Jane McElroy, PhD
Professor
Opal Lewis Distinguished Faculty Scholar
Co-Director, Rural Health Research Center
Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine
Research Focus
Dr. Jane McElroy is an epidemiologist focused on improving health outcomes in rural and underserved populations, including LGBTQ communities. She co-directs the Rural Health Research Center (RHRC) and the Missouri Practice-Based Innovations Network (MO-PIN), and serves as Assistant Director of the NextGen Center for Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases (CIEID).
Her research includes cancer care delivery, health disparities, and infectious disease. She has led studies on breast cancer diagnosis experiences, particularly among queer-identifying individuals and Black women, and works closely with rural clinicians to improve survivorship care. Dr. McElroy also co-leads the Missouri Partnership to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening (MPICCS), supporting over 20 rural clinics in implementing evidence-based screening practices. Her recent collaborations include research on COVID-19 variant distribution, co-infection with influenza, and vaccine responses in pregnant and lactating women. She is currently exploring patient perspectives on GLP-1 weight loss medications.
Dr. McElroy’s work has been published in Women’s Health Issues, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Environmental Health Perspectives, and other leading journals.
Undergraduate Students
Eve Jones
Undergraduate in Biochemistry
Email: esjc2k@missouri.edu
Miles Luna
Undergraduate
Email: milesluna@missouri.edu