Overview
Dr. Dinan is a health services researcher by training and she specializes in using econometric and epidemiologic methodologies to analyze complex datasets. Specifically, Dr. Dinan's research involves issues related to advances in cancer care technologies, such as emerging treatments and diagnostics, and how these advances in technologies impact different cancer outcomes and experiences such as access, quality of care, cost of care, and health disparities.
Dr. Dinan has led studies funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. She is currently leading an NCI-funded R01 study examining multi-level factors that contribute to disparities in access and adherence to oral anticancer agents for patients with kidney cancer. Dr. Dinan is also leading a study funded by the ACS to develop and validate risk prediction algorithms to inform efficient and high-quality care for long-term cancer survivors.
Areas of expertise: Health Economics, Health Policy, and Health Services Research
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Opioid prescribing trends and pain scores among adult patients with cancer in a large health system.
Journal Article Cancer · October 1, 2025 BACKGROUND: Opioid stewardship policies could adversely affect pain management for patients with cancer. Yet patients with cancer are also at risk for opioid-related harms. This study sought to determine trends in opioid prescribing by clinical stratum and ... Full text Link to item CiteArea-Level Social Deprivation and Use of Prostate MRI Before Prostate Biopsy Among Commercial Insurance Beneficiaries.
Journal Article Urology · August 5, 2025 OBJECTIVE: To better characterize patterns of prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) use in the United States, we assessed the association between area-level sociodemographic factors and receipt of prostate MRI prior to biopsy. METHODS: We conducted a r ... Full text Link to item CiteMachine Learning Risk Stratification for Older Breast Cancer Survivors: Clinical Care Implications.
Journal Article Health Serv Res · July 16, 2025 OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a clinical risk prediction algorithm to identify breast cancer survivors at high risk for adverse outcomes. STUDY SETTING AND DESIGN: Our national retrospective analysis used cross-validated random forest machine learning ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Disparities in the Use of Oral Anticancer Agents in Kidney Cancer
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2020National Utilization Patterns of Oncotype DX in Early Stage Breast Cancer and its Effect on Health Disparities, Chemotherapy Utilization, and Associated Costs
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality · 2015 - 2019Bladder Cancer in Older Adults - Treatment and Outcomes
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP · 2016 - 2017View All Grants