Allana Roach, PhD, MSB

At ACS since 2025

Allana Roach, PhD, MSB, is a senior associate scientist (program manager) for the Clinical and Population Sciences Program in Extramural Discovery Science at the American Cancer Society (ACS). She is responsible for coordinating the peer review process and supports the research program's growth and development.

She also provides support to grantees and applicants for all program grant mechanisms, including special initiatives.

Research focus and accomplishments

Before joingin ACS, Roach served as an Associate Professor at St. George's University, where she led the student academic support division, revamping learning support for medical students across three global campuses. She taught courses in basic sciences and participatory research methods across various medical and graduate programs. Additionally, she was a Research Fellow at the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation.

Trained as a geneticist and bioethicist, Roach is dedicated to the improvement of health outcomes for all through the focused academic training of medical and allied health professionals, the ethical conduct of research and the meaningful translation of research findings. Over the past 16 years, she has played a key role in shaping research policies across multiple academic institutions and has been instrumental in the establishment of Institutional Review Boards in research-naïve communities. She has been an invaluable resource to several multidisciplinary research teams seeking to engage and empower research participants across various communities and has led community health implementation initiatives aimed at improving public health in under-resourced, underserved and rural areas.

She is excited to bring this expertise to the Clinical and Population Science Program, aiding ACS and its grantees in their mission to prevent, detect, treat, and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and their families.

Contact 

• allana.roach@cancer.org
• 205-558-2845

Work before ACS

• St. George's University, Associate Professor
• The University of the West Indies, Lecturer
• Howard University, Assistant Professor

Education

• MSB: Bioethics, Clarkson University in conjunction with Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 2019
• PhD: Human Genetics, Howard University, 2008
• BS: Biology, Howard University, 2003

Personal life

I live in Madison, Alabama, and enjoy exploring the outdoors with my son. I'm also passionate about service and regularly volunteer through my church and Rotary, where I am a member.