Jason Semprini, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Public Health at Des Moines University
From West Des Moines
From West Des Moines
I am an economist and a tenure-track assistant professor at Des Moines University. My research evaluates how public health policies impact our health and wellbeing. After completing my PhD, I trained in Cancer Epidemiology and Implementation Science as a postdoctoral scholar at the Iowa Cancer Registry. In 2023, I received my PhD in Health Services & Policy from the University of Iowa. In 2019, I earned my Master's in Public Policy at the University of Chicago as a Susan G. Komen Cancer Disparities Scholar. Before pursuing a career in academia, I served four years in Americorps and two years in the Peace Corps. My work is motivated by over a decade of professional and academic experience improving health outcomes in Iowa and beyond. I am especially motivated to understand how public health policies can reduce the growing burden of cancer in Rural America.
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Hospital Accreditation and Geographic Disparities in Timely Cancer Care
Treatment at an accredited hospital appeared to increase time-to-treatment differences between high-and low-income counties and low-income counties. This heterogeneity may reflect access challenges facing low-income cancer patients. Health systems seeking to provide high quality, timely care must overcome these access challenges as they navigate patients through the cancer care continuum. While a 2.6-day delay in treatment may not impact outcomes, future research should understand why patients from lower-resource communities wait longer than patients in affluent communities.
June 2025 -
Articles
Quantifying the impact of introducing HPV vaccines in 2006 on 25-29-year-old cervical cancer incidence in 2022
We found that, unlike the stagnate trends in older females between 2019 to 2022, in 25-29-year-old females, cervical cancer incidence declined 2.1 cases/100,000 (CI = -2.7, -1.6): a 48% reduction from baseline trends. Although tempered by uneven adherence, after fifteen years we finally appear to be realizing quantifiable benefits from this cancer prevention vaccine.
June 2025 -
Articles
Quantifying the burden of cancer in Puerto Rico’s oldest residents
We analyzed Puerto Rico cancer incidence and mortality rate data for male and female residents aged 85+. Since 2001, for both males and females aged 85 + in Puerto Rico, cancer incidence and mortality rates declined as the proportion of distant stage cancers increased.
May 2025 -
Articles
Preventing HPV Cancers with Rural Communities: Updates and Opportunities
St. Jude's Children's Hospital presents progress on priority action items and showcases successful efforts to promote HPV cancer prevention with rural communities.
May 2025 -
Presentations
Early Prenatal Nitrate Exposure and Birth Outcomes: A Study of Iowa’s Public Drinking Water (1970-1988)
Presentation at annual Public Health in Iowa Conference. The 60-minute presentation to 55+ public health professionals showed evidence that exposure to nitrate levels below the regulatory threshold are associated with adverse birth outcomes.
April 2025 -
Presentations
The inclusion of tribes and American Indian and Alaska Native People in State comprehensive cancer control plans
Cancer Causes & Control - By highlighting state and Tribal CCC plans’ best practices and incorporating Tribal priorities within state and district CCC plans and programs, we underscore the importance of addressing cancer in Tribal populations across the U.S. and offer examples of inclusive CCC plan development and implementation.
March 2025 -
Publications
The Affordable Care Act and change in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake in the United States
Vaccine - The ACA has been associated with increased HPV vaccination uptake, especially among racial/ethnic minorities, gains likely driven by an increase in vaccination-enabling factors such as decreased uninsurance and increased access to physician visits.
March 2025 -
Publications
Harvesting Best Practices to Prevent Rural HPV Cancers
Rural life is a choice made by 1 in 5 people, but they do not choose to be at higher risk of cancers, including HPV cancers. HPV vaccination is cancer prevention. This virtual seminar will explore progress to prevent HPV cancers with rural communities in the U.S.
March 2025 -
Presentations
2025 Rural HPV Vaccination Learning Community Series
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and The National HPV Vaccination Roundtable (HPVRT) are partnering with rural healthcare partners to expand knowledge and increase on-time HPV vaccination.
March 2025 -
Presentations
The Affordable Care Act and Change in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Uptake in the United States
The ACA has been associated with increased HPV vaccination uptake, especially among racial/ethnic minorities, gains likely driven by an increase in vaccination-enabling factors such as decreased uninsurance and increased access to physician visits.
March 2025 -
Publications
Socioeconomic and Geographic Differences in Mammography Trends Following the 2009 USPSTF Policy Update
JAMA Network Open - Did female biennial mammography screening rates change after the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) 2009 policy update? This cross-sectional study of 1.6 million females found reduced mammography rates after the USPSTF 2009 update for those no longer recommended to complete a biennial mammogram. These decreases varied by age, race and ethnicity, binge drinking status, and state of residence. The findings of this study suggest that patient-level variables related to breast cancer risk are associated with differences in how women responded to the 2009 USPSTF mammography guidance.
February 2025 -
Publications
In Reference to Effect of Rurality in Head and Neck Cancer: A Scoping Review
The Laryngoscope - The recent scoping review by Tomescu et al. on the effects of rurality on head and neck cancer brings a helpful focus to an important topic. There are many disparate effects of rurality on treatment and outcomes that must be better studied in a targeted manner.
February 2025 -
Articles
What cancers explain the growing rural-urban gap in human papillomavirus-associated cancer incidence?
