Research Assistant

Rorah Ndungu, BS
Graduate Research Assistant

Connor Park, BA
Graduate Research Assistant

Current mentees of Dr. Housten

Kelly Crisp
PhD Student, Northern Illinois University

Trisha Khambadkone, MD
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow, PGY-5

Lab alumni

• Kamilah Abdur-Rashid, MSc
• Abby Berns, BA
• Erin Blalock, MHS (Meharry Medical College | MD Candidate, 2025)
• Melania Boker, BA (Leah Menshouse Springer Summer Opportunities Program)
• Maggie Britton, MA
• Kylie Bushroe (PGY-4, Newborn Medicine)
• Yunan Han, MD
• Johanna Hilpuesch, BA
• Allison L’Hotta, OTD, PhD
• Catherine Hoyt, OTD, PhD
• Rachel Mintz, BS
• Hunter Moore, BS (MPH Student)
• Camille Neal, MBS, MHS (Meharry Medical College | MD Candidate, 2026)
• Charles Okere, MPH, CPH
• Roxana Portillo (Bio 2661)
• Hannah Rice, MPH
• Sienna Ruiz, BA
• Amela Siječić, BS (Leah Menshouse Springer Summer Opportunities Program)