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Devon Karnes Check

Adjunct Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences
Population Health Sciences
215 Morris Street, Suite 210, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Devon Check, PhD is a health services and implementation researcher whose primary research interests include quality of care and the implementation of evidence-based and guideline-recommended practices in oncology. Her projects use large secondary data analysis as well as qualitative and mixed methods to investigate variation and inequities in cancer care, the experiences of patients and clinicians, and multi-level factors that impact cancer treatment and outcomes. She has a specific interest in supportive cancer care, and within that area, she has a growing portfolio of research projects focused on pain and symptom management in cancer. 

Dr. Check also has methodological expertise in implementation science. She has served as the implementation research methods expert on several behavioral intervention trials that use a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design. She also co-leads the Implementation Science Core Working Group as part of the Coordinating Center for the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory and the NIH HEAL Collaboratory. 

Dr. Check received her PhD in Health Policy and Management from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the Department of Population Health Sciences at Duke, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Delivery Science at Kaiser Permanente Northern California's Division of Research. 

Areas of Expertise: Implementation Science and Health Services Research

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Adjunct Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2025 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2018 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers

Recent Publications


Receipt of Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention, and Treatment Among US Adults With and Without a History of Cancer.

Journal Article JCO Oncol Pract · May 9, 2025 PURPOSE: Many cancer survivors consume alcohol above recommended limits, increasing their risk of recurrence, second cancers, and cancer-related mortality. Alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is a guideline-recommended ... Full text Link to item Cite

Supplementary Table 1 from Association of Race and Ethnicity with Genomic Testing at a Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Carolina

Other · April 3, 2025 <p>Supplementary Tables S1a-S1d show estimates for the association between any genomic testing and race and ethnicity among non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White patients by cancer type</p> ... Full text Cite

Intervention delivery complexity and adaptations for implementation of non-pharmacologic pain interventions.

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials Commun · April 2025 BACKGROUND: Delivering evidence-based interventions remains challenging, particularly for complex conditions like chronic musculoskeletal pain. Non-pharmacologic treatments are recommended for many pain conditions, but implementing these can be difficult d ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Improving needs among older adults: the ICUconnect 2 primary palliative care RCT

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory-Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2017 - 2028

Capturing Patient Reported Data to Impact Disparities in Metastatic Breast Cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2024 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2016 Ph.D.