Sarah Markt, ScD, MPH

School of Medicine
Member
Population and Cancer Prevention Program
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

 As a cancer epidemiologist, Dr. Markt focuses on integrating molecular, lifestyle, and clinical epidemiology to elucidate risk factors involved in cancer initiation and progression for multiple different cancers. Most of her work has been conducted in large population-based cohorts, which has involved using national, state, and local data sources to better understand the interplay between environmental, social, and genetic or molecular factors on cancer risk and progression.  

 

Contributions to science:
•    Investigated the role of a urinary biomarker (melatonin), genetic variation and questionnaire data on sleep duration and disruption in prostate cancer risk and progression. 
•    Investigated modifiable lifestyle factors in early-, mid-, and later-life, for risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancers using cohorts nationally and internationally.
•    Investigated through collaboration risk factors for progression of testicular germ cell tumors using a clinical testicular cancer patient database and publicly available datasets, including evaluating health disparities among this young patient population.
•    Conducting a molecular epidemiology study of muscle-invasive bladder cancer linked with electronic health record (EHR) data from the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UHCMC)
•    Utilizing the Ohio state cancer registry to evaluate multilevel impacts of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on bladder cancer mortality. 

 

Teaching Information

Courses Taught

EPBI/PQHS 483 Introduction to Epidemiology for Public Health Practice
EPBI/PQHS 465 Design and Measurement in Population Health Sciences

Research Information

Research Interests

My research involves integrating molecular, lifestyle, and clinical epidemiology to study risk factors for the initiation and progression of cancer, with the primary goal to translate research findings into direct application for primary and secondary cancer prevention. A major area of my research focus is in investigating circadian rhythm disruption as a risk factor for cancer, and particularly for the risk of advanced prostate cancer. I am also interested in understanding the molecular basis for tumor progression and the clinical utility of utilizing genomic markers for cancer outcomes, with a particular focus on prostate, testicular, and bladder cancer. Another area of my research focus is in understanding the intersection of sex, race/ethnicity, and economic inequality on outcomes among bladder cancer patients. The long-term goal of this research is to integrate clinical, hormonal, neighborhood contextual, and molecular data, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of potentially modifiable factors and identify therapeutic targets. In addition to leading research projects, I also serve as an epidemiology collaborator on various projects with colleagues in PQHS, clinical colleagues at local and national hospitals, and the VA. 

Professional Memberships

American Association for Cancer Research
Women in Cancer Research
Society for Epidemiologic Research
American Association for Cancer Research Molecular Epidemiology Working Group

