DCEG News Updates
The latest news and research findings from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
-
Jonine Figueroa Appointed Senior Investigator in Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch
Dr. Figueroa has rejoined DCEG as a tenured, senior investigator in the Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch to research risk factors associated with breast cancer incidence and mortality in diverse populations.
-
Prevalence of VEXAS Syndrome Higher Than Expected, Genome-First Study Finds
Dr. Stewart et al. found that VEXAS syndrome, a novel medical disorder, was more prevalent than previously reported, especially among women. This study shows the power of the genome-first approach and the need to expand genetic panel testing.
-
Eric Engels Elected 2022 AAAS Fellow
Dr. Eric Engels, senior investigator and director of the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, was recognized as a 2022 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is one of 505 scientists, engineers, and innovators elected for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements throughout their careers.
-
The PLCO Atlas – GWAS Explorer: Milestone in Data Sharing
The GWAS Explorer PLCO Atlas was created to serve as an interactive tool to facilitate data sharing to the public, which enables researchers to search for, visualize, and download aggregated association results from the PLCO genome-wide association analyses (GWAS).
-
Black Women Have Highest Mortality Rate of Cervical Cancer Subtype Compared to All other Groups
Camyrn Cohen and colleagues found that, despite having the lowest incidence of cervical adenocarcinoma, Black women also experience the highest mortality rate of this cervical cancer subtype.
-
2023 Diversity Career Development Program Selections
Drs. Oscar Florez-Vargas and Eleanor L. Watts were selected for the 2023 NCI Diversity Career Development Program which seeks to empower talented postdoctoral trainees, including but not limited to those from underrepresented groups in biomedical research, to achieve their full potential as research scientists.
-
Virtual Pooled Registry Approach Improves Cancer Ascertainment
Investigators describe the value of a Virtual Pooled Registry (VPR) for population-based cohort studies in the United States. The VPR would increase the completeness of data, and decrease the time and costs associated with linking to multiple cancer registries.
-
Lindsay Morton Appointed Director of Radiation Epidemiology Branch
Dr. Morton is an international expert on cancer risks among individuals exposed to ionizing radiation, mechanisms of radiation carcinogenesis, and the etiology and outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies.
-
Geographic Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Risk Among Breast Cancer Survivors
Dr. Jacqueline B. Vo led a study using SEER data that observed increased cardiovascular disease mortality risk in breast cancer survivors if they lived in lower socioeconomic and more rural counties at the time of their breast cancer diagnosis compared to those living in higher socioeconomic and more urban counties.
-
Growing the Field: NCI Fellowship Opportunities in Data Science
The NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (CBIIT) posted to their Cancer Data Science Pulse blog on training opportunities at the NCI for data scientists. “Growing the Field—NCI Fellowship Opportunities in Data Science” describes different programs across the Institute, including the DCEG Data Science Research Group, and features a quote from Dr. Monjoy Saha, Research Fellow in the Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch.
-
6th Li Fraumeni Syndrome Association Symposium Convenes Researchers, Clinicians, and Patients
The 6th International Li Fraumeni Syndrome Association Symposium was held at in Maryland October 13-16, 2022.
-
NIH Intramural Blog Highlights Lung Cancer Screening Research
Hormuzd Katki, senior investigator in the Biostatistics and Branch, and Anil Chaturvedi, senior investigator in the Clinical Genetics Branch, discuss their research on lung cancer screening with the NIH’s Intramural Research Program blog, I am Intramural.
-
2022 Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fellowship Recipients
Drs. Batel Blechter, Jennifer McGee-Avila, Lola Étiévant, and Courtney Dill were selected for the 2022 Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fellowship program. The program helps prepare female postdoctoral fellows for the transition to independent biomedical research careers.
-
Jacqueline B. Vo Appointed Assistant Clinical Investigator
Dr. Jacqueline B. Vo was appointed assistant clinical investigator in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch. She is the first assistant clinical investigator nurse in NCI.
-
Germline-Somatic Interactions, Telomere Biology Affect Myelofibrosis Risk
DCEG investigators have identified six germline susceptibility loci for the rare myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) myelofibrosis; four overlap with loci previously identified for overall MPN. The findings were published September 8, 2022, in Nature Communications.
-
Investing in our Future: DCEG’s Path to Enhancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
Enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) benefits everyone in an organization. DCEG is focused on recruitment, training, and retention of individuals from groups that are typically underrepresented in the scientific workforce, advancing health disparities research, weaving DEIA into the fabric of DCEG.
-
2022 Coleman Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Innovation Award Granted to Lauren Hurwitz
Dr. Hurwitz's project on serum organochlorine insecticide levels and risk of aggressive prostate cancer in African men will be supported by the NIMHD Coleman Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Award.
-
Mustapha Abubakar Appointed Earl Stadtman Investigator
Dr. Mustapha Abubakar was appointed Ealr Stadtman tenure-track investigator in the Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch in September 2022. He integrates computational pathology methods with epidemiological studies to better understand the role of tissue ecosystem disruption in screen-detectable cancers.
-
2022 iCURE Scholars Welcomed to DCEG
DCEG welcomed three new scholars from the NCI Intramural Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (iCURE) Program in 2022: Muzzammil Ahmadzada, Maxwell Hogshead, and Jazmyn Bess for postbaccalaureate training. Dr. Corey Young has transitioned to a postdoctoral iCURE scholar.
-
Inaugural Intramural Health Disparities Workshop
The Center for Cancer Research Health Disparity Steering Committee, DCEG Cancer Health Disparities Working Group, and Fellows Cancer Health Disparities Interest Group co-organized a workshop to communicate expectations of health disparity research, identify research resources, highlight opportunities for collaborations, and outline future directions.