Anna Arthur, Ph.D., MPH, RDN

Professional Background

Anna Arthur, Ph.D., MPH, RDN, is an assistant professor in the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at KU Medical Center. Prior to joining the faculty in August 2021, Arthur was an assistant professor of nutrition and cancer and the Sylvia D. Stroup Scholar of Nutrition and Cancer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

She earned a bachelor's degree in nutritional sciences from Michigan State University and a master's in public health and doctorate in philosophy from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Research

Overview

Arthur's scientific research career has been devoted to studying the role of diet and nutritional status in determining clinical outcomes after cancer diagnosis, with particular interest in nutritionally and socioeconomically vulnerable cancer types. The long-term goal of her research is to inform the development of novel dietary recommendations and medical nutrition therapies for cancer patients and survivors, ultimately improving survival and quality of life after diagnosis.

To better understand the complex relationships between dietary factors and cancer etiology, Arthur integrates methods in nutritional sciences and cancer molecular epidemiology and utilizes both observational and interventional study designs. These include studies of single nutrients/foods, overall dietary patterns, and biochemical indicators of diet as exposures to predict associations with cancer-related biomarkers and clinical outcomes such as cancer recurrence and survival.

Arthur also has expertise in cancer survivorship issues such as symptom science, health-related quality of life, eating behaviors and adaptations, and food and nutrition security.