Dr. Dede Teteh-Brooks
- Education:
- St. John's University, Bachelor of Science
Morehouse School of Medicine, Master of Public Health
Loma Linda University, Doctor Public Health
Biography
Dede K. Teteh, Dr.P.H. is a certified health education professional with a wide breadth of experience across academia, research, policy development, and strategic communications. She brings a deep knowledge of the public health sector—spanning both individual and community health—as well as a teaching and research-based background. Through her work in community advocacy and prevention, as well as several roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she has cultivated an interest in sustainable public health infrastructure and building healthier communities, particularly in Black populations.
Dr. Teteh is a social/behavioral scientist who uses community-based participatory research approaches to reduce health disparities and promote health equity in African diaspora populations in the U.S. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health Sciences at Chapman University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Equities at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center (Duarte, CA). Her area of research includes 1) endocrine-disrupting chemical exposures in hair and other personal care products and breast cancer risk with particular focus on Black women (the Bench to Community Initiative); and 2) the impact of social determinants of health on lung cancer surgery family caregivers and patients.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and minor in Theology from St. John’s University in Queens, New York; a Master of Public Health in Health Education & Promotion from Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; and a Doctor of Public Health in Health Education from Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California. Dr. Teteh has been a recipient of numerous honors and awards, including selection as a Bill & Melinda Gates scholar, a National Cancer Institute-Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, Scholar-in-training awardee, and the recipient of the Glen Blix award for excellence in preventive care from Loma Linda University. She also serves on the Desert Coastal area board of directors for the American Cancer Society (ACS) and is a legislative ambassador for the ACS’s Cancer Action Network.
Dr. Teteh was born and raised in Lomé, Togo and grew up in Bronx, NY and Atlanta, Georgia, but currently calls Southern California home. Her friends and family, especially her nieces and nephews, are the joys of her life and her motivation for addressing disparities in health outcomes for Black people.
Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications
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Teteh, DK., Ferrell, B., Okunowo, O., Downie, A., Erhunmwunsee, L., Montgomery, S., Raz, D., Kittles, R., Kim, JY., Sun V. (2023). Social determinants of health and lung cancer surgery: A qualitative study. Frontiers in Public section Life-Course Epidemiology and Social Inequalities in Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1285419.
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Llanos AAM., Rockson A., Getz K., Greenberg P., Portillo E., McDonald JA., Teteh DK., Villasenor J., Lozada C., Franklin J., More V., Rivera-Núñez Z., Kinkade CW., Barrett ES. (2023). Assessment of personal care product use and perceptions of use in a sample of US adults affiliated with a university in the Northeast. Environmental Research. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116719. PMID: 37481059.
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Tapia, J., McDonough, J., Cauble, E., Gonzalez, C., Teteh, DK., Treviño, L. (2023). Parabens Promote Pro-Tumorigenic Effects in Luminal Breast Cancer Cell Lines with Diverse Genetic Ancestry. Journal of the Endocrine Society. https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvad080. PMID: 37409182, PMCID: PMC10318621.
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Teteh, DK., Love, M., Ericson, M., Chan, M., Phillips, T., Toor, A., Ferrell, B., Erhunmwunsee, L., Montgomery, S., Sun, V., Kim, J. (2023). Social determinants of health among family caregiver centered outcomes in lung cancer: A systematic review. Journal of Thoracic Disease. https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jtd-22-1613. PMID: 37324097, PMCID: PMC10267915.
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Llanos, A.M., McDonald, JA., Teteh, DK., Bethea, TN. (2022). Chemical relaxers and hair straightening products: Potential targets for hormone-related cancer prevention and control. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, djac169, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djac169
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Casiano, AS., Lee, A., Teteh, DK., Erdogan, ZM., Treviño, L. (2022). Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and breast cancer: Disparities in exposure and importance of research inclusivity. Endocrinology. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqac034. PMID: 35325096
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Teteh, DK., Barajas, J., Ferrell, B., Zhou, Z., Erhunmwunsee, L., Raz, D., Kim, J., Sun, V. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care delivery and quality of life in lung cancer surgery. Journal of Surgical Oncology. doi: 10.1002/jso.26902
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Rao, R., McDonald, JA., Barrett, E., Greenberg, P., Teteh, DK., Montgomery, S., Qin, B., Lin, Y., Hong, C., Ambrosone, C., Demissie, K., Bandera, E., Llanos, A. (2022). Associations of hair dye and relaxer use with tumor clinicopathologic features among Black and White women with breast cancer: findings from the Women’s Circle of Health Study. Environmental Research, 11; 203:111863. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.111863. PMID: 34390715