DCEG News Updates
The latest news and research findings from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
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Sarah Jackson Selected for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Researcher Spotlight
Sarah S. Jackson, Ph.D., independent research scholar in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, was selected for the Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Health Researcher Spotlight in September 2021.
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NIH Intramural Blog Highlights Finding on Cell Age and Transplant Outcomes
Drs. Rotana Alsaggaf and Shahinaz Gadalla in the Clinical Genetics Branch discuss their research which shows that molecular markers of cellular aging may be more accurate predictors of hematopoietic stem cell transplant success than chronological age alone.
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Choonsik Lee, Matt Mille Recognized at 2021 Health Physics Society Meeting
Dr. Choonsik Lee delivered the prestigious Dade Moeller Lectureship and Dr. Matthew Mille was recognized with the 2021 Elda Anderson Award for excellence in research/development, discovery/invention, devotion to health physics, and significant contributions to the profession of health physics. Both were given at the Health Physics Society Annual Meeting.
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Age at Menarche Associated with Seven Cancers
Steven C. Moore and colleagues found that women who experienced menarche at younger ages had an increased risk of seven cancers in middle age: endometrial cancer, liver cancer, melanoma, bladder cancer, and cancers of the colon, lung, and breast.
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NIH Study Illuminates Origins of Lung Cancer in Never Smokers
A genomic analysis of lung cancer in people with no history of smoking has found that a majority of these tumors arise from the accumulation of mutations caused by natural processes in the body. This study describes for the first time three molecular subtypes of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.
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Steve Simon Receives 2021 Health Physics Society Award
Dr. Simon was recognized for his career publication record and contributions to the science of radiation protection with the 2021 Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award.
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Jill Barnholtz-Sloan Awarded Scientific Tenure by the NIH
Dr. Barnholtz-Sloan is a biostatistician with multi-disciplinary training in epidemiology, population genetics, human genetics, and bioinformatics/informatics. She joined the NCI in summer 2021 as Associate Director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology with a joint appointment in DCEG.
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Lesley Chapman Selected for Human Genetics Scholar Initiative Program
Dr. Chapman, postdoctoral fellow in the Clinical Genetics Branch was selected for the two-year program with the goal of increasing diversity and inclusion in the field of human genetics provided by the American Society of Human Genetics, in partnership with industry leaders and the National Human Genome Research Institute.
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Physical Activity May Lessen the Effects of Chemobrain, Study Finds
A study found that people with breast cancer who met the minimum national physical activity guidelines before and during chemotherapy had better cognitive function immediately and 6 months after chemotherapy than people who did not meet the guidelines. The results were published August 18 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Yei Eun Shin Receives Career Development Award from Korean International Statistics Society
Dr. Shin received the award at the 2021 Joint Statistical Meeting. As a tenure-track investigator in the Biostatistics Branch, she develops statistical methods to analyze cancer risk and health outcomes associated with different spatiotemporal exposures and improve estimation or validation of risk models for epidemiological studies.
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Grace Hong Awarded Scientific Tenure by the NIH
In August 2021, Dr. Hong was awarded scientific tenure by the NIH and joined DCEG as a senior investigator in the Biostatistics Branch (BB). As a statistical scientist, she focuses on the development of cutting-edge statistical methods for analyses of complex large-scale datasets (e.g., high-dimensional censored data and longitudinal data), and applying these methods to the fields of public health, medicine, health policy research, and cancer.
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Risk-Based Oral Cancer Screening Can Cut Costs While Maintaining High Sensitivity
Li Cheung, Ph.D., staff scientist in the Biostatistics Branch finds risk-based oral cancer screening may improve the efficiency of screening programs and still maintain high sensitivity. Findings have public health implications for low-resource settings.
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Jonas Almeida Discusses How Data Help Reveal Our Natural World
Jonas Almeida, Ph.D., Chief Data Scientist in the Trans-Divisional Research Program discusses what data means to him and to the field of cancer research in the Cancer Data Science Pulse blog of the NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology.
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Recipients of the Inaugural DCEG Cancer Health Disparities Research Award
The DCEG Cancer Health Disparities Research Award was launched in 2021 to expand cancer disparities research within the Division. Fellows Jessica Madrigal, Ph.D., M.S., Cody Ramin, Ph.D., and Jacqueline Vo, Ph.D., R.N., M.P.H., received the awards for 2021.
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Meredith Shiels Awarded Scientific Tenure by the NIH
Dr. Shiels, an expert on the descriptive epidemiology of cancer and mortality in the United States, was awarded scientific tenure by the NIH and promoted to senior investigator in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch.
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Chanock Explores Genetics of Cancer Susceptibility
In April 2021, Stephen J. Chanock, M.D., gave a Clinical Center Grand Rounds Great Teachers lecture and discussed his professional journey, career advice, a history lesson and decades of research.
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DCEG Staff Gather in Virtual Town Hall Meetings, 2021 Spring and Summer
At the 2021 Spring and Summer town halls, Stephen Chanock, M.D., recognized staff with the following awards: DCEG Outstanding Mentor Award, 2022 NIH Fare Awards, and Outstanding Poster Award. In addition, he announced the appointment of Maria Teresa Landi, M.D., Ph.D. as the Division’s Senior Advisor for Genomic Epidemiology.
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Michael Sargen Appointed Assistant Clinical Investigator
In May 2021, Michael Sargen, M.D., was appointed assistant clinical investigator in the Clinical Genetics Branch (CGB). He will develop a translational program focused on understanding the etiology of skin cancer and accelerating the development of clinical trials.
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Former NCI Scientist William Blot Retires after a Long, Celebrated Career
Dr. William Blot made seminal contributions to the development of the intramural epidemiologic research program at NCI, including, among others, studies to explain geographic patterns of U.S. cancer mortality and new insights into carcinogenic hazards, such as smokeless tobacco associated with oral cancer and arsenical air pollution and asbestos in relation to lung cancer. He recently retired amid accolades for his many accomplishments.
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Mentorship at DCEG: A Tradition of Excellence, ITEB
This is the second installment of the Mentorship at DCEG: A Tradition of Excellence series. Gretchen Gierach, Ph.D., M.P.H., Chief of the Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch, and mentees Brittny Davis Lynn, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Mustapha Abubakar, M.D., Ph.D., describe their training and mentoring experiences at DCEG.