Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD

Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD

Professor of Health Services Research and Health Economics, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy; Director/Founder, Center for Translational and Policy Research on Precision Medicine (TRANSPERS), UCSF

Cancer Center Program Membership

Cancer Control

[email protected]

Phone: (415) 502-8271 (voice)

Box 0613, UCSF
San Francisco, CA 94143-0613

UCSF Profiles

Research Summary

My research focuses on the value of new technologies, with a specific emphasis on the application of genetics to cancer care and control and other conditions (“precision medicine"). In 2008, I founded the UCSF Center for Translational and Policy Research on Precision Medicine (TRANSPERS), which focuses on how personalized/precision medicine can most effectively and efficiently be adopted into health care delivery and health policies. I have had continuous funding from the NIH as Principal Investigator for over 30 years and have published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in the leading journals in health policy. A focus is cross-disciplinary/cross-sector research as exemplified by my advisory role to many government and industry organizations.

My work in cancer screening spans almost my entire academic career, with early work on predictors of mammography screening followed by work on colorectal cancer screening. I now work on policy issues relevant to hereditary cancer risk assessment testing and tumor profiling using sequencing technologies (funded by NCI and others). I work closely with the UCSF HDFCCC as a long-time member of the Population Sciences/Cancer Control Program and previously was the designated leader for comparative effectiveness research. I have presented at multiple IOM, NCI, and other meetings focused on cancer and have published in leading cancer journals. My work has been funded by several cancer organizations, including R01s and a Program Project Grant (P01) funded by NCI.

Research Funding

  • July 8, 2021 - April 30, 2026 - BUILDING THE EVIDENCE BASE FOR APPROPRIATE AND EFFICIENT IMPLEMENTATION OF EMERGING GENOMIC TESTS FOR DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND SCREENING , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01HG011792
  • July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2021 - Coverage, Price, and Reimbursement for Multigene Tests for Cancer and Related Conditions , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA221870
  • February 15, 2013 - January 31, 2019 - Risk-Benefit Trade-Offs for Whole Genome Sequencing , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01HG007063
  • September 16, 2008 - August 31, 2013 - Personalized Medicine for Colorectal and Breast Cancer , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P01CA130818
  • April 28, 2004 - March 31, 2009 - Screening for Colorectal Cancer: An Integrated Approach , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA101849
  • February 1, 2000 - April 30, 2004 - USE OF CANCER SCREENING IN A MANAGED CARE ENVIRONMENT , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA081130
  • July 1, 1999 - August 31, 2003 - UTILIZATION AND COST EFFECTIVENESS OF NEW HIV TESTS , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01AI043744
  • December 1, 1993 - November 30, 1999 - EFFECTIVENESS AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF HIV TESTING , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R29AI034864
  • September 1, 1990 - August 31, 1991 - GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION AND UTILIZATION OF HIV SCREENING , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R03HS006629

Education

University of Texas, Austin, BA, 1978, Psychology
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA, MPA, 1986, Policy Analysis
University of California, Berkeley, PhD, 1991, Health Services Research
Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Univ. of CA San Francisco, Postdoc, 1993, Health Services Research

Honors & Awards

  • 1996
    Article published in New England Journal of Medicine contributed to FDA decision to approve the first home collection HIV test
  • 2009
    Grollman Lecture (honorary), University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
  • 2010
    NHGRI Director's Lecture, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
  • 2013
    Accelerated Promotion due to sustained productivity, UCSF
  • 2016
    Promotion to Full Professor Step 7 requiring “international prominence” and university review, UCSF
  • 2016
    Rockefeller Center Bellagio Residency Award for Global Scholars, Rockefeller Foundation
  • 2017
    Nominated, National Academy of Medicine
  • 2017
    Honorary Lectureship, Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine Seminar, University of Maryland
  • 2018
    Honorary Lectureship, Opportunities and Challenges for Moving New Genomic Technologies into Clinical Care and Health Policies, University of British Columbia & BC Cancer Agency
  • 2019, 2020
    Dean’s Apple Award for Outstanding Teaching (multiple), University of California, San Francisco
  • 2022
    Editor in Chief, Health Affairs Scholar

