Population Sciences

PROJECT SUMMARY (ABSTRACT) The overall goal of the Population Sciences (PS) Program is to reduce and prevent morbidity and mortality associated with cancer and its treatment, particularly among those in our catchment area, and to improve patients' quality of life. Our aims span the cancer continuum from primary prevention to epidemiological research on cancer risk relationships, and factors that influence cancer treatment outcomes which can be intervened upon to improve survivorship. Reducing cancer burden is a common cross-cutting element to each aim. Our aims are aligned with the Center's mission to eliminate cancer's grip on humanity through cancer research, cancer treatment, cancer prevention and cancer education. To address these goals, our research is driven by three specific aims: 1) to prevent cancer by intervening on modifiable risk factors, especially the burden of tobacco-related cancers, at the individual, regional, national, and global levels; 2) to understand cancer risk relationships, particularly at the molecular level and in populations; and 3) to investigate factors that influence cancer treatment outcomes and survivorship for insights into interventions to improve survival and enhance quality of life in our patients. The PS program continues to be co-led by Drs. Christine Ambrosone, and Andrew Hyland, who have complementary expertise that bridge these aims. Cutting-edge science includes studies in each of our aims that are policy impactful, practice changing, and paradigm shifting. Population Sciences members actively collaborate within and across the CCSG programs. We work closely with the Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) Office in all facets of the research process, including shaping the research direction of the program based on feedback from the Community Advisory Board, working together for study recruitment through the `ROCKstars' program, collecting surveillance and evaluation data in the community for needs assessments and tracking outcomes, and sharing research results with the community. Our members are actively engaged in Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC), providing training experiences for trainees at all levels, and participating in faculty training and career development programs provided by the CRTEC. The 38 members of the PS Program have $13.9M in peer-reviewed funding in 2023 (>3-fold increase from $3.8M in 2018) including $11.1M from NCI (also >3-fold increase from $3.0M in 2018), 15 large teams science grants, and 37 R01-type grants. Of the 965 publications since 2018, 22% were published in high-impact journals, 34% inter-programmatic, 33% intra-programmatic, and 53% collaborative with investigators at other institutions. In the coming cycle, PS members will continue to build upon their strengths and to expand into areas where there are current gaps with a goal to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality, particularly in our catchment area.