Elsa Staples, MPH

Elsa Staples has been working in the cancer prevention field at the University of Colorado since 2016 through the Colorado School of Public Health and CU Cancer Center. She is the Senior Program Manager for the Colorado Cancer Screening Program (CCSP), joining the team in 2018 to support safety net clinic systems across the state with implementing evidence-based strategies to reduce disparities in colorectal cancer screening, lung cancer screening, and hereditary cancer risk assessment, with patient navigation as a driver. Elsa also provides support and advisement for several state and national initiatives within the cancer continuum and patient navigation/community health work spheres, currently including the Colorado Alliance for Community Health Workers, Patient Navigators, and Promotores de Salud; the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network at the Colorado School of Public Health; and a co-chair of the Community Outreach, Prevention, & Early Detection Committee at the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators (AONN+). She previously held positions with a college-based skin cancer prevention initiative and a national colorectal cancer nonprofit. Elsa has a Master of Public Health in Health Education and Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Tulane University. She is passionate about working with communities across Colorado and nationwide to increase equitable access to and reduce barriers for cancer and healthcare services.