Selected Publications

  1. Smith HS, Buchanan J, Goranitis I, IJzerman MJ, Lavelle TA, Marshall DA, Regier DA, Ungar WJ, Weymann D, Wordsworth S, Phillips KA, Jansen JP Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Genomic Medicine: Considerations for Addressing Health Equity.  View on PubMed
  2. Phillips KA, Horn DM Review and Publication Times and Reporting Across Journals on Health Policy.  View on PubMed
  3. Deverka PA, Arias JJ, Lin GA, Zwerling J, Phillips KA Alzheimer's disease blood-based biomarker testing: A stakeholder-informed assessment of coverage considerations.  View on PubMed
  4. Mrig EH, Phillips KA, Schlesinger M. Financial assistance programs for genetic testing: Effective, ethical, and sustainable pathways to improving access disparities? Genet Med. 2025 Mar 18; 27(6):101417.  View on PubMed
  5. Trosman JR, Weldon CB, Kurian AW, Mrig E, Phillips KA Implementation of Cancer Genomics in the United States: Views of Payers and Other Stakeholders on Challenges and the Role of Payers in Solutions.  View on PubMed
  6. Smith HS, Regier DA, Goranitis I, Bourke M, IJzerman MJ, Degeling K, Montgomery T, Phillips KA, Wordsworth S, Buchanan J, Marshall DA Approaches to Incorporation of Preferences into Health Economic Models of Genomic Medicine: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis and Conceptual Framework.  View on PubMed
  7. Lin GA, Phillips KA, Fendrick AM Corrigendum to "Reading the crystal ball: Primary care implications while awaiting outcomes for multi-cancer early detection tests" [Healthcare 11 (2023) 100705].  View on PubMed
  8. Deverka PA, Lin GA, Phillips KA Payer Coverage Considerations for Alzheimer Disease Blood-Based Biomarker Tests.  View on PubMed
  9. Phillips KA Open Access Publication at a Crossroads-Implications for Researchers and Beyond.  View on PubMed
  10. Lin GA, Coffman JM, Phillips KA State Biomarker Testing Insurance Coverage Laws-Reply.  View on PubMed
  11. Chen C, Douglas MP, Ragavan MV, Phillips KA, Jansen JP. Clinical Validity and Utility of Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) Testing in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (aNSCLC): A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis. Mol Diagn Ther. 2024 09; 28(5):525-536.  View on PubMed
  12. Lin GA, Coffman JM, Phillips KA The State of State Biomarker Testing Insurance Coverage Laws.  View on PubMed
  13. Marshall DA, Hua N, Buchanan J, Christensen KD, Frederix GWJ, Goranitis I, Ijzerman M, Jansen JP, Lavelle TA, Regier DA, Smith HS, Ungar WJ, Weymann D, Wordsworth S, Phillips KA. Paving the path for implementation of clinical genomic sequencing globally: Are we ready? Health Aff Sch. 2024 May; 2(5):qxae053.  View on PubMed
  14. Phillips KA Six months, strong impact.  View on PubMed
  15. Chen C, Douglas MP, Ragavan MV, Phillips KA, Jansen JP. Clinical validity and utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC): a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. medRxiv. 2023 Oct 28.  View on PubMed
  16. Jansen JP, Ragavan MV, Chen C, Douglas MP, Phillips KA. The Health Inequality Impact of Liquid Biopsy to Inform First-Line Treatment of Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. Value Health. 2023 12; 26(12):1697-1710.  View on PubMed
  17. Lin GA, Phillips KA, Fendrick AM. Reading the crystal ball: Primary care implications while awaiting outcomes for multi-cancer early detection tests. Healthc (Amst). 2023 Sep; 11(3):100705.  View on PubMed
  18. Trosman JR, Weldon CB, Kurian AW, Pasquinelli MM, Kircher SM, Martin N, Douglas MP, Phillips KA Perspectives of private payers on multicancer early-detection tests: informing research, implementation, and policy.  View on PubMed
  19. Phillips KA, Marshall DA, Adler L, Figueroa J, Haeder SF, Hamad R, Hernandez I, Moucheraud C, Nikpay S Ten health policy challenges for the next 10 years.  View on PubMed
  20. Douglas MP, Ragavan MV, Chen C, Kumar A, Gray SW, Blakely CM, Phillips KA. Private Payer and Medicare Coverage Policies for Use of Circulating Tumor DNA Tests in Cancer Diagnostics and Treatment. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2023 06; 21(6):609-616.e4.  View on PubMed

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