MD
Professor, Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology
Co-chair, Lineberger Equity Council
UNC-Chapel Hill
Cancer Prevention and Control
Area of Interest
Dr. Cykert is a Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology and was founding director for the Program on Health and Clinical Informatics. He graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine with Highest Distinction and did his Internal Medicine Residency and General Medicine Faculty Fellowship at UNC. He started his career as a solo practitioner in Alamance County and learned firsthand how real world issues led to variations in care. Combining his research training, his role as a founding member of the Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative, and interest in health policy, Cykert has been heavily involved in projects that address cancer and chronic care management including the building of systems that reduce health care disparities and improve care for all.
In this vein, he has served as principal or co-principal investigator on several studies including the NCI-sponsored Accountability for Cancer Care through Undoing Racism and Equity system change intervention and the American Cancer Society-sponsored, “Lung Cancer Surgery: Decisions Against Life Saving Care – The Intervention”. These studies document a multifaceted intervention including real time registries, navigation, and quality improvement techniques that used data specific to minoritized groups that markedly reduced Black-White disparities in Breast and Lung Cancer treatment outcomes and improved these outcomes for all.
Dr. Cykert also led the North Carolina Collaborative in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s “EvidenceNow” Project. The NC group engaged 219 primary care practices caring for over 400,000 adult patients who achieved significant cardiovascular disease risk reductions especially among rural Black patients in the “Stroke Belt” region of the state. Dr. Cykert currently serves as co-chair for the UNC-Lineberger Cancer Center’s Equity Council.
Awards and Honors
- Alpha Omega Alpha Visiting Professorship, UNC-CH Gamma Chapter, 2006
- Joseph P. Stevens Teaching Award, Internal Medicine Training Program, 2006
- Society of General Medicine National Award for Innovation in Medical Education, 1996
- Outstanding AHEC Faculty Award, UNC-Chapel Hill, 1996
- Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, Indiana University, 1981
- Honors Program for Academic Medicine, Indiana University, 1980
News and Stories
Paul A. Godley Health Equity Research Week
UNC Lineberger faculty and staff will present during the Paul A. Godley Health Equity Research Week, June 5-8. The event highlights health equity research across UNC-Chapel Hill and beyond.
UNC Lineberger underrepresented postdoc recruitment day focuses on expanding access and diversity
UNC Lineberger’s Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination program sponsored the inaugural Underrepresented Postdoctoral Fellow Recruitment Day on Oct. 12.
Intervention reduces disparities in timing of lung cancer surgery between Black and white patients
Marjory Charlot, MD, MPH, MSc, and colleagues report that a detailed analysis of intervention trials designed to address racial inequalities in timing from diagnosis to surgery for lung cancer showed a multi-faceted intervention resulted in timelier lung cancer surgery for Black patients.
UNC Lineberger committed to diversity, equity and inclusion
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is leading the way in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
