Rate My Professor Roger Anderson

Roger Anderson, PhD, is a Professor of Public Health Sciences in the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He currently holds the positions of Director of the Department’s Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Associate Director for Population Sciences at the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center. Anderson brings more than 30 years of experience in clinical and population research, with training in social epidemiology and health services research. He received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, in June 1992. Before joining the University of Virginia in 2014, he served on the faculty at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for 16 years and at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, for seven years.

Anderson’s scholarly interests center on cancer health disparities, evaluating the benefits of health care and treatments on patient outcomes, access to healthcare in rural Appalachia, and the impacts of healthcare systems and policies on population health. Under his leadership, the Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention conducts research across patient, population, community, and system levels, utilizing experimental, quasi-experimental, mixed-methods designs, and innovative interventions such as adaptive and digital tools to promote health, prevent disease, and improve healthcare delivery and cost-effectiveness. His work supports the UVA Cancer Center’s mission by developing evidence-based strategies to lower cancer burdens in diverse populations, mitigate health disparities at local and national levels, and translate new knowledge and technologies into community practice. Anderson has been recognized for his impactful contributions, receiving the American Cancer Society Researcher of the Year award in 2021 for advances in cancer research, leadership, and innovation. Additionally, he was honored with a 2023 University of Virginia Research Achievement Award and selected as a recipient of the American Cancer Society and Flatiron Health Real-World Data Impact Award in 2021.