Bob Stephens, PhD, MPH

Scientific Director, Statistics and Evaluation

At ACS since 2016

As Scientific Director of Statistics and Evaluation, Bob Stephens, PhD, MPH, serves as a team lead for the evaluation team in the Population Sciences Research Group at the American Cancer Society (ACS), which was formerly part of the Statistics and Evaluation Center.

He and his team provide evaluation services and support to internal clients throughout the ACS. His primary duties include managing evaluation staff, providing evaluation design and data analysis support and consultation, and disseminating evaluation research findings through presentations, reports, and peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Research focus and accomplishments

I have nearly 35 years of experience providing consultation on:

  • Design of experiments, quasi-experiments, and evaluations
  • Development of data collection instruments and scales
  • Statistical analysis, with an emphasis on longitudinal data analysis using multiple regression, logistic regression, multilevel modeling, and latent variable modeling techniques

At ACS, I have conducted matching analyses using propensity scores and genetic matching algorithms to implement a quasi-experimental comparison study of the effects of ACS grant funding on federally qualified health centers’ (FQHCs’) colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screening programs using HRSA’s Uniform Data System database. Findings from this study indicated ACS funding is associated with increased rates of screening for colorectal cancer.

I have also conducted a social network analysis of collaborations among members of the ACS HPV Vaccination Roundtable.

In addition, I recently completed an analysis of ACS patient transportation data from the Road to Recovery Program to describe the provision of rides to our constituents residing in high poverty census tracts. The findings have informed strategic thinking around ACS’s ability to address disparities in access to health care for our constituents.

Publications

For a full list of Dr. Stephens's publications, visit his Google Scholar page.  

Contact 

bob.stephens@cancer.org
404-394-5545

Work before ACS

  • ICF International, Technical Director
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Research Psychologist
  • University of Alabama at Birmingham, Program Manager
  • US Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, Research Psychologist

Professional organizations

  • American Evaluation Association (AEA), Member
  • American Statistical Association (ASA), Member

Education

  • PhD: Experimental Psychology, University of Alabama, 1988
  • MPH: Health Behavior, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1995

Personal life 

I live in the Edgewood neighborhood of Atlanta. I have a son who is self-employed and a daughter who will graduate from high school in 2021. I enjoy playing drums and guitar, and I like to read.