About
Dr. Klassen has an accomplished career in public health research and practice, with a wealth of experience in securing federal research grants, and a reputation as being a strong collaborator and mentor. Klassen's public health research has focused on the social determinants of chronic disease disparities, and the implementation and evaluation of individual and contextual interventions to reduce patterns of excess burden. Her methodologic expertise includes GIS-based and spatial analysis, as well as qualitative and mixed methods for social science research.
Klassen serves as a Professor of Community Health and Prevention. Previously, she was an Associate Professor of behavioral health sciences at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a joint appointment in Oncology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Klassen has held funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Defense’s Congressionally Mandated Medical Research Program, American Cancer Society and many other sources. She also directed graduate training programs funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Susan G Komen for the Cure.
Klassen is the author of more than 70 scientific articles and chapters, and currently is co-leading an expert group on mixed methods research for the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research at the NIH. Other scientific service activities include NIH study section memberships, advising Breakthrough Britain on cancer research funding, and serving on the international steering committee for the 2007 Global Breast Cancer Conference in Seoul, Korea.
Klassen was also appointed to Maryland’s HPV Vaccine Policy Taskforce and Prostate Cancer Medical Advisory Committee, and chairs the Cervical Cancer Chapter of Maryland’s CDC-funded Comprehensive Cancer Plan.