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Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
June 16 , 2006 |
EGRP BULLETIN
From the Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute
This Bulletin brings you news about:
EGRP Staff News: Winn Named Acting Associate Director, Trapido
Named NCI Deputy Director for International Cancer Control, and More
 Deborah (Debbie) Winn, Ph.D., has been named Acting Associate
Director of the Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program (EGRP). She also
is Chief of EGRP’s Clinical and Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch
(CGERB), through which the Breast and Colon Cancer Family Registries, Cancer
Genetics Network, and numerous research consortia and individual research
projects are funded. Before joining EGRP in late 2000, she was a Senior
Investigator and Branch Chief for oral epidemiology for 8 years at the National
Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). Prior to that, she
worked at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For 5 of her 7 years there, she was
the Deputy Director of the Division of Health Interview Statistics, with
broad responsibilities for planning, implementing, and analyzing the National
Health Interview Survey.
Since joining EGRP in 2002, Dr. Winn has provided leadership for NCI’s
extramural epidemiology program in many ways. Hired for her expertise in
tobacco-related cancers, she soon assumed responsibility in senior management
roles more broadly advancing research in the arena of extramural cancer
epidemiology. In addition, Dr. Winn has led numerous cancer epidemiology
activities, including those focusing on public health and the development
of new technologies, tools, and resources for epidemiologists. For example,
she is co-chair of the Population Scientists Interest Group for caBIG, an
informatics infrastructure that will connect multidisciplinary teams of
researchers; former member of our Division of Cancer Control and Population
Sciences’ (DCCPS) Health Disparities Working Group; and NCI Program
Coordinator for the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP). She
has served as Acting Associate Director of EGRP once before.
This spring, Dr. Winn received the H. A. Tyroler Distinguished Alumni Award
from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The award recognizes
the contributions and accomplishments of graduates of the UNC Department
of Epidemiology for their scholarship and outstanding contributions to
public health. It is the highest
honor given by the department to its alumni.
 Ed
Trapido, Sc.D., formerly EGRP Associate Director, has
been named NCI Deputy Director for International Cancer Control in the
Office of International Affairs/Office of the NCI Deputy Director.
Dr. Trapido will direct NCI’s activities providing cancer control
expertise and resources to second- and third-economic tier countries.
He brings to the position knowledge of the breadth of NCI’s cancer
control resources, expertise in cancer epidemiology, and experience
in the application of cancer control research to public health.
Before joining NCI in 2002, Dr. Trapido was a principal investigator at
the University of Miami where he directed several major cancer control research
and education programs, including the Coastal NCI Cancer Information Service
(CIS), covering Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; the Florida
Cancer Data System; the Florida Comprehensive Cancer Control Initiative;
and the Southeast Region of Redes En Acción, which focuses
on Hispanic cancer prevention and control activities. He also was director
of the Tobacco Research and Evaluation Coordinating Center, and was a special
consultant to the Florida Tobacco Pilot Program, which has received national
acclaim for reducing teenage smoking.
 Paul Brennan, Ph.D., M.S., Head of the Genetic Epidemiology
Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France,
is a visiting scientist spending some time each month working in EGRP. Dr.
Brennan has a B.S. and an M.S. from the University of Leichester, a diploma
in Epidemiology from the Royal College of Physicians, and his Ph.D. in Genetic
Epidemiology from the University of Manchester. He is principal investigator
of many grants, has conducted international teaching courses and lectures,
and has co-authored numerous articles, book chapters, and letters. Dr. Brennan
is working at EGRP on best practices for consortia, follow-up activities
from the NCI Epidemiology Leadership
Workshop on understudied rare cancers,
and international cancer control and biorepository issues.
 Virginia (Ginny) Hartmuller, Ph.D., R.D.,
was named to the Hall of Fame of the University of Purdue’s Department
of Foods and Nutrition. The award honors alumni of the department who have
made a significant contribution to the varied field of foods and nutrition
and established a unique record in their work and life. Dr. Hartmuller is
a Program Director in EGRP’s Analytic Epidemiology Research Branch
(AERB). Among other honors, she was honored as the Maryland Outstanding
Dietitian of the Year and was made a Fellow of the American Dietetic Association
in 1995.
  Ms.
Ashley Dixon (left) and Ms. Priscilla Nez have
internships in EGRP this summer through NCI’s Introduction to Cancer
Research Careers (ICRC) Program. Ms. Dixon has a Postbaccalaureate
Certificate from Southern Illinois University in Medprep and will attend Loyola
Medical School in the fall. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Yale University
and licensure in Clinical Massage Therapy from the Soma Institute in Chicago.
Ms. Dixon is from the Chicago area. At EGRP, she is helping with a monograph
on cancer among Native Americans and on a diet, nutrition, and cancer poster.
