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Department of Radiation Medicine & Applied Sciences Radiation Medicine
  1. Department of Radiation Medicine & Applied Sciences
  2. Faculty
  3. Applied Sciences Division
  4. Joshua Demb, Ph.D., M.P.H

Joshua Demb, Ph.D., M.P.H

Assistant Professor

Ida DechaiteEducation

B.A. Political Science | University of Michigan
M.P.H. Epidemiology | Columbia University
Ph.D. Epidemiology | UC San Francisco

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

About Dr. Demb

Dr. Joshua Demb is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Applied Sciences and a member of the Center for Health Equity Education and Research (CHEER). 

Dr. Demb’s research program centers on cancer epidemiology and early cancer detection. He leverages large-scale cohort, claims and EHR data to investigate screening uptake, diagnostic delays, and multilevel determinants of cancer detection. Notable contributions include studies on "red-flag" symptom recognition (e.g., iron-deficiency anemia, hematochezia) as predictors of CRC risk and diagnostic delay, and how comorbidity and functional limitations impact cancer screening uptake in older adults.

He is currently funded an NIH/NCI K99/R00 Pathway to Independence award for his work on optimizing early cancer screening initiation, which involves a pragmatic randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of two mailed colorectal cancer screening modalities—Cologuard vs. fecal immunochemical test (FIT)—in individuals ages 45–49. The study began in September 2025.