Kristen Cincotta, PhD
Strategic Director
Research Impact and Engagement
Why I Work at ACS
I lost my mother breast cancer while I was in graduate school, shortly after my childhood best friend also lost her mother to the same disease. Through that experience I realized that while I enjoyed the process of conducting research, I was truly passionate about science communication. Being able to tell the stories of the research we fund and the brilliant scientists doing that work makes me excited to come to work every day."
At ACS since 2023
As Strategic Director for Research Impact and Engagement, Kristen Cincotta, PhD, oversees the American Cancer Society (ACS) Research Impact team within Extramural Discovery Science. She is responsible for coordinating the evaluation work to understand the impact of ACS's extramural research investments. Sometimes referred to as the "EDS Communications Director," Cincotta is also the primary liaison between the research program offices and the larger ACS enterprise to ensure that compelling stories of research progress are integrated into every aspect of our work.
Research focus and accomplishments
Having followed a non-traditional career path post-graduate school, Cincotta has gained both laboratory and public health research experience across a wide breadth of topic areas, including Alzheimer's disease, drug overdose prevention, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), stroke systems of care, community health worker policies, public health emergency preparedness and response, and suicide prevention. Many of these projects have included significant communications components, including serving as the Research Director for the CDC's Be Antibiotics Aware and Get Ahead of Sepsis communications campaigns during her time at ICF.
Cincotta is an evaluator at heast and is passionate about translating complicated scientific ideas into compelling stories for anyone who wishes to better understand the amazing work being done in cancer research.
Publications
For a full list of Dr. Cincotta’s publications, visit her Google Scholar page.
Contact
Work Before ACS
- ICF, Senior Manager, Public Health
- Susan G. Komen, Evaluation Manager, Research
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ORISE Fellow/Guest Researcher
Professional Organizations
- American Public Health Association (APHA), Member
Education
- PhD: Neuroscience, Emory University, 2002-2012
- BA: Biology, Ithaca College, 1998-2002
Personal
I live in the Atlanta area with my husband Michael, son Dashiell, and sometimes strange dog Hijinks. I enjoy photography, hiking, and cheering on my beloved New York Yankees.
