DCEG News Updates
The latest news and research findings from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
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Alexander Keil Appointed Earl Stadtman Investigator in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
Dr. Keil was appointed Earl Stadtman tenure-track investigator in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch in May 2022. He studies occupational and environmental exposures that consider exposure across the life course as well as the complex interactions between exposures and health.
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2022 Sumer Intern Program
DCEG welcomed 36 summer interns for the first-ever hybrid program. Support was provided by Diane Wigfield, program manager in the Office of Education, the NCI Training Directors, and 49 DCEG staff, including investigators, staff scientists, and trainees, who served as mentors.
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Amy Berrington Departs DCEG for the U.K.
Dr. Berrington has been a major asset and made tremendous contributions through her robust research program, her superb leadership of the Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB), and her vision in guiding DCEG through the process of developing the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. Dr. Berrington has been an outstanding mentor to many and exemplifies the highest standard of leadership in cancer epidemiology.
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2022 IARC/NCI Joint Workshop on HIV and Cancer
Joint meeting of experts from IARC and the NCI to discuss HIV and cancer. Topics ranged from the state of the science, gaps in research, opportunities for future studies, and barriers and challenges in the field.
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A Healthy Lifestyle May Help Former Smokers Lower Their Risk of Death from All Causes
Findings from an analysis of a large group of former smokers who participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study showed that former smokers who adhered to evidence-based recommendations for body weight, physical activity, and alcohol intake had a lower risk of mortality than former smokers who didn't adhere to these recommendations.
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Steven Moore Awarded Scientific Tenure by the NIH
In September 2022, Steven Moore, Ph.D., M.P.H., was awarded scientific tenure by the NIH and promoted to senior investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch. Dr. Moore is an internationally recognized expert on the role of physical activity in cancer etiology and the uses of metabolomics in epidemiologic research. His findings have contributed to evidence-based public health recommendations for physical activity and cancer prevention.
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Jacqueline Vo and Jennifer McGee-Avila Received AACR Scholar-in-Training Award for Health Disparities Meeting
Dr. Jacqueline Vo and Jennifer McGee-Avila received the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Scholar-in-Training Award for the 2022 AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved.
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In Memorium: Professor Dame Valerie Beral
Professor Dame Valerie Beral made tremendous contributions to the field of cancer epidemiology. She will be deeply missed by her colleagues and friends in DCEG.
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2022 HHS Hubert H. Humphrey Award for Service to America
Six DCEG staff were recognized by the department for their service at the southern border as part of Operation Artemis and Operation Allies Welcome, initiatives run by the Office of Refugee and Resettlement.
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2022 Cancer Health Disparities Award Winners
Drs. Jongeun Rhee and Charles Breeze, and Akemi Wijayabahu received funding for their projects. The DCEG Cancer Health Disparities Award aims to expand cancer disparities research within the Division by encouraging postdoctoral trainees to initiate new and highly innovative cancer disparity and/or minority health research projects that they will continue into their independent research careers.
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Tea Consumption Associated with Lower Risk of Death
Investigators found that drinking 2+ cups of tea per day was associated with lower risk of death in a study of nearly five million people in the United Kingdom, where black tea is common.
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Many Types of Leisure Time Activities May Lower Risk of Death for Older Adults
A study led by Dr. Eleanor Watts showed that older adults who participate weekly in many different types of leisure time activities, such as walking for exercise, jogging, swimming laps, or playing tennis, may have a lower risk of death from any cause, as well as death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
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HPV Vaccine Protection Outweighs Additional Risk of Cervical Lesions Caused by Non-Preventable HPV Types
In a study published June 2022 in Lancet Oncology, Jaimie Shing, Ph.D., M.P.H., and colleagues observed that HPV types not targeted by the vaccine cause cervical lesions more frequently in vaccinated populations than in unvaccinated populations. However, the number of prevented cervical lesions was considerably greater than the number of additional lesions attributed to non-preventable HPV types, thus confirming the efficacy of the HPV vaccine for cervical cancer prevention.
this study is the first to observe and evaluate clinical unmasking following HPV vaccination. -
Oral Microbiome Linked to Lung Cancer Risk
A study from Emily Vogtmann, Ph.D., M.P.H., senior investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, links the oral microbiome to lung cancer risk using data from three DCEG cohorts: the Agricultural Health Study, NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening trial.
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Testing for IBMFS Important for Treatment Decisions in Severe Aplastic Anemia
Individuals who receive hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) for treatment of severe aplastic anemia (SAA) can benefit from genetic testing prior to treatment initiation to determine if they have an unrecognized inherited bone marrow failure syndrome.
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Anil Chaturvedi Appointed DCEG Senior Advisor for Faculty Development
In this role, Dr. Chaturvedi will focus on implementing the recommendations of the Recruitment and Retention Task Force, which he co-chaired with Dr. Jackie Lavigne. He will work closely with the Office of Education, Associate Directors, Branch Chiefs, and the Promotion and Tenure Review Panel to enhance scientific and career development of investigators and staff and foster a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible work culture.
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Interferon Treatment May Improve COVID-19 Outcomes in People with Certain Genetic Factors
Drs. Ludmila Prokunina-Olsson, Oscar Florez-Vargas, and Rouf Banday in the Laboratory of Translational Genomics investigated the role of OAS1 in COVID-19 severity in patients of European and African ancestries. This finding contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of COVID-19 disease severity and may inform treatment options for COVID-19.
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Summer 2022 Fellow Awards
During the early summer of 2022, many fellows in DCEG were recognized for their outstanding research efforts. Dr. Cameron Haas received the Intramural AIDS Research Fellowship and Drs. Brittany Lord and Wayne Lawrence received the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program 2022 Merit Award. Several postdoctoral fellows received the Fellows Award for Research Excellence.
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Bringing the Pieces Together: CCR-DCEG FLEX Awards
To capitalize on the complementary research approaches of the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) and DCEG, the CCR-DCEG FLEX award was established in 2015 to fund collaborative projects. Seven years later, Drs. Constanza Camargo, Charles Rabkin, Eric Engels, Neelam Giri, and Laufey Amundadottir, discuss how their projects came about and their progress toward understanding the causes of cancer and the means of prevention.
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Advancing RASopathies Research: A Conversation with Drs. Gina Ney and Douglas Stewart
The lead investigators of the RASopathies study, Douglas Stewart, M.D., senior investigator, and Gina Ney, M.D., Ph.D., staff clinician in the Clinical Genetics Branch, discuss the goals of the study and reflect upon its inaugural year.