 Ms. Nez holds a B.S. in Community Health with a minor
in Indigenous Health Studies from Northern Arizona University. She has worked
in a variety of science and health-care related positions, including biology
lab assistant, certified nursing assistant/rehabilitation aide, and research
assistant. Ms. Nez is from Flagstaff, Arizona. While at EGRP, she is helping
with the monograph on cancer among Native Americans and on some international
cancer control research issues.
Sheri Schully, Ph.D. (Dr. Schully is pictured lower left),
a Presidential Management Fellow, has been on a 6-month rotation in EGRP
working on the Cancer Family Registries. Dr. Schully also was selected
as a C-Change summer intern. C-Change is a national organization of cancer
leaders who have a shared vision of collaborating to conquer cancer,
and sponsors the internship program in an effort to build the cancer
workforce for the future. Dr. Schully was one of 13 interns chosen this
year. Former President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush are
co-chairs of the C-Change Board of Directors. This spring, Dr. Schully
was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet the Bushes and be recognized
at a C-Change meeting.
EGRP at Congress of Epidemiology, June 21-24, Seattle
The Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program (EGRP) is a sponsor of the 2006
Congress of Epidemiology, June 21–24, in Seattle, Washington,
and will be present in a variety of ways. Debbie Winn, Ph.D., EGRP Acting
Associate Director, (pictured above) will give welcoming remarks the evening
of Wednesday, June 21. In addition, come visit us at:
 7:30–8:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 21, Poster Session I — Shannon
Lynch, M.P.H., Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) Fellow, lead author,
will present the poster, “The Long Island Geographic Information System
(LI GIS).”
10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m., Thursday, June 22, Employer Recruiting (St.
Helens Room) — Come visit us and learn about
our job opportunities as Program
Directors and Cancer Research Training
Award (CRTA) Fellows.
1:00–3:00 p.m., Friday, June 23, symposium on “Research
in the Public Eye: The Long Island Breast Cancer Study and Research on
Gulf War Illness” — Dr. Winn is symposium co-chair
and will give the presentation “The Challenges of Uncovering
Causes of High Breast Cancer Rates in Geographic Regions: The Long Island
Breast Cancer Study.”
 Also
at the symposium, EGRP grantee Marilie
Gammon, Ph.D., of the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will present “Researchers, the Advocacy
Community, and the Public: Insights from the Study of Breast Cancer and
the Environment on Long Island.” Dr. Gammon was principal investigator
of the centerpiece case-control study of the Long Island Breast Cancer
Study Project (LIBCSP), which was funded by EGRP in collaboration with
the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and
of a follow-up study funded through our Division of Cancer Control and
Population Sciences’ (DCCPS)
Office of Cancer Survivorship.
12:00 noon–1:30 p.m., Saturday, June 23, Career Mentoring
Forum (by ticket only)—Dr. Winn is a participant.
6:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 21–Friday, June 23, EGRP exhibit (Grand
Ballroom)
Also attending the conference from EGRP are Isis Mikhail, M.D., M.P.H.,
Dr.P.H., Program Director; Sheri Schully, Ph.D., Presidential Management
Fellow; and Daniela Seminara, Ph.D., M.P.H., Program Director. You are
welcome to contact staff before the conference to make appointments to
meet at the Congress. See our Staff Web page for
contact information.
EGRP Job Openings
We have new positions open now for three Cancer Research Training Award
Fellows, and we repeat below the announcement we distributed earlier
about our search for two new Program Directors.
- Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA)
Fellows. We
are in search of three CRTA Fellows to work in its offices for a
year or perhaps longer. These positions are valuable training opportunities.
Positions are available for Associate Coordinators for the Breast
and Colon Cancer Family Registries (CFR) and the Cancer
Genetics Network (CGN) and for a writer/editor to serve as Associate Communications Coordinator
for EGRP. Candidates must meet the following basic qualifications for a
CRTA appointment: be a U.S. citizen or resident alien; be at least 16 years
of age, and depending on the position, have a bachelor’s or master’s
degree. For further requirements and information about the positions, see
the announcements on our Web site.
- Program Directors. We
also have immediate openings for two mid (2+ years) - to senior-level
epidemiologists. These are wonderful positions for the right epidemiologists.
The mid- to senior-level Program Director positions offer opportunities
to develop initiatives on the cutting-edge of cancer epidemiology,
responsibility for a rich portfolio of grant-supported research in
distinct areas of cancer epidemiology, protected time to conduct
research, opportunities for transdisciplinary collaboration, and
a scientifically energizing and collegial environment. Formal training
in epidemiology, a doctoral degree, and U.S. citizenship are required.
The positions will be advertised at the GS13/14 level; the pay range
is $77,353–$118,828.
For further information, please see the announcement on our Web site.
Visit us at the 2006 Congress of Epidemiology conference where
we will be participating in the recruitment service and will staff a table
on Thursday, June 22. (See above item about the Congress.) For individuals
who are not attending the Congress and are interested in the positions, you
are welcome to send a letter of interest and your CV to epimeeting@mail.nih.gov.
