Matthew (Mateo) P. Banegas, PhD, MPH, MS is an Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Health Equity Education and Research (CHEER) in the Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences (RMAS) at the UCSD School of Medicine. Trained as a health services researcher, with an emphasis in cancer prevention and control, Dr. Banegas uses quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the intersection between health care delivery and costs, social determinants of health, and health outcomes for individuals diagnosed with cancer. His research focuses on two primary areas of investigation: (1) the association of social and economic risk factors with health and health care outcomes over the life course; and (2) health system strategies to identify and address the social and economic needs.
Currently, Dr. Banegas leads a body of research to investigate the burden of social and economic needs of patients, including financial hardship, employment and insurance trajectories, housing, and food insecurity across the phases of cancer, from diagnosis and treatment to survivorship and end of life. He also is working with clinical, community and health care operations leaders to develop approaches for integrating social risk screening and referral programs within the oncology setting. He is co-Principal Investigator of “Cancer Financial Experience (CAFÉ): clinic-based intervention to address financial hardship for people with cancer”, one of the first NCI-funded randomized controlled trials that aims to mitigate financial hardship from cancer. Findings from CAFÉ will generate seminal evidence on the impact of a novel, clinic-based financial navigation intervention on financial hardship and quality of life among adults diagnosed with cancer.
Dr. Banegas is a Member of the Cancer Control Program at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center and a Senior Affiliate Investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research. He serves as Vice Chair of the Health Disparities Committee in the Cancer Control Program of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.
Dr. Banegas completed his post-doctoral fellowship in the NCI Cancer Prevention and Control Program (CPFP), where he worked in both the Health Services and Economics Branch, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences and the Biostastics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. He received his doctoral training at the University of Washington, School of Public Health and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Banegas holds a Masters of Public Health in Community Health Education and Masters of Science in Agronomy from New Mexico State University.