Dr. Basch conducts research as a member of the Health Outcomes Research Group in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics. He has a secondary appointment in the Department of Medicine, where he is an active member of the Genitourinary Oncology Division, specializing in the care of patients with prostate cancer. His research is in clinical informatics with a particular focus on patient reported outcomes (PROs). He is funded by New York State and the Steps-for-Breath Foundation to study the process and potential impact of electronically collecting patient self-reported symptoms during cancer care and clinical trials. He serves as the Principal Investigator for research protocols at MSKCC and in the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), a National Cancer Institute multicenter collaborative group. These studies focus on the use of information technology to gather data from patients, towards improving communication and patient satisfaction, enhancing clinical operations, and improving patient safety.
Dr. Basch collaborates with Dr. Deborah Schrag of the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics in the conduct of this research. With Dr. David Artz and John Speakman, and members of MSKCC Information Services, he developed the STAR (Symptom Tracking and Reporting) system, an online platform for capturing real-time clinical data. With Dr. Howard I. Scher, he is Co-PI of a Department of Defense infrastructure grant to support the development, administration, and technology backbone of a multi-institution consortium for early-phase prostate cancer research. This project is part of Dr. Basch's larger involvement in national efforts to establish common data standards in cancer care and clinical trials.
Dr. Basch is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. He conducted his fellowship training in medical oncology at MSKCC. Prior to coming to MSKCC, he was a co-founder of Natural Standard, a technology-driven company which develops evidence-based information resources in the area of complementary and integrative medicine.
Selected Publications:
Basch E, Iasonos A, McDonough T, Barz A, Culkin A, Kris MG, Scher HI, Schrag D. Clinician versus patient self-reporting of symptoms during cancer treatment: a paired analysis using the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Lancet Oncol, 2006;7(10): 903-909.
Basch E, Artz D, Dulko D, Scher K, Sabbatini P, Hensley M, Mitra N, Speakman J, McCabe M, Schrag D. Patient online self-reporting of toxicity symptoms during chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 2005;23(15):3552-61.
Basch EM, Thaler HT, Shi W, Yakren S, Schrag D. Use of information resources by patients with cancer and their companions. Cancer 2004;100(11):2476-83.
Basch EM, Servoss JC, Tedrow UB. Safety assurances for dietary supplements policy issues and new research paradigms. J Herb Pharmacother 2005;5(1):3-15.
Basch EM, Bonfiglio MF. Pharmaceutical manufacturer sponsorship and drug information. Archives of Internal Medicine 2001;161:2625-2526.