Journal of Rural Health - Although preventable, nonmetropolitan Americans have shouldered a growing burden of HPV-associated cancers. To address these cervical, anal, and oropharyngeal cancer disparities, it is imperative that HPV vaccination programs are effectively implemented at scale.
January 2025 -
Publications
Declining Incidence of Childhood Cancers: An Updated Analysis of the National Childhood Cancer Registry Data (2018–2021)
Pediatric Blood & Cancer - Despite the pandemic’s impact on adult cancer prevention and control, there appears to have been minimal impact on cancer surveillance in common pediatric cancers within pediatric populations. We may have reason to be hopeful given the persistent declining incidence of pediatric cancer in the U.S. since 2018. The trends in the AYA population also appear quite steady, especially relative to the adult cancers. Although we still observe some differences related to the accreditation status and the magnitude of declining trends in pediatric and AYA cancer incidence, we still have no explanation as to why. Whether these differences are a result of surveillance, data issues, or access differences warrants further investigation.
January 2025 -
Publications
Head and neck cancer treatment delays in 2021: Estimating distributional effects by site, surgery, and p16-positivity
Oral Oncology Reports - HNC patients overall, but HPV+ Oropharynx cancer patients especially, experienced treatment delays in 2021. These delays, and their consequences, warrant policymaking attention.
December 2024 -
Publications
Registered Report Stage 2: How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Change Cigarette Smoking Behavior?
Lifestyle Medicine - Smoking prevalence continues to decline in the United States, and the pandemic appeared to have been associated with lower smoking rates. However, our results suggest that the pandemic was also associated with greater intensity and fewer quit attempts among smokers warranting greater attention from policymakers and researchers.
November 2024 -
Publications
Evaluating machine learning model bias and racial disparities in non-small cell lung cancer using SEER registry data
Healthcare Management Science - NSCLC disparities are complex and multifaceted. Yet, even when accounting for age and stage at diagnosis, non-Hispanic Black patients with NSCLC are less often recommended to have surgery than non-Hispanic White patients. Machine learning models amplified the racial/ethnic disparities across the cancer care continuum (which are reflected in the data used to make model decisions). Excluding race/ethnicity lowered the bias of the models but did not affect disparate impact. Developing analytical strategies to improve fairness would in turn improve the utility of machine learning approaches analyzing population-based cancer data.
November 2024 -
Publications
RE: A population-based study of COVID-19 mortality risk in US cancer patients
JNCI - In this issue of the Journal, Mani et al. reminded us of the elevated risk from COVID-19 facing people living with cancer. Analyzing population-based data, the authors showed that people with cancer have a 2.3 times higher mortality from COVID-19 than the rest of the US population. The authors also compared relative mortality from COVID-19 across age groups, sex, race and ethnicity, and other factors. We worry, however, that these comparisons may underestimate the death toll we witnessed during 2020.
November 2024 -
Articles
Racial Disparities in Cancer Guideline-Concordant Treatment Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Data for Patients With NSCLC
JTO Clinical & Research Reports - Receiving GCIT considerably improves survival across all races, though disparities in receipt are observed. Interventions are needed to ensure equitable access to guideline-concordant care and reduce survival disparities for patients.
October 2024 -
Publications
Understanding the 2020 pediatric cancer deficit: Insights from the National Childhood Cancer Registry
Pediatric Blood & Cancer - We explore whether the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted trends of common pediatric and AYA cancers.
October 2024 -
Publications
The burden of HPV-associated cancer in rural America beyond 2020
Rural & Remote Health - HPV-associated cancer can be prevented by a vaccine. However, HPV vaccination rates are lower in non-metro than metro counties. Again, however, there is likely variation within non-metro counties. Given low historical adherence to HPV-vaccine schedules and the negative trends in this current study, I predict that the rising rural burden of HPV-associated cancer will intensify in the coming decade without effective prevention and control strategies in rural America.
October 2024 -
Publications
Colorectal cancer in older adults after the USPSTF’s 2008 updated screening recommendation
Cancer Epidemiology - The USPSTF’s 2008 recommendation was associated with reduced colonoscopies, especially in adults over age 85. Whether this recommendation, or the 2021 updated guidance, optimizes population health by reducing the burden of CRC screening in older adults remains unknown.
September 2024 -
Publications
Sex & marital differences in delayed pharyngeal cancer treatment before and after medicaid expansion
Oral Oncology Reports - Given the importance of timely pharyngeal cancer treatment, health systems must identify and address the drivers of treatment delays to advance cancer equity.
September 2024 -
Publications
Vaping could reduce harm caused by smoking
The Gazette - Letter to the editor.
September 2024 -
Others
Leveraging public health cancer surveillance capacity to develop and support a rural cancer network
Learning Health Systems - As rural hospitals continue to face resource constraints, multisectoral efforts informed by data from centralized public health surveillance systems can promote quality improvement initiatives across rural communities. While our work remains preliminary, we predict that analytic support provided by the Iowa Cancer Registry will enable the rural network hospitals to focus their capacity toward developing the infrastructure necessary to deliver high-quality care and serve the unique needs of rural cancer patients.
August 2024 -
Publications
Preventing HPV Cancers with Rural Communities
St. Jude’s Children's Hospital HPV Cancer Prevention Program - Quarterly Meeting
August 2024 -
Presentations