Mark Purdue Appointed Director of Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
, by Jennifer K. Loukissas, M.P.P.
Mark Purdue, Ph.D.
Mark Purdue, Ph.D., senior investigator in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB), has been appointed Branch Director September 2024. Dr. Purdue is an internationally recognized expert in the study of cancer associations with occupational and environmental exposures to chlorinated solvents, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other agents and the etiology of kidney cancer.
He is the principal investigator of the NCI genome-wide association study of renal cell carcinoma, the Central and Eastern European Kidney Cancer Study, Puerto Rico Oral Cancer Study, NCI cohort study of Missouri dry cleaners, and co-principal investigator of the U.S. Renal Cell Cancer Study.
Dr. Purdue received a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Toronto, Canada. He joined DCEG in 2004 as a postdoctoral fellow in OEEB, was appointed as a tenure-track investigator in 2009, and was awarded NIH scientific tenure in 2017. He has received several awards for his research, including the NIH Merit Award.
Dr. Purdue takes over from Debra T. Silverman, ScD., who served as Branch Director for the past 16 years. She is retiring in November 2024.