DCEG News Updates
The latest news and research findings from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
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Cari Kitahara, senior investigator in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch, received the 2nd Annual Rosalind Franklin Society Award in Science for her publication entitled, Trends in the Management of Localized Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in the United States (2000–2018), published in Thyroid.
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Dr. Wayne Lawrence and colleagues found a rapid rise in death rates due to unintentional poisoning (drug overdoses) and firearm homicides in the U.S. from 1999-2020. Rates of death from external causes further accelerated in 2019 and 2020, after the onset of COVID-19.
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In 2023, Dr. Blanche Alter received the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology from the American Society of Hematology for her work which revolutionized research for inherited bone marrow failure syndromes.
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Dr. Aimée Kreimer was recognized for outstanding mentorship in 2022. Read an excerpt from the nomination prepared by her trainees.
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Research projects in DCEG span the globe. Studies in Latin America have allowed us to develop data-rich and well-powered studies to investigate often highly lethal cancers that occur with lower frequency in the U.S. Studying populations in Latin America is particularly important for cancer prevention in the U.S., given the growing number of Americans who identify as Latino and the small proportion of Latino individuals within existing studies.
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A genome-wide association study of lung adenocarcinoma in a population of East Asian ancestry identified 12 novel susceptibility variants. The findings of this genome-wide association study were published May 26, 2023, in Nature Communications.
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In May 2023, the NCI hosted the 17th International Meeting on Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer (IMPAHC) at the Shady Grove campus.
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A collaboration, led by Drs. Stella Koutros, investigator, and Nathaniel Rothman, senior investigator in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, analyzed data from 32 bladder cancer genome-wide association studies, revealing novel genetic susceptibility loci and enabling the creation of a new polygenic risk score associated with bladder cancer risk.
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After postponing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Society of Radiation Epidemiology and Dosimetry (ISoRED) had their first in-person meeting in 2023. Many scientists in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch presented at the meeting.
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Anika Haque and Dr. Meredith Shiels in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch analyzed cancer death rates across racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. during 2018-2020, revealing substantial differences between Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander individuals
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The theme of the symposium was "It Takes a Village - The multifaceted approach to ending cancer as we know it.” During day two, fellows participated in career roundtable sessions.
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An analysis led by Drs. Jacqueline B. Vo in the Radiation Epidemiology branch and Jaimie Z. Shing in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch revealed disparities in incidence rates of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers in Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations when disaggregated by race and ethnicity.
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The theme of the symposium was "It Takes a Village - The multifaceted approach to ending cancer as we know it.” Speakers included Drs. Meredith Shiels, Robert Winn, and Monica Bertagnolli. Day two of the symposium will take place later in May.
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As an engineering student, she studied how indoor building materials may contribute to indoor air pollution. Now she uses her training to discover how pesticides used outdoors may enter homes, particularly in agricultural areas.
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Brittany Lord, postdoctoral fellow in the Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch, was selected as one of three NIH Women Scientists Advisors (WSA) Scholars. She presented her research on breast cancer disparities at a symposium in April.
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Dr. Elizabeth M. Ward visited as a Distinguished Lecturer in Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology. She gave a lecture to the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch entitled “Overview of World Trade Center Exposures and Cancer Studies.” As part of her visit, she also met with individual investigators and groups to exchange ideas and participated in a round table discussion with OEEB fellows to discuss issues related to career advancement.
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Drs. Jonathan Hofmann and Vicky Chang, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, and colleagues, reported exposure-response relationships between urine glyphosate concentrations and increasing levels of two established urinary biomarkers of oxidative stress.
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Dr. Freedman, senior investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, will transition to Director of the Tobacco Control Research Branch (TCRB) in the NCI Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences.
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Postbaccalaureate fellows in DCEG presented scientific posters on their research at the 2023 NIH Postbac Poster Day, sponsored by the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education.
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The DCEG Intramural Research Awards are competitive funding opportunities designed to foster creative, high-impact research by fellows and tenure-track investigators.