The goal of Dr. McCarthy’s research is to reduce the burden of cancer through improved prevention and screening strategies, particularly for racial/ethnic minorities. Her work seeks to integrate genomics into clinical care and to develop tailored prevention strategies based on individual patient risk.  

Dr. McCarthy’s current work is focused on implementing precision medicine approaches to breast cancer prevention and early detection. Her work leverages our growing understanding of breast cancer biology and risk by focusing on a key clinical concern – identifying women who are at high risk of having a cancer that is aggressive and likely to be missed by mammography screening who may benefit from supplemental screening. In addition, she is pursuing a novel line of research linking prevention strategies to tumor genomics. This work is directly aimed at further reducing breast cancer mortality by modernizing approaches to breast cancer screening.  

Since her post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. McCarthy has been a member of the NCI’s PROSPR (Population-Based Research Optimizing Screening through Personalized Regimens) consortium, which is focused on improving the cancer screening process. Her current work with PROSPR involves evaluating screening practices and racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in cervical cancer screening, particularly among young women.