Karen S. Calabro, Dr.P.H.
Department of Behavioral Science, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences
About Dr. Calabro
I am a Registered Dietitian and seasoned health educator who has led or contributed to broad public health interventions. I am mentored by Alexander V. Prokhorov, MD, PhD, Professor of Behavioral Science at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is a leader in working with young populations and is Director at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s eHealth Technology Program. My key roles in developing and testing multimedia interactive videogames for health behavior change and disseminating campaigns have enhanced my abilities as an interventionist. The recent mentoring and direct extensive experience in counseling overweight and obese patients makes me uniquely suited to direct this project. Previously, I led a research project involving the study of health literacy among 250 English and Spanish-speaking women from public health clinics in the Houston area published in Patient Education and Counseling. I am experienced with recruiting and working with low-income populations similar to the postpartum participants proposed for this project. My publications include topics such as nutrition research, public health trainings, and evaluations of interventions. In the past five year period, I taught graduate level courses in human nutrition, counseling, and behavioral theories. Thus, my knowledge of nutrition and behavior change methodology is current. I have immediate access to eHealth Technology Program staff. As a former leader at The University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, I hold professional ties with medical, public health practitioner, academic, and dietitian colleagues in this state. I am highly enthusiastic and confident that I can lead this initiative.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Instructor, Department of Behavioral Science, Division of OVP, Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Instructor, University of Texas-Houston School of Nursing, Houston, TX
Assistant Professor, Texas Woman's University, College of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2007 | University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA, DrPH, Public Health |
| 1994 | University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA, MPH, Health Promotion and Health Education |
| 1984 | Texas Woman's University, Houston, TX, USA, MS, Nutrition |
| 1981 | Fontbonne College, St. Louis, MO, USA, BS, Nutrition |
Postgraduate Training
| 2008-2012 | Postdoctoral, Department of Behavioral Science, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
| 1984-1985 | Research Internship, Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital NIH Clinical Research Unit, Boston, MA |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Behavioral Science, Division of OVP, Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2008 - 2012
Assistant Professor, Texas Woman's University, College of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Houston, TX, 2004 - 2007
Assistant Professor, University of Texas-Houston School of Nursing, Houston, TX, 1994 - 2003
Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Eliminate Tobacco Initiative, Tobacco Prevention Committee, Cancer Prevention Platform, 2016 - Present
Member, EndTobacco: UT System Summit Dissemination Committee, 2015 - Present
Member, Lung Cancer Youth Prevention Moon Shot Steering Committee, 2013 - 2016
Executive Steering Committee Member, Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science on Youth and Young Adults in Texas, 2013 - 2018
Member, School-based Tobacco Use Prevention & Sun Protection Workgroup (MDACC), 2013 - 2015
Member, 1115 Medicaid Waiver Committee (MDACC), 2013 - 2017
Member, Smoking Workgroup Meeting (MDACC), 2010 - 2015
Honors & Awards
| 2003 | Tuition Scholarship, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health |
| 1998 | First Place Poster. Tobacco-use Cessation Intervention at a Nurse-Practitioner Managed Student and Employee Health Clinic, Texas Association of Nurse Practitioners Annual Meeting |
| 1996 | First Place Poster. Physical Fitness, Activity Beliefs, and Practices of First-Year Nursing Students, American College Health Association |
| 1996 | Principal Investigator, Environmental Support to Increase Healthful Food Choices and Physical Activity Among Students and Employees, Texas Department of Health: Bureau of Nutrition |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Khalil GE, Calabro KS, Machado TC, Crook B, Perry CL, Prokhorov AV. Validation of Mobile Phone Text Messages for Tobacco Risk Communication among College Students: A Content Analysis. Tobacco Prevention and Cessation. The official journal of the European Network of Smoking and Tobacco Prevention 4(7):1-12, 2018. PMID: 29888338.
- Prokhorov AV, Khali GE, Calabro KS, Machado TC, Russel SC, Czernial, KW, Botello GC, Chen M, Perez A, Cidrine DJ, Perry CL. Mobile Phone Text Messaging for Tobacco Risk Communication among Young Adult Community College Students: Protocol and Baseline Overview for a Randomized Trial. JMIR Research Protocols 7(10):e10977, 2018. PMID: 30322833.
- McIntosh S, Johnson T, Wall AF, Prokhorov AV, Calabro KS, Ververs D, Assibey-Mensah V, Ossip DJ. Recruitment of community college students into a Web Assisted Tobacco Intervention study. JMIR Res Protoc 6(1):e79, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28483741.
- Prokhorov AV, Machado TC, Calabro KS, et al. Developing mobile phone text messages for tobacco risk communication among college students: a mixed methods study. BMC Public Health 17(1):137, 2017. PMID: 28143432.
- Calabro KC, Marani S, Yost T, Segura J, Mullin-Jones M, Nelson S, DeMoor C, Prokhorov AV. Project SUCCESS: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial. ISRN Public Health 2012:9, 2012.
- Calabro KC, Costello TC, Prokhorov AV. Denormalizing Tobacco Use Among Youth. Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology 23(4):273-278, 2010.
