Dr. Robien is a cancer epidemiologist and nutrition scientist. She is also a Registered Dietitian and a Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition (CSO), and practiced as an oncology dietitian for more than 10 years prior to beginning her research career.
The two overarching goals of Dr. Robien's research are to: 1) better understand how changes in diet and body composition could be used to minimize treatment-related toxicity and maximize effectiveness of existing cancer treatment regimens, and 2) identify and eliminate sources of disparities in cancer treatment outcomes. Diet-chemotherapy interactions have been a consistent theme of Dr. Robien's research. She has led a series of pharmacogenetic studies among patients receiving anti-folate chemotherapy (methotrexate, 5-FU, bactrim) for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Her research has also evaluated the effect of vitamin D supplementation on treatment-related outcomes during blood and marrow transplantation for hematologic malignancies and aromatase inhibitor treatment for breast cancer.
Dr. Robien is currently leading an NIH/NCI funded study to evaluate the effect of body composition on chemotherapy toxicity and treatment completion rates among patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She is also co-leader of the Exercise and Nutrition Interventions to Improve Cancer Treatment-Related Outcomes (ENICTO) Coordinating Center. In addition to her clinical oncology research, Dr. Robien has extensive experience with large prospective cohort studies of diet and cancer prevention as an investigator and PI with the Iowa Women's Health Study.
Dr. Robien received her PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Washington, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular epidemiology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Prior to joining the GW faculty in 2012, Dr. Robien was a member of the faculty of the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, where she was an active member of the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center.
Dr. Robien has authored more than 140 peer-reviewed research publications, and serves on the Editorial Board for Nutrition in Clinical Practice. She is also a member of the GW Cancer Center, and a fellow with the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness.