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Overview

Dr. Erica Phillips is a physician-scientist whose research focuses on understanding and reducing disparities in obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer risk, particularly among racial and ethnic minority populations. Her work examines why these conditions disproportionately affect certain communities and develops practical, evidence-based strategies to improve health outcomes.

A hallmark of Dr. Phillips's research is her commitment to community-engaged research, partnering directly with community organizations, schools, faith-based institutions, and healthcare systems to design and test interventions that are culturally relevant and sustainable. Her studies have evaluated programs ranging from church-based health promotion initiatives to lifestyle interventions that improved weight loss, health behaviors, and quality of life among Black breast cancer survivors and other clinical populations.

Dr. Phillips's research spans the continuum from understanding health behaviors to developing and implementing interventions that promote healthy living. Her work has used focus groups, surveys, electronic health record data, and behavioral assessment tools to identify barriers to health and to evaluate programs designed to improve diet, physical activity, sleep, and other health behaviors.

She currently leads several innovative research initiatives. Reducing Obesity Using Social Ties (ROBUST) examines how social relationships and support networks can be leveraged to improve weight loss and long-term weight management. Sleep2BWell seeks to improve sleep health as a strategy for reducing racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular and metabolic disease. CARES4You is a school-based cancer prevention intervention that equips middle school students and their families with knowledge and skills to adopt healthy behaviors that reduce future cancer risk.

Dr. Phillips's research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and other federal and foundation funding agencies. Through her work, she aims to advance health equity by developing scalable interventions that improve health behaviors, reduce chronic disease risk, and strengthen the health of underserved communities.

Highlights

  1. 1
    PloS one · 2025
    EPErica PhillipsPJPaul J Christos
    PMID: 40239159PMCID: PMC12002803DOIFirst author4 citations
  2. 2
    Obesity science & practice · 2025
    AGAnita GantiSAShanna Ariane TuckerEPErica Phillips
    PMID: 39807172PMCID: PMC11727575DOISenior author2 citations
  3. 3
    Ethnicity & disease · 2021
    MRMadeline R. SterlingDMDavid M NanusEPErica Phillips
    PMID: 33519152PMCID: PMC7843052DOISenior author7 citations

Publications

69 publications

Funding

18 grantsView NIH portfolio on RePORTER ↗

Active

10 grants
  • PI
    Peer Education, Outreach, and Shared Decision Making for Persons at High Risk of Prostate Cancer
    New York State Department of Health · 2023–2028
    DOH01-C38963GG-3450000
  • MPI
    Center for SOcial CApital (SOCA): Promoting Multigenerational Health
    National Cancer Institute · 2023–2028
    U54CA280808-01
  • MPI
    Center to Improve Chronic disease Outcomes through Multi-level and Multi-generational approaches Unifying Novel Interventions and Training for health EquitY (SLEEP2BEWELL) Supplement
    National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities · 2021–2027 · via Columbia University· 5 renewals
    P50MD017341-05
  • PI
    Reducing Obesity Using Social Ties (ROBUST)
    National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases · 2023–2027· 2 renewals
    R01DK135949-03
  • Co-I
    Weight management, metabolomics signatures and breast cancer risk and survival
    Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. · 2025–2027
    SAC210104
  • PI
    Sleep2BWell - Fitabase Contract
    Small Steps Labs LLC · 2025–2026Contract
    SSL 261661-01
  • Co-I
    Novel Approach to Improving Prostate Cancer Screening Among African American Men
    U.S. Department of Defense · 2022–2026
    W81XWH-22-1-0451
  • Sub-PI
    Implementing Remote Patient Monitoring to Improve Hypertension Control in a Primary Care Network
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute · 2021–2026 · via Columbia University
    R01HL152699-05
  • PI
    BRIDGE (Blood cancer Research Initiative Developing Greater Engagement) with Community Patients
    Leukemia & Lymphoma Society · 2021–2026
    LLS 9008-21
  • Co-I
    Preventing Tipping Points in High Comorbidity Patients: A Lifeline from Health Coaches
    Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute · 2019–2025 · via Clinical Directors Network, Inc.
    IHS-2017C3-8923-CDN01
Completed grants (8)
  • Co-I
    Career Advancement for Research in Health Equity
    National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities · 2019–2025Training
    T37MD014220-05
  • Co-I
    Insulin-suppressing diets to reduce breast cancer risk and mortality
    Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. · 2022–2025
    SAC210104
  • Co-I
    Weill Cornell Medicine Diversity Center of Excellence
    Health Resources and Services Administration · 2018–2024
    5 D34HP31879-04-00
  • Co-I
    BRIDGE (Blood cancer Research Initiative Developing Greater Engagement) with Community Patients
    Genentech, Inc. · 2021–2023
    G-89217
  • Sub-PI
    Address Lung Cancer Disparities through Navigation and Case Management leading to LDCT screening in 2 High-Risk Lung Cancer Communities
    Bristol-Myers Squibb · 2021–2022 · via CancerCare
    CC 211957-01
  • Sub-PI
    Community Cancer Prevention Projects
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · 2021–2022 · via Health Research INC (Center for Community Health)Contract
    HRI 214282-01
  • Sub-PI
    Increasing the Uptake of the USPSTF Hypertension Screening Guidelines in Primary Care
    Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality · 2017–2021 · via Columbia University
    R01HS024262-05
  • PI
    Reducing Breast Cancer Recurrence Among Black Women: The Breast cancer Weight Loss for Life Study (BWELL)
    Weill Cornell Medical College · 2018–2019
    WCMC 190102-01

