Director, Prevention & Research Center
Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
My research interests are broad and reflect my interest in molecular, clinical and cancer epidemiology. Research activities have spanned the continuum of cancer prevention and control from etiologic studies to intervention trials (prevention and treatment) to studies of survivorship for multiple cancer sites. I currently chair the steering committee of the Vitamin D Pooling Project on Rarer Cancers. I have been an active member of the PanScan Cohort Consortium Project, a multi-cohort, genome-wide association study of pancreatic cancer. Other current studies include investigating the association between biomarkers of inflammation and side effects of cancer treatment and examining the impact of interventions on biomarkers and symptoms of fatigue after cancer treatment. I remain clinically active doing cancer risk assessment, genetic counseling and direct a cancer survivor consultation service.
Professor and Chair, Division of Epidemiology
College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
My research program is focused on the role of environmental, medical, lifestyle and genetic factors in the etiology of lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). I am particularly interested in linking etiologic factors to molecularly-defined lymphoma subtypes to better clarify mechanistic pathways. My other major research focus is to identify lifestyle, genetic, tumor/microenvironment and treatment factors in lymphoma and CLL patients that predict disease progression and overall survival. I also work collaboratively on molecular epidemiology studies of myeloid, breast, endometrial, colorectal and prostate cancers.
Consultant and Professor, Clinical Epidemiology
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN
My research goal is to understand the interaction of environment and genetic susceptibility of gastrointestinal cancers, specifically pancreatic cancer, and the translation of this knowledge into clinical and public health practice through identification of high risk individuals and evaluation of screening and interventions. I recognize the importance and value of multidisciplinary approaches and multi-center collaborations as an integral part of accomplishing research in a complex disease such as cancer. I am the principal investigator of the Pancreatic Cancer Genetic Epidemiology Consortium (PACGENE) and the Mayo Clinic SPORE in Pancreatic Cancer, and I co-lead the Pancreatic Cancer Case-Control Consortium (PANC4), and have facilitated collaborations with the PanScan project at the NCI.
Distinguished Professor and Chair, Dept. of Social and Preventive Medicine
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
My research focuses on diet and alcohol consumption in relation to cancer, particularly breast cancer. With my research group, I am working also on understanding how genetic factors may interact with diet to influence disease risk, on how tumor characteristics may vary with dietary, genetic and other exposures and on the impact of exposures in early life on breast cancer risk. My work includes studies in Western New York and in Puerto Rico.
Epidemiologist, Prevention & Research Center
Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
Today, there are more long-term cancer survivors then ever due to remarkable advances in detection and treatment. A major goal of treatment, in addition to cure, must be maintaining the health and quality of life of the cancer survivors. My interests lie in better understanding the impact of current treatments on the subsequent health of the older cancer patient and identifying potential targets for interventions to prevent adverse health outcomes. Currently, I am working on a cohort study of breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors to examine whether androgen concentrations are associated with the development of musculoskeletal symptoms that can decrease the survivors’ quality of life and, importantly, lead to non-adherence to treatment. I am also the lead investigator of a large registry-based survey of cancer survivors that will provide data on adverse health outcomes and quality of life associated with specific cancer treatments among individuals recently diagnosed with cancer as well as long-term survivors.
Director, Cancer Registry of Norway
Professor, Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences
University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
My research focuses on the epidemiology of breast and other female cancers. I am particularly interested in the role of hormones and hormone metabolism as well as diet in cancer etiology and in gene-environment interactions. Mammographic density is an important marker for breast cancer, and my research group also focuses on how mammograms can be used in the prevention of breast cancer. I head the Cancer Registry of Norway, where we monitor cancer incidence and conduct cancer etiology research. We are also increasingly collecting data on cancer treatment in order to monitor treatment effects, and we run national screening programs for breast and cervical cancer, respectively.
Professor and Director, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
My main research has focused on molecular, genetic and nutritional epidemiology of cancer, specifically breast and colorectal. I have led multiple large population-based epidemiologic studies of cancer, including the Shanghai Women’s Health Study, a prospective cohort study of approximately 75,000 adult Chinese women who were recruited during 1996 through 2001. I also have been the principal investigator for several large case-control studies, including the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study, the Nashville Breast Health Study, and the Tennessee Colorectal Polyp Study. I have a strong interest in conducting international studies and believe that these studies present great opportunities to evaluate significant questions related to cancer epidemiology and prevention. Over the past few years, I have initiated large consortia to conduct genome-wide association studies of breast and colorectal cancers in Asians and contributed to GWAS of breast cancer in African-Americans as well as fine-mapping studies of GWAS-identified susceptibility loci for breast cancer. I serve on the Executive Committee of the Asia Cohort Consortium and lead a project to quantify the association and impact of several major lifestyle factors on overall and cause-specific mortality.