Christine Marie Gunn, PhD
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Medicine
Biography
Dr. Gunn completed her PhD in Health Services Research in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Women’s Health Unit, Section of General Internal Medicine at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. She holds a secondary appointment at the Boston University School of Public Health in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management.
Dr. Gunn is a health services researcher focused on risk communication, decision-making, and the utilization of evidence-based care. She has conducted an array of research on how patients and providers negotiate the experience of being at risk for cancer and its impact on the utilization of health services. She is particularly interested studying how health literacy impacts health decision-making and behaviors. Dr. Gunn has extensive experience in qualitative research methods, surveys, and mixed methods approaches to studying risk and prevention behaviors.
Dr. Gunn has received funding from AcademyHealth through the New Investigator Small Grant Program to examine women’s perceptions of the Massachusetts breast density notification legislation and its influence on their intentions for future screening. She is the recipient of a K07 career development award from the National Cancer Institute. This award uses community-engaged methods to develop and test a breast cancer screening decision aid in partnership with women with low health literacy. She is also conducting work through the BU-BMC Cancer Center American Cancer Society pilot program that aims to develop patient education to help women understand breast density and has a CTSI pilot award expanding her risk communication work to explore gender and age based differences in risk communication about fentanyl use.
Areas of Interest:
Cancer, Decision-making, Risk communication, Screening and prevention, Breast density, Health services research, health literacy, health disparities
Other Positions
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Health Law, Policy & Management, Boston University School of Public Health
- Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center, Boston University
- Member, Center for Excellence in Women’s Health, Boston University
- Faculty, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Education
- Boston University, PhD
- University of Western Ontario, MA
- University of Western Ontario, BSc
Publications
- Published on 12/12/2024
Ron D, Ballacchino MM, Gunn CM, Briggs A, Deiner SG. Inter-Specialty Communication for Older and High-Risk Surgical Patients: "A Huge Opportunity to Really Impact Our Patients' Care". J Appl Gerontol. 2024 Dec 12; 7334648241302458. PMID: 39665857.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 11/29/2024
Zayhowski K, Wang C, Nahorniak M, Loo S, Gignac G, Gunn C. A qualitative study of the experiences of patients with prostate cancer when receiving negative genetic results: "I still don't have a grasp of what it all means". J Genet Couns. 2024 Nov 29. PMID: 39611226.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/11/2024
Gunn CM, Kressin NR, Battaglia TA, Schonberg MA, Paasche-Orlow MK, Tosteson ANA. Testing a Breast Cancer Screening Decision aid Designed for Health Literacy Accessibility. J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Dec; 39(16):3360-3362. PMID: 39261341.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/8/2024
Howard EC, Murray Horwitz ME, Gunn CM, Bak S, Nelson KP, Morton S, Flacks-Dunning JG, Battaglia TA. Burden and trajectory of social needs after breast cancer diagnosis at a safety-net hospital. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2024 Oct; 207(3):579-585. PMID: 38851661.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/3/2024
Harris MT, Weinberger E, O'Brien C, Althoff M, Paltrow-Krulwich S, Taylor JL, Judge A, Samet JH, Walley AY, Gunn CM. PrEP facilitators and barriers in substance use bridge clinics for women who engage in sex work and who use drugs. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2024 Jun 03; 19(1):47. PMID: 38831359.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/1/2024
Rocque GB, Patel MI, Wallner LP, Bailey SC, Schear R, Gunn CM, Rivers J, Wilson R, Freeman EC, Buckingham TL, May SG, Kamal AH. Patient-Centered Decision-Making in Metastatic Breast Cancer Care Delivery: A Call to Action. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2024 Feb; 22(1). PMID: 38394778.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/18/2024
Ron D, Gunn CM, Havidich JE, Ballacchino MM, Burdick TE, Deiner SG. Preoperative Communication Between Anesthesia, Surgery, and Primary Care Providers for Older Surgical Patients. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2024 May; 50(5):326-337. PMID: 38360446.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/1/2024
Yang Y, Gunn CM, Farnsworth B, Norman G, Kraft S. Stronger Together: A Successful Model of Health System-Community Collective Action During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2024; 18(3):335-343. PMID: 39308377.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 11/19/2023
Blakeslee SB, Gunn CM, Parker PA, Fagerlin A, Battaglia T, Bevers TB, Bandos H, McCaskill-Stevens W, Kennedy JW, Holmberg C. Talking numbers: how women and providers use risk scores during and after risk counseling - a qualitative investigation from the NRG Oncology/NSABP DMP-1 study. BMJ Open. 2023 Nov 19; 13(11):e073138. PMID: 37984961.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 11/1/2023
Kressin NR, Wormwood JB, Battaglia TA, Slanetz PJ, Gunn CM. Sociodemographic Variations in Women's Reports of Discussions With Clinicians About Breast Density. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Nov 01; 6(11):e2344850. PMID: 38010653.
Read at: PubMed
View 58 more publications: View full profile at BUMC