Shelbie Stahr, PhD, MPH

Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences Faculty Rank: Assistant Professor Campus: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College: College of Public Health Department: College of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences

Cancer Research Interest

• Disease Site Focus: Breast, Prostate
• Research Focus Area: Prevention
• Type of Research: Population Sciences
• Research Keywords: Heavy Metals, Environmental Epidemiology, Cancer Epidemiology, Chronic Disease Epidemiology, ICP-MS, Exposure Assessment
• Research Interest Statement: My research focuses on understanding how chronic low-level environmental exposures, particularly to heavy metals and metal mixtures, contribute to cancer risk in rural populations. As a key personnel for the Arkansas Rural Community Health (ARCH) study, I integrate large-scale epidemiologic data with biological measures of exposure to investigate how environmental contaminants shape cancer risk factors such as breast cancer, obesity-related pathways, and disparities in cancer outcomes. I am also in charge for the cancer registry data linkage and the medical health record linkage for the ARCH study. My overarching goal is to advance cancer prevention by identifying environmental drivers of disease and ensuring that populations most impacted by these exposures are represented in and benefit from research.

Contact Information

• Email Address: SDStahr@uams.edu
• Profiles Research Networking Software: View Profile

Recent Publications

• Ellis ET, Young SG, Carroll R, [et al., including Stahr SD]. Carcinogenic air pollutants and breast cancer risk in the Arkansas rural community health study: A nested case-control study. Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987). 2025 368:125709. PMID: 39828205.
• Ellis ET, Fairman BJ, Stahr SD, [et al.]. Cigarette smoking and prostate cancer aggressiveness among African and European American men. Cancer causes & control : CCC. 2024. PMID: 38758522. PMCID: PMC11377453.
• Ellis ET, Bauer MA, Beck JT, [et al., including Stahr SD]. Increased Utilization of Low-Dose Computed Tomography for Lung Cancer Screening at an Arkansas Community Oncology Clinic. Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR. 2023. PMID: 37984767. PMCID: PMC11102528.
• Ewing LE, Pathak R, Landes RD, [et al., including Stahr S]. Cytogenetic and epigenetic aberrations in peripheral lymphocytes of northwest Arkansas Marshallese. International journal of radiation biology. 2022:1-12. PMID: 35939319. PMCID: PMC9929030.
• Flippo B, Stone B, Stahr S, [et al.]. Short-Term and Long-Term Renal Outcomes in Patients With Obesity After Minimally Invasive Versus Open Partial Nephrectomy for the Treatment of Renal Cancer: Retrospective Study. JMIR formative research. 2022 6(1):e19750. PMID: 35006078. PMCID: PMC8787657.
• Matich EK, Laryea JA, Seely KA, [et al., including Stahr S]. Association between pesticide exposure and colorectal cancer risk and incidence: A systematic review. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety. 2021 219:112327. PMID: 34029839. PMCID: PMC8694176.
• Stahr S, Chiang TC, Bauer MA, [et al.]. Low‑Level Environmental Heavy Metals are Associated with Obesity Among Postmenopausal Women in a Southern State. Exposure and health. 2021 13(2):269-280. PMID: 34337191. PMCID: PMC8323941.