Seminara Available to Discuss Assistance for Epidemiology Consortia
 NCI sees consortia as providing unique opportunities for advancing cancer
epidemiology by virtue of the large sample size of study participants and
the synergy resulting from the interdisciplinary expertise of the membership.
The Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program (EGRP) has the following operating
definition for Consortium: “a group of scientists from multiple institutions
who have agreed to cooperative research efforts involving, but not limited
to, pooling of information from more than one population study for the purpose
of combined analyses. The consortia group is able to address scientific questions,
which cannot otherwise be addressed through the effort of a team of investigators
at a single institution, due to scope, resources, population size, and the
need for an interdisciplinary approach.” The cooperation usually involves
multiple projects over an extended period of time. Groups participating in
a consortium may partner in the writing of research grants applications,
but consortia activities are not limited to a specific grant/project.
Our Division of Cancer Control and Population
Sciences (DCCPS) is committed
to fostering consortia from their initial formative stage through all
phases of development. Evaluation of existing consortia also is performed
by EGRP. The creation of a consortium is independent from funding mechanisms
and does not indicate definite funding support; however, there are
support activities and tools provided by EGRP and its program staff
for conceptualizing, emerging, and established consortia. See
specifics on types of assistance available.
The EGRP contact is Daniela Seminara, Ph.D., M.P.H.; tel.: 301-594-7347;
fax: 301-435-5477; e-mail: seminard@mail.nih.gov.
NIH Small Business Grants Programs Conference, July 13, Cleveland
NIH will hold its 8th Annual NIH Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Programs
conference on Thursday, July 13, in Cleveland, Ohio.
The conference is cosponsored by BioEnterprise and the Ohio Department
of Development. This 2-day meeting will provide a comprehensive overview
of the NIH SBIR/STTR Programs. Funding opportunities for small companies
with innovative biomedical and behavioral research ideas with commercial
potential will be discussed. Program, review, and grants management staff
will be available for one-on-one discussions. This conference will benefit
those who are relatively new to the SBIR/STTR Programs as well as those
who are more experienced.
 Of
interest to EGRP is the development of tools for assessment of exposures
and biomarkers, and tools for cancer epidemiology studies. Access EGRP’s Small
Business Grants page for further information on our interests in these
areas. Access
the agenda, registration,
and other
conference information. Early
registration is encouraged as space is limited.
EGRP Program Director for Small Business Grants is Jay Choudhry,
M.S., tel.:
301-435-6613;
E-mail: choudhrj@mail.nih.gov
 NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts Notice, NOT-OD-06-072
Input Sought on Undertaking Large U.S. Population Cohort Project
on Genes, Environment, and Disease
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s
Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society (SACGHS) is seeking
public input on a draft report, Policy Issues Associated with Undertaking
a Large U.S. Population Cohort Project on Genes, Environment, and Disease.
Comments should be submitted by close of business Monday, July 31,
2006, in order to be considered in the development of the final
report.
SACGHS was established by HHS to serve as a public forum for deliberations
on the broad range of human health and societal issues raised by the development
and use of genetic and genomic technologies and, as warranted, to provide
advice on these issues. The draft report focuses on preliminary and intermediate
questions, steps, and strategies in five areas that should be addressed before
an informed decision can be made about whether the United States should undertake
a large population cohort project on the interaction of genes, environment,
and disease. These five areas are: research policy, research logistics, regulatory
and ethical issues, public health implications of research results, and social
implications of research results. The report also identifies options for
how these issues might be addressed.
Comments on any aspect of the draft report are welcome. In particular, the
Committee would appreciate the public’s assessment of whether: 1) The
policy issues identified in the draft report are appropriately focused; 2)
Any policy issues have been overlooked; and 3) The issues are organized in
appropriate categories and addressed in such a way as to give policymakers
sufficient understanding of why the issue is important. In addition, the
Committee would value feedback on the sections of the draft report that discuss
the importance of public engagement and the mechanisms that could be employed
to achieve such engagement.
Address comments to Reed V. Tuckson, M.D., SACGHS Chair, and send them to
Ms. Amita Mehrotra at mehrotraa@od.nih.gov.
Additional ways to provide
input are in the NIH Guide Notice, NOT-OD-06-073.
Fact Sheet on Public Use Data Resources Funded by DCCPS
A new fact sheet summarizing the many research resources supported by our
Division of Cancer Control and
Population Sciences (DCCPS) and available
to investigators can be downloaded from our Web site. (PDF) These
resources include products of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results
(SEER) Program, SEER-Medicare Datasets, National Health Interview Survey
Cancer Control Topical Module (NHIS), California Health Interview Survey
(CHIS), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Tobacco
Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS), Health Information
National Trends Survey (HINTS), Cancer Survivor Prevalence Data, Cancer
Control PLANET, Cancer Trends Progress Report, and EGRP’s research
resources: Breast and Colon Cancer Family
Registries (CFR), Cancer
Genetics Network (CGN), and Geographic
Information System for Breast Cancer Studies on Long Island (LI GIS).
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