Clinical research

9 studies

Active

5 studies
  • PI
    Reducing Obesity Using Social Ties (ROBUST): Randomized Control Trial
    NA · Weill Medical College of Cornell University · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2024)
    Obesity
    NCT06335810
  • PI
    Implementing a Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Program to Improve Hypertension Control in a Primary Care Network: the MonitorBP Cluster Randomized Trial
    NA · Columbia University · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2023)
    Hypertension
    NCT05885997
  • PI
    Using Middle School Science Teachers to Address Health Disparities
    NA · Weill Medical College of Cornell University · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2023)
    Cancer Risk Factors; Cancer Prevention
    NCT07501689
  • PI
    Addressing Sleep Duration, Regularity, and Efficiency: A Multidimensional Sleep Health Intervention for Reducing Ethnic Disparities in Cardiometabolic Disease (DREAM)
    Columbia University Medical Center · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2022)
  • PI
    Implementing Remote Patient Monitoring to Improve Hypertension Control in a Primary Care Network
    Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc. · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2022)
Completed & closed trials (4)
  • PI
    Assessing barriers to acceptability of the HPV vaccine and risk behavioural correlates to cancer prevention strategies among a catch-up population of young Arab American adults (18-26) and their parents in New York City: A Mixed Methods Observational Study.
    Weill Medical College of Cornell University · CLOSED TO ACCRUAL (as of 2025)
  • PI
    Health education program and user-centered research on perceptions and access to clinical trials in low-income neighborhoods-BRANY Plus transfer.
    Weill Medical College of Cornell University · CLOSED TO ACCRUAL (as of 2025)
  • PI
    Assessing the impact of a patient navigation program on cancer patients' treatment decision-making
    WCM Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center · IRB STUDY CLOSURE (as of 2025)
  • PI
    Adding Sleep to the BWell4Life Diet and Physical Activity Intervention for Cardiometabolic Health Promotion: The Sleep2BWell Community-Based Trial
    NA · Columbia University · CLOSED TO ACCRUAL (as of 2025)
    Blood Pressure; Sleep Health; Diet, Healthy; Physical Activity; Weight Loss
    NCT06565104

News mentions

7 mentionsView all WCM news ↗
Show 2 more mentions
  • COVID-19 Research Grants Support Weill Cornell Medicine Investigators
    September 11, 2020

    Weill Cornell Medicine has awarded eight grants of $100,000 each to faculty for a variety of research projects on COVID-19, funded by the institution’s Board of Overseers and additional donors. The grants will support studies aimed at understanding fundamental aspects of the disease, the body’s immune response and social determinants of health that affect COVID-19 outcomes.

  • Healthy Habits: A Community Outreach Effort Promotes Positive Lifestyle Changes
    August 4, 2020

    Physicians and public health researchers have long sounded the alarm about the high incidence of cardiovascular disease in economically disadvantaged urban neighborhoods compared with more affluent ones. But in recent years, another disturbing disparity has become increasingly evident: that residents of underserved areas are also diagnosed with cancer—and die of the disease—at disproportionate rates.

Mentoring

4 menteesAll publications with mentees →