Cancer Prevention & Control Research Program

The mission of the Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC) Research Program is to conduct exceptional cancer prevention and control research in the YCC catchment area of Connecticut and beyond that informs policy, guides clinical practice, and drives quality care. The CPC mission is aligned with and in support of the YCC Strategic Plan’s mission to conduct impactful research and translate findings into improved prevention and treatment, with a focus on the cancer burdens in Connecticut. Xiaomei Ma, PhD, and Michaela Dinan, PhD co-lead CPC. Together, X Ma and Dinan facilitate the collaboration of CPC members with members from other Research Programs and Clinical Research Teams (CRTs) with the goal of stimulating transdisciplinary research that will impact cancer risk and mortality rates within and beyond the State of Connecticut. There are 42 CPC members, with primary appointments in 9 departments across three schools. CPC has a strong program-wide emphasis on conducting impactful research in YCC cross-cutting themes of obesity, tobacco control, and early-onset cancer. Of the four priority cancers established in the YCC Strategic Plan, CPC members have strong programs of research that align with each of these disease areas – breast, prostate, lung, and liver cancers. However, CPC members’ research also extends beyond these priority cancers into many additional areas of expertise, often collaborating with other YCC research programs. CPC is closely aligned with COE, with many CPC members playing key roles within COE, allowing for optimal integration of the community voice into CPC’s research. CPC is also actively engaged with CRTEC with CPC members leading two T32 grants, mentoring recipients of multiple F and K career development awards and leading a nationally recognized NCI R25 training course in transdisciplinary research in energetics and cancer. CPC members published 616 papers during this award period, 18% in high impact journals, with inter-programmatic (29%) and intra-programmatic (25%) collaborations demonstrating interactions among CPC members within the Program, as well as with YCC members in other Programs. Total cancer-related funding is $10.5M (annual direct costs), including $8.4M in peer-reviewed funding, of which $2.9M is from NCI. CI.