Off The Cuff: Jana Knibb
Feb. 28, 2020
Our CCRI faculty and staff are a diverse group with many fascinating hobbies and interests that keep them busy during their free time off campus. Welcome to "Off the Cuff." Every other week, we'll profile a member of our CCRI family to find out what makes them tick. Hopefully, their stories inspire others and help us develop new connections and friendships with our CCRI colleagues.
Back in 2018, we brought you the story of Assistant Social Sciences Professor Jana
Knibb, who conducted a seven-year research project in which she polled different groups of breast cancer survivors for their reactions
to breast cancer research and awareness marketing, specifically during the month of
October.
Knibb’s research produced some interesting findings and she continues to be an advocate
not only for women suffering or recovering from breast cancer, but also those who
are underrepresented in the higher education or healthcare field. A professor at CCRI
for the last four and a half years, Knibbs is currently researching new topics for
publications set to be released in 2020. She also assisted the college in outreach
projects aimed toward African American women suffering from breast cancer this past
October.
This week we sat down with one of our college’s busiest faculty members to see what
topics she plans on tackling next and take a closer look at what initially intrigued
her about breast cancer research.
Not too long ago, you conducted a focus group with breast cancer survivors and the
specific breast cancer advertising used in commercials. What were the findings of
your research?
We found that breast cancer survivors have many desires for breast cancer advertising,
but the two that were most prominent were first, that it is informative and accurate,
and second, that it is transparent about the organization's motives and their support
for breast cancer causes and research.
Can you tell us a little bit about what has drawn you to breast cancer research?
Being a medical sociologist who is interested in health outcome disparities based
on race and gender, as well as having many loved ones who are survivors and who I
have lost drew me to work on this topic.
Are you currently working on any additional focus groups or studies?
I am not currently working on anything related to Breast Cancer, but I am currently
focusing on topics related to disability, allyship, and equity in Higher Education,
and I am expecting to have some upcoming publications about those topics.
In October, you also helped CCRI pinpoint organizations geared toward African American
women either suffering from or recovering from breast cancer. In your research, have
you found that African American women have been more prone to breast cancer or are
losing their lives at a higher rate because of it?
The mortality and morbidity rates of African American women related to Breast Cancer
was not the focus of our study, however, we did focus on the lived experiences of
African American survivors and the consensus among the participants was that there
needs to be an increase in awareness within the African American community, the medical
community, and society in general. Our participants reported many indignities in their
experiences with the medical community related to being an African American woman
fighting for her life.
What would you say is the ultimate goal of all the research you’ve put so much time
into through the years?
I would say that the ultimate goal of my research is to bring awareness and be a voice
to the larger society for people who have been silenced and ignored. Breast cancer
affects the vast majority of us in some way, and we need to spread awareness and information
about it, as well as hold those accountable who are supposed to be providing assistance.
We would love to hear your story, too! Email us at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured in a future edition of “Off the Cuff” or want to nominate a co-worker.
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