Profile
Dr Sarah K. Abe is an accomplished epidemiologist specialising in global health policy. She serves as Manager for Healthcare Services for the Unit’s Medical Excellence in Asia (MExx) initiatives. Dr Abe has played a key role in regional Asian programmes, translating evidence into policy, particularly in the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Her expertise encompasses cancer, nutrition, and social epidemiology, with experience in Japan, Asia, Europe, and the United States.
Passionate about addressing social inequalities and gender disparities, Dr Abe values cross-cultural understanding and the lessons history provides. As an American-German, she recognises the importance of these perspectives. Having made Tokyo her third home, she enjoys Japan’s beautiful nature and looks forward to exploring the Indonesian archipelago and South Asia. A matcha enthusiast, Dr Abe is dedicated to fieldwork and research aimed at improving health outcomes.
Expertise
- Cancer, nutrition and social epidemiology
- Non-communicable diseases
- Maternal and child health
- Reproductive health
- Global health policy
- Preventive medicine
- Health system strengthening
- Universal health coverage
- Cohort and consortia big data
- Systematic reviews and evidence
Education
| 2014 |
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) International Health Global Health Policy, The University of Tokyo |
| 2009 |
Master of Science in Public Health (MScPH) Health and Society: International Gender Studies Berlin Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin |
| 2007 |
Bachelor of Science (BS) Government Suffolk University, Boston |
Experience
Dr Abe previously served as Section Head in the Division of Prevention at the National Cancer Center Institute for Cancer Control in Japan. In this role, she led the Asia Cohort Consortium’s (ACC) Coordinating Centre, overseeing large-scale data from over 1 million participants in longitudinal cohort studies across Asia. The Consortium produced pivotal papers that addressed the evidence gap on risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the region. She also played a key role in the secretariat of the Asian National Cancer Center Alliance (ANCCA).
As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Health Policy at the University of Tokyo, Japan, she co-led the Global Health Entrepreneurship Programme and supervised graduate students. Prior to this, she participated in the Global Health Leadership Programme, which included internships at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (ECOHOST).
Dr Abe is passionate about interdisciplinary capacity-building and networking, with a particular focus on mentoring students and early-career scientists.
Select Publications
See ORCID and Researchmap for complete list
- Age at menarche by birth cohort: A pooled analysis of half a million women in Asia. Public Health. 2024. PMID: 39368404 (First and corresponding)
- Effects of smokeless tobacco on cancer incidence and mortality: a global systematic review and meta-analysis. Cancer Causes Control. 2024. PMID: 39718727 (Last and corresponding)
- Regional variations and inequalities in testing for early detection of breast and cervical cancer: evidence from a nationally representative survey in India. J Epidemiol. 2024. PMID: 39245580 (Last and corresponding)
- Economic burden of cancer attributable to modifiable risk factors in Japan. Glob Health Med. 2023. PMID: 37655182 (Co-author)
- Mapping recommendations towards an Asian Code Against Cancer (ACAC) as part of the World Code Against Cancer Framework: an Asian National Cancer Centers Alliance (ANCCA) initiative. Lancet Reg Health Southeast Asia. 2023. PMID: 38756166 (Corresponding)
- Prevalence of family history of cancer in the NC-CCAPH consortium of Japan. Sci Rep. 2023. PMID: 36813828 (First and corresponding)
- Burden of cancer attributable to modifiable factors in Japan in 2015. Glob Health Med. 2022. PMID: 35291201 (Co-author)
- Green tea and cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: a review of the current epidemiological evidence. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2021. PMID: 32820240 (First and corresponding)
- The establishment of the Household Air Pollution Consortium (HAPCO). Atmosphere (Basel). 2019. PMID: 32064123 (Co-author)
- Japan's contribution to making global health architecture a top political agenda by leveraging the G7 presidency. J Glob Health. 2018. PMID: 30546866 (co-author)
- Progress Toward Universal Health Coverage: A Comparative Analysis in 5 South Asian Countries. JAMA Intern Med. 2017. PMID: 28759681 (Co-author)
- Population health and regional variations of disease burden in Japan, 1990-2015: a systematic subnational analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet. 2017. PMID: 28734670 (Co-author)
- Rethinking the global tracking system on development assistance to reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health. Lancet Glob Health. 2015. PMID: 26087977 (First)