Publications

View all of Dr. Markt's publications

  1. Allott, EH, Ebot, EM, Stopsack, KH, Gonzalez-Feliciano, AG, Markt, SC, Wilson, KM, Ahearn, TU, Gerke, TA, Downer, MK, Rider, JR, Freedland, SJ, Lotan, TL, Kantoff, PW, Platz, EA, Loda, M, Stampfer, MJ, Giovannucci, E, Sweeney, CJ, Finn, SP, Mucci, LA. Statin Use Is Associated with Lower Risk of PTEN-Null and Lethal Prostate Cancer. Clin. Cancer Res. 2020; 26 (5): 1086-1093. PubMed PMID:31754047 PubMed Central PMC7056554.
  2. Dickerman, BA, Torfadottir, JE, Valdimarsdottir, UA, Giovannucci, E, Wilson, KM, Aspelund, T, Tryggvadottir, L, Sigurdardottir, LG, Harris, TB, Launer, LJ, Gudnason, V, Markt, SC, Mucci, LA. Body fat distribution on computed tomography imaging and prostate cancer risk and mortality in the AGES-Reykjavik study. Cancer 2019; 125 (16): 2877-2885. PubMed PMID:31179538 PubMed Central PMC6663585.
  3. McGregor, BA, Miller, RE, O'Donnell, E, Albiges, LK, Sweeney, CJ, Markt, SC. Body Mass Index and Outcomes in Germ-Cell Tumors. Clin Genitourin Cancer 2019; 17 (4): 283-290. PubMed PMID:31129146 .
  4. Abufaraj, M, Tabung, FK, Shariat, SF, Moschini, M, Devore, E, Papantoniou, K, Yang, L, Strohmaier, S, Rohrer, F, Markt, SC, Zhang, X, Giovannucci, E, Schernhammer, E. Association between Inflammatory Potential of Diet and Bladder Cancer Risk: Results of 3 United States Prospective Cohort Studies. J. Urol. 2019; 202 (3): 484-489. PubMed PMID:31009297 .
  5. AlDubayan, SH, Pyle, LC, Gamulin, M, Kulis, T, Moore, ND, Taylor-Weiner, A, Hamid, AA, Reardon, B, Wubbenhorst, B, Godse, R, Vaughn, DJ, Jacobs, LA, Meien, S, Grgic, M, Kastelan, Z, Markt, SC, Damrauer, SM, Rader, DJ, Kember, RL, Loud, JT, Kanetsky, PA, Greene, MH, Sweeney, CJ, Kubisch, C, Nathanson, KL, Van Allen, EM, Stewart, DR, Lessel, D, Regeneron Genetics Center (RGC) Research Team. Association of Inherited Pathogenic Variants in Checkpoint Kinase 2 (CHEK2) With Susceptibility to Testicular Germ Cell Tumors. JAMA Oncol 2019; 5 (4): 514-522. PubMed PMID:30676620 PubMed Central PMC6459214.
  6. Hamid, AA, Markt, SC, Vicier, C, McDermott, K, Richardson, P, Ho, VT, Sweeney, CJ. Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation Outcomes for Relapsed Metastatic Germ-Cell Tumors in the Modern Era. Clin Genitourin Cancer 2019; 17 (1): 58-64.e1. PubMed PMID:30309761 .
  7. Robinson, CD, Gonzalez-Feliciano, A, Mucci, LA, Markt, SC. Smoking cessation among men following cancer diagnosis: a matched cohort study. J Cancer Surviv 2018; 12 (6): 786-793. PubMed PMID:30302603 .
  8. Pernar, CH, Ebot, EM, Pettersson, A, Graff, RE, Giunchi, F, Ahearn, TU, Gonzalez-Feliciano, AG, Markt, SC, Wilson, KM, Stopsack, KH, Gazeeva, E, Lis, RT, Parmigiani, G, Rimm, EB, Finn, SP, Giovannucci, EL, Fiorentino, M, Mucci, LA. A Prospective Study of the Association between Physical Activity and Risk of Prostate Cancer Defined by Clinical Features and TMPRSS2:ERG. Eur. Urol. 2019; 76 (1): 33-40. PubMed PMID:30301696 PubMed Central PMC6451672.
  9. Tsang, SH, Peisch, SF, Rowan, B, Markt, SC, Gonzalez-Feliciano, AG, Sutcliffe, S, Platz, EA, Mucci, LA, Ebot, EM. Association between Trichomonas vaginalis and prostate cancer mortality. Int. J. Cancer 2019; 144 (10): 2377-2380. PubMed PMID:30242839 PubMed Central PMC6430694.
  10. Preston, MA, Gerke, T, Carlsson, SV, Signorello, L, Sjoberg, DD, Markt, SC, Kibel, AS, Trinh, QD, Steinwandel, M, Blot, W, Vickers, AJ, Lilja, H, Mucci, LA, Wilson, KM. Baseline Prostate-specific Antigen Level in Midlife and Aggressive Prostate Cancer in Black Men. Eur. Urol. 2019; 75 (3): 399-407. PubMed PMID:30237027 PubMed Central PMC6390280.

Education

Sc.D.
Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
2014
M.P.H.
Epidemiology
George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
2009
B.S.
Biological Sciences
Cornell University
2005

Residencies, Internships and Fellowships

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
2014

Additional Information

 •    Committed to student mentoring: research advisor to 1 PhD student, serve on various MPH practicum and capstone committees, serve as research mentor to CWRU medical and undergraduate students.
•    Actively involved in formal partnership between CWRU and the Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH) (https://case.edu/medicine/pqhs/news-events/cwru-mph-team-partners-cleveland-department-public-health-battle-covid-19).