DCEG Research Highlighted at the Congress of Epidemiology

by Jennifer Loukissas, M.P.P., Contributing Editor

In June, DCEG members participated in the Third North American Congress of Epidemiology in Montreal, Canada, which was organized by five epidemiologic societies. This Congress convenes only once every five years and showcases the diversity of research, practice, and policy within the field of epidemiology.

DCEG staff members who participated in planning groups for the Congress included Louise A. Brinton, Ph.D., Chief of the Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch (HREB), Gretchen L. Gierach, Ph.D. (HREB), Patricia Hartge, Sc.D., Deputy Director of DCEG's Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, and Philip S. Rosenberg, Ph.D., of the Biostatistics Branch.

Over the course of the four-day meeting, DCEG scientists chaired symposia, gave invited and contributed talks, and presented posters. Amy Berrington de González, D.Phil., Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB), chaired a symposium on pediatric computed tomography (CT) screening titled "To scan or not to scan? The pediatric CT debate," where she presented her work on "Projected cancer risks from pediatric CT scans." Dr. Hartge moderated a session on "Breast cancer: Beyond the basics," at which Dr. Gierach discussed her work on the "Relationship of perilesional mammographic density to pathologic diagnosis." Shih-Wen (Wenny) Lin, Ph.D., M.P.H., Nutritional Epidemiology Branch (NEB), chaired a session titled "Tissue-based immune markers of cancer." The session included a presentation from Jill Koshiol, Ph.D., Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, who spoke on "Evaluating immune markers in epidemiologic studies."

Other DCEG participants included Charles E. Matthews, Ph.D. (NEB), who discussed his work on "The biological mechanisms underlying the links between sedentary behaviors and disease," and Kathryn Hughes Barry, Ph.D., Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, who spoke on "Genetic variation in base excision repair pathway genes, pesticide exposure, and prostate cancer risk." In addition, Preetha Rajaraman, Ph.D. (REB), presented "Early-life exposure to diagnostic radiation and ultrasound scans and risk of childhood cancer."

Dr. Hartge and Jennifer Loukissas, M.P.P., communications manager for DCEG's Office of Communications and Special Initiatives, coordinated a symposium titled "Communicating epidemiology: The changing landscape." At this session, Ms. Loukissas presented strategies for epidemiologists to communicate with the media.

Two DCEG Branch Chiefs gave presentations on career development. Martha S. Linet, M.D., M.P.H., Chief of REB, spoke on government careers in epidemiology in the workshop "Career choices: Figure out where you want to work and how to get there." Dr. Brinton chaired a roundtable session on "Women in cancer research and career mentoring."

The Congress provided a special opportunity to recruit future trainees and to reconnect with former colleagues. Jackie Lavigne, Ph.D., M.P.H., Chief of the Office of Education, and Ms. Loukissas met with interested graduate students at the DCEG fellowship booth. In addition, current DCEG fellows organized a happy hour for former fellows and research staff at a local eatery.

The Congress honored DCEG with the first Alexander D. Langmuir Award for Training Program Excellence and Innovation. This award recognizes an exceptional graduate training program with an emphasis on robust skill development in epidemiological principles and research (see the full article in the July 2011 issue of Linkage). In addition, Dr. Margaret Spitz, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and special advisor to DCEG, received the Abraham M. Lilienfeld Award for Overall Excellence in Epidemiology.