2024 - News Updates
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Dr. Rabkin retired from the National Cancer Institute after 35 years of service. He received Public Health Service and Unit Commendation Medals for his studies of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma and the Outstanding Service Medal for the molecular epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori and HIV-related malignancies.
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Michael Sargen, M.D., has been promoted to Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, a tenure-track position in the Clinical Genetics Branch in December 2024. He is an expert in the clinical, histopathologic, and genetic characteristics of melanoma-prone families. He also uses epidemiologic and molecular approaches to investigate risk factors for sebaceous carcinoma and other rare cutaneous malignancies in children and adults.
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The objectives of the meeting, organized by the NIH Hispanic Health Research Scientific Interest Group, were to learn about existing research projects across the NIH and to promote trans-NIH research collaborations to address health disparities and inequities among Hispanic/Latino populations.
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In December, Dr. Constanza Camargo was awarded scientific tenure by the NIH and promoted to senior investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch (MEB). Dr. Camargo is an internationally recognized expert on the epidemiology of gastric cancer, an understudied malignancy with high mortality coupled with substantial economic and social costs.
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Dr. Patricia Ganz presented an overview of her research investigating long-term and late effects of treatment for breast cancer in a talk entitled, “‘Not Just Tired’: The Biology of Fatigue and Cognitive Changes after Breast Cancer Treatment.” She then met with DCEG scientists at all levels to talk about opportunities, challenges, and strategic approaches to survivorship research.
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The new web-based tool, developed by Dr. Eric Engels and colleagues, provides estimates that a colorectal cancer patient will not die from their cancer in the next five years, calculated both at the time of their cancer diagnosis and updated to accommodate the passage of time since their cancer diagnosis. The authors illustrate how these probabilities can inform organ transplant guidelines and help clinicians decide when it is safe to offer a transplant for individual patients with a history of colorectal cancer.
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Drs. Emily Pearce, Jessica Scales, and Isabelle van der Velpen were selected for the 2025 Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fellowship program. The program prepares female postdoctoral fellows for the transition to independent biomedical research careers through mentoring and networking opportunities, and seminars and workshops designed to strengthen leadership, time management, and self-promotional skills.
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A new ancestry-adjusted risk prediction model, Genomic-informed Care for Motivating High Risk Individuals Eligible for Evidence-based Prevention (GREAT), may aid patients in decision-making around lung cancer prevention. The model and its performance are described in a paper published November 8, 2024, in the journal eBioMedicine.
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Aimée Kreimer and fellow guest editors published, “State of the Science of Single-Dose Prophylactic HPV Vaccination,” a Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monograph comprised of 13 studies which together update the state of the science on single-dose HPV vaccination since World Health Organization’s recommendation in 2022 of an alternative single-dose schedule.
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A new study by Dr. Eleanor Watts and investigators in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch explores how physical activity influences metabolic pathways and how these changes might lower breast cancer risk. Higher physical activity was associated with a broad range of metabolic adaptations, highlighting potential role of fatty acid metabolism in breast cancer prevention.
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Dr. Ward retired on October 31, 2024, after 30 years of federal service. She investigated environmental and occupational causes of cancer, with special emphasis on drinking water contaminants, pesticides, and other chemicals in relation to the etiology of childhood leukemia, gastrointestinal cancers, and thyroid cancer.
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Dr. Stephen Chanock, director of DCEG, was elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine on October 21, 2024 during their annual meeting.
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Tawnjerae Joe and Douglas Monroe are the 2024 incoming NCI Intramural Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (iCURE) Program Scholars.
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The 2024 NCI Principal Investigators Retreat gathered principal investigators from the two intramural divisions of NCI, Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics and the Center for Cancer Research. The retreat was held at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, on October 15, 2024.
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The 2025 DCEG Fellows' Award for Research Excellence (DFARE) recognizes the outstanding scientific research performed by DCEG fellows and provides funding for travel to scientific meetings or conferences.
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Dr. Rena Jones was awarded scientific tenure by the NIH and promoted to senior investigator in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch in October 2024. She studies the effects of environmental exposures on cancer risk.
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Tongwu Zhang, Batel Blechter, Thong Luong, and Maya Spaur received 2025 NCI Director’s Intramural Innovation Awards, which support the development of highly innovative approaches and technology aimed at significant cancer–related problems.
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A multidisciplinary panel of experts, convened by the Children’s Oncology Group, has published consensus guidelines for diagnostic evaluation and surgical management of pediatric melanocytic tumors.
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In the summer of 2024, 30 interns from 11 states and the District of Columbia, came to do research in every branch of DCEG as well as in the Trans-Divisional Research Program.
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Fellows are an integral part of the interdisciplinary teams conducting cutting-edge research in DCEG. Continually recruiting and training talented fellows is vital for optimizing the Division’s workforce. In early 2024, DCEG published four videos outlining some of the Division’s values and the advantages a DCEG fellowship offers, as expressed by fellows, investigators, and Division’s Office of Education staff.