Jason Mendoza, MD, MPH
Associate Program Head, Cancer Prevention Program
Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch
Director
Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, Fred Hutch
Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement
Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children's Cancer Consortium
Dr. Jason “Jay” Mendoza is the associate director of Community Outreach and Engagement, or COE, for the Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium. The Office of COE uses community-based participatory research approaches to address health inequities and reduce risk of cancer, in partnership with community-based organizations and key community stakeholders. Dr. Mendoza’s own research focuses on inequities in physical activity and nutrition outcomes among youth and young adults, with a particular focus on racial/ethnic minorities, those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and cancer survivors. He develops and tests behavioral interventions in schools, communities and clinics to eliminate these inequities. Examples include programs to promote walking and biking to school, promote and track physical activity, reduce food insecurity, and manage screen time. Dr. Mendoza is also a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a pediatric attending physician at Harborview Medical Center.
Additional contact
Kelly Ambrose
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
1100 Fairview Ave. N.
Mail Stop M3-B232
Seattle, WA 98109-1024
Phone: 206.667.7726
Email: kambrose@fredhutch.org
Other Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Division of General Pediatrics, Department of PediatricsProfessor of Pediatrics
University of Washington, Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics
Investigator
Seattle Children's Research Institute, Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development
Adjunct Professor of Health Services and Core Faculty in the Nutritional Sciences Program
University of Washington, School of Public Health, Department of Health Services
Education
University of Washington, 2006, MPH
Rush Medical College of Rush University, 2001, MD
University of Chicago, 1996, BA (Biological Sciences)
Research Interests
Dr. Mendoza's research seeks to eliminate inequities in childhood physical activity and nutrition outcomes among racial/ethnic minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations through innovative behavioral interventions and policies in schools, communities, and clinical settings. He also leads a newer line of research on using wearable physical activity trackers and social media groups to promote physical activity among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. His past and current studies are funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Recent projects focus on Safe Routes to School, wearable physical activity trackers (e.g., Fitbit), food insecurity (hunger), and managing screen time/television viewing.
Current Projects
Walking school bus randomized controlled trial
Pilot bicycle train randomized controlled trial
A mobile health intervention to promote physical activity among young adult cancer survivors
A mobile health intervention to promote physical activity among childhood cancer survivors
Household food insecurity and glycemic control among youth and young adults with diabetes (SEARCH Food Security Cohort Study)
Clinical Expertise
Dr. Mendoza is an attending physician at Harborview Medical Center, a county safety net hospital, where he practices in the primary care pediatric clinic and teaches residents and medical students. In his role as a primary care pediatrician, he emphasizes primary prevention, including cancer prevention, among the diverse safety net patients served by Harborview.
"This job gives me an opportunity to tackle some of the most longstanding and difficult health inequities in this region."
— Dr. Jay Mendoza