Linkage Newsletter - News Updates
Linkage is the newsletter from the NCI Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), highlighting the latest research from the DCEG, longer-format articles that go in-depth on a specific topic, staff and fellowship news, the latest job openings, Q&As with former fellows, and the Inclusivity Minute, written by DCEG fellows. Issues are delivered to your inbox at the beginning of March, July, and November.
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Beyond the Signature: Exposing Mutational Patterns of Cancer
Mutational signature analysis is a powerful tool for natural history and etiologic studies and could identify high-risk populations that may benefit from tailored screening, treatment, and prevention strategies. DCEG scientists seek to uncover the relationship between these unique signature patterns and the internal processes or external exposures that caused a tumor to develop.
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COVID-19 Research: Cancer Screening, Mosaicism and Infection, Seroprevalence Data Visualization
Cancer screening in the context of the pandemic, clinical validation of SARS-CoV-2 assays, genetic mosaicism and respiratory infection risk, seroprevalence data visualization tools, and more. Learn about the latest research on SARS-COV-2 with DCEG.
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Director’s Update: Welcoming New Leaders to the NCI
Dr. Stephen Chanock welcomes the newest director-level scientist to NCI, Dr. Katrina Goddard, and reflects on DCEG’s participation in numerous collaborations across the NCI divisions which have yielded research innovations and foundational resources.
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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.
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2021 Intramural Research Awards
DCEG Intramural Research Awards are competitive funding opportunities designed to foster creative, high-impact research by fellows and tenure-track investigators.
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Strategic Plan Outlines Research Priorities
The five-year strategic plan outlines the critical elements to evaluate emerging exposures, including novel biomarkers, employing cutting-edge exposure assessment for a research program that utilizes the full potential of new analytic technologies and data sources. A key focus is a research program that reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. population.
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Building A Robust Community for Fellows in the COVID-19 Era
Jackie Lavigne, Ph.D., Diane Wigfield, and Cara Murray of the Office of Education have supported fellows during the work-from-home order. They have bridged the distance inflicted by COVID-19 through virtual events, on-line and telephone support, providing virtual professional development workshops, and more.
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COVID-19 Research Across the Division: DCEG Experts Address the Pandemic
Investigators have uncovered important differences in mortality patterns over the course of the pandemic, identified a novel isoform of ACE2, launched a hub to monitor seroprevalence, evaluated risks for cancer patients, and possible late effects of COVID-19, and more.
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Mentorship at DCEG: A Tradition of Excellence
Over the years, DCEG has trained hundreds of epidemiologists who have contributed to advancements in public health. Investing in mentorship and training has been essential to the Division’s success and longevity as a premier research program of cancer epidemiology and genetics. Past and present mentor-mentee pairs describe their training and mentoring experience at DCEG.
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The Training Experience at DCEG
DCEG prides itself as an optimal training environment for those interested in conducting research in cancer epidemiology by championing innovative opportunities to obtain integrated scientific and career training. 10 current fellows share their training experience in DCEG.
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Laboratories Move to NCI Shady Grove Campus, Unifying DCEG
The Laboratory of Translational Genomics, the Laboratory of Genetic Susceptibility, and the Cancer Genomics Research Laboratory joined the rest of the Division staff as occupants of a new constructed state of the art laboratory and staff building at Shady Grove.
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Branch Profile: Biostatistics
Underpinning nearly every research study conducted by DCEG is a collaboration with investigators in the Biostatistics Branch (BB). While highly trained and experienced epidemiologists can and do design their own analytic plans and calculate statistical power and other parameters, biostatisticians in BB ensure the statistical validity and strength of all DCEG research while actively engaging in the development of novel methods and tools.
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Allen Wilcox Delivers 2020 Wacholder Lecture
Dr. Wilcox, Scientist Emeritus in the Epidemiology Branch, Reproductive Epidemiology Group at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences delivered the Sholom Wacholder Distinguished Lecture on The Cost of False-Positive Results: A Personal History.
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Jennifer Loud Retires after 27 Years of Service to the NCI
Jennifer Loud, adult nurse practitioner and assistant chief in the Clinical Genetics Branch, retired after 27 years of NCI service.
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2020 Fellows' Symposium Focused on Research in Underrepresented Populations
The twelfth annual DCEG Fellows’ Symposium was held virtually on July 2, 2020. The theme for this year was “Mine the Gap: Research in Underrepresented Populations,” and explored the challenges in health disparities among underrepresented populations and the role of research in closing the gap.
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Robert Hoover Retires Leaving a Legacy of Cancer Epidemiology Research
In June 2020, Dr. Robert Hoover, Director of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics program, retired from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics after a remarkable 48 years of service to the National Cancer Institute.
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Retrospective on the Informatics Tool Challenge: Driving Innovation and Creativity at DCEG
The Informatics Tool Challenge, launched in 2014, provides a unique, supplementary funding source for DCEG researchers seeking to create novel tools to enhance data collection, analysis, and other avenues of investigation. A sampling of tools that illustrate the growth and success of the Challenge are described.
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Understanding the Role of Physical Activity, Obesity, and Diet in Cancer: Profile of Tenure-track Investigator Steven Moore
Steven C. Moore, Ph.D., M.P.H., has built a multidisciplinary research program in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch focused on understanding the contributions of physical activity, obesity, and diet to human cancer and overall health.
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Progress Assessing Cancer Risk Using Clinical Practice Research Datalink
DCEG scientists use data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink to investigate risk factors and exposures that may contribute to cancer risk, ranging from medication usage to genetic cancer predisposition.
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Elizabeth Platz Delivers Seminar on Trans-Disciplinary Epidemiology Research on Prostate Cancer
Elizabeth Platz, Sc.D., Deputy Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, spent two days at DCEG as a Visiting Scholar in December 2019. Learn more about her visit.