- Calabro K, Baraniuk S. Organizational factors related to safety in a psychiatric hospital: employee perceptions. AAOHN J 51(10):425-32, 2003. PMID: 14596382.
- Calabro KS, Bright KA, Cole FL, Mackey T, Lindenberg J, Grimm A. Child care work. Organizational culture and health and safety. AAOHN J 48(10):480-6, 2000. PMID: 11760258.
- Reeve K, Calabro K, Adams-McNeill J. Tobacco cessation intervention in a nurse practitioner managed clinic. J Am Acad Nurse Pract 12(5):163-9, 2000. PMID: 11930337.
- Calabro K, Bright K, Kouzekanani K. Long-term effectiveness of infection control training among fourth-year medical students. Medical Education Online(5):1-7, 2000.
- Bright KA, Calabro K. Child care workers and workplace hazards in the United States: overview of research and implications for occupational health professionals. Occup Med (Lond) 49(7):427-37, 1999. PMID: 10665144.
- Calabro K, Weltge A, Parnell S, Kouzekanani K, Ramirez E. Intervention for medical students: effective infection control. Am J Infect Control 26(4):431-6, 1998. PMID: 9721398.
- Calabro K, Taylor WC, Kapadia A. Pregnancy, alcohol use and the effectiveness of written health education materials. Patient Educ Couns 29(3):301-9, 1996. PMID: 9006245.
- Radcliffe JD, Liebsch KS. Dietary induction of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis in Japanese quail of strain SEA. J Nutr 115(9):1154-61, 1985. PMID: 4032062.
- Ossip DJ, Johnson T, Assibey-Mensah V, Wang S, McLaren D, Calabro K, Prokhorov AV, McIntosh S. Smokefree Home- and Vehicle Policies among Community College Smokers. Health Educ Behav:1090198117742437. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29202249.
Abstracts
- Calabro KS, Khalil GE, Chen M, Perry CL, Prokhorov AV. Pilot Study Designed to Consider Regulatory Focus Aligned with Message Framing to Effectively Communicate Risk of Using Electronic Cigarettes among Young Adults. Poster accepted for 18th Annual Conference Society for. Nicotine and Tobacco Research-Europe, 2018.
- Prokhorov AV, Calabro KS, Marani SM, Le TA, Tami-Maury I. Linking Ethnically Diverse Adolescent Patients to an Interactive Tobacco Prevention Program. 17th World Conference and International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, 2016.
- Calabro KS, Marani SM, Le TA, Torres D, Tami-Maury I, Khalil G, Prokhorov AV. Evaluation of two approaches for connecting underserved teens to a tobacco prevention and cessation program. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2016 Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, 2016.
- Prokhorov AV, Calabro KS, Vidrine DJ, Machado TC, Botello K, Czerniak S, Russell S, Dobbins M. Effective Development and Testing of Health Communication Campaigns for Young Adults: Correcting Perceptions about Conventional and New and Emerging Tobacco Products. National Institutes of Health Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science Meeting, October 14-15, 2015, Bethesda, MD, 2015.
- Prokhorov AV, Calabro KS, Vidrine DJ, Pasch K, Kelder SH, Guindani M, Machado TC, Perry C. Informing and Correcting Perceptions Regarding Tobacco Products Among Young Adults. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, February 25-28, 2015, Philadelphia, PA, 2015.
- Prokhorov AV, Khalil, GE, Calabro, KS, et al. Mobile Phone Text Messaging for Tobacco Risk Communication among Young Adult Community College Students: Protocol and Baseline Overview for a Randomized Trial. Society on Nicotine and Tobacco Annual Meeting. e-Pub 2018.
- Calabro KS, Khalil, GE Chen M, Perry CL, Prokhorov AV. Informing Young Adults about the Risks of Using Electronic Cigarettes: A Pilot Study of Mobile Phone Text Messaging Program. Society on Nicotine and Tobacco. e-Pub 2018.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Bringing Youth-Oriented Nicotine and Tobacco Education to the Modern Standards |
| Funding Source: | Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) |
| Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Engaging Risk Communication Strategies to Inform Vocational Young Adults about the Risks of Nicotine and Tobacco Products |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Hooked on Hookah? |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Project TNT: Tobacco cessation intervention for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender smokers (Resubmission) |
| Funding Source: | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Institutional Research Grant |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Youth Component Lung Cancer Control and Prevention Moonshot |
| Funding Source: | MDACC |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Informing Vocational Students about Risks of Using Electronic Cigarettes |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Partnering with Mexico and Colombia Sister Institutions to culturally adapt and test a tobacco prevention and cessation program targeting Latino adolescents |
| Funding Source: | UTMDACC Sister Institution Network Fund |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | 1-800-FIT-LINE |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Expanding Use Cessation in Northeast Texas |
| Funding Source: | Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) |
| Role: | Co-Program Leader |
| Title: | Web-assisted tobacco intervention with community college students |
| Funding Source: | University of Rochester |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Combating Tobacco in the United States Army |
| Funding Source: | Department of Defense (DOD) |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |