Workshop to Facilitate Cancer Systems Epidemiology Research

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Overview
Purpose
Agenda & Links to Presentations
Workshop Summary
Planning Committee
Contact

Overview

The availability of high throughput -omic technologies, novel devices for exposure assessment, and electronic medical records have the potential to facilitate a more comprehensive study of risk factors contributing to development of and outcomes from cancer.

Despite individual successes at identifying genetic, biological, and environmental risk factors for cancer, much of the etiology remains unexplained. This may be due in part to the limited focus of many studies on a single or small set of risk factors or data types (i.e. measures such as DNA sequence, methylation data, variables from questionnaires). Moreover, many studies fail to consider the complexities and interrelations among multiple risk factors and associated outcomes. For example, each individual risk factor, such as a single dietary component or genetic polymorphism, occurs in a broader biological (e.g. pathways) or societal (e.g. individual in social network) context which could modulate the effect of individual risk factors on disease. Further, many risk factors for disease can be highly correlated with possible interactive, synergistic, or attenuating effects. Importantly, risk factors can change over time.

Cancer Systems Epidemiology Insights and Future Opportunities

A collection of seven papers that highlight findings based on systems epidemiology approaches and opportunities for the future. This collection stems from discussions during NCI’s 2019 Workshop.

View Collection

A more comprehensive, systems modeling based type of approach, which accounts for multiple dimensions, integration of diverse data types, and changes over time, is needed to better understand contributors to disease and treatment outcomes and provide clues for improved intervention.

Purpose

The objective of this workshop was to facilitate interdisciplinary discussion about the application of systems modeling approaches for population-based cancer epidemiology research. By bringing together scientists from various fields that use systems modeling the workshop aimed to:

Identify ideas and strategies to improve understanding of systems modeling among population scientists and epidemiology amongst modelers;
Share lessons learned in the application of systems approaches from other fields (e.g. cancer biology)
Identify of potential high-impact use cases for systems modeling in population science;
Increase understanding of potential barriers and facilitators to taking a system modeling approach in population science (including dataset availabilities, data and methods needs)
Establish new collaborative interdisciplinary relationships between statisticians, mathematicians, computer scientists, bioinformaticians, epidemiologists, and clinicians.

Agenda & Links to Presentations

View agenda for February 28, 2019

Thursday, February 28	Topic
9:00 a.m.	Welcome Kathy J. Helzlsouer, MD, MHS Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), NCI
9:15 a.m.	Introduction to the Meeting Leah E. Mechanic, PhD, MPH DCCPS, NCI
9:35 a.m.	State of the Science Systems Epidemiology: Definitions, Applications, and Common Misconceptions Bruce Y. Lee, MD Johns Hopkins University Group Discussion Moderator: Leah Mechanic, PhD, MPH DCCPS, NCI Elizabeth M. Gillanders, PhD DCCPS, NCI
10:40 a.m.	Break
11:00 a.m.	Successes and Challenges in Systems Modeling (Session I) What Can We Learn from the NIH Obesity Modeling Network – Envision? Patricia Mabry, PhD Health Partners Institute Systems Approach to Distinguish Aggressive Cancer vs. Benign Breast Lesions: Opportunities and Challenges Victoria L. Seewaldt, MD City of Hope Successes and Challenges to Population Modeling of Breast Cancer in the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET) Amy Trentham-Dietz, PhD University of Wisconsin Panel and Group Discussion Moderators: Jill Reedy, PhD, MPH, RD DCCPS, NCI Marissa Shams-White, PhD, LAc, MPH DCCPS, NCI
12:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:30 p.m.	Successes and Challenges in Systems Modeling (Session II) Using SEER Data to Develop Synthetic Cancer Trajectories that Enable Cancer Research Sarah E. Michalak, PhD Los Alamos National Laboratory Challenges and Considerations for Synthetic Data: A Study based on SEER Population Ana Paula Sales, PhD Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Nucleotides to Neighborhoods – Integrating Complex Spatial, Behavioral, and Multi-omits Data Marta Jankowska, PhD University of California at San Diego Panel and Group Discussion Moderator: Gabriel Lai, PhD DCCPS, NCI Brionna Hair, PhD, MPH DCCPS, NCI
3:00 p.m.	Break
3:20 p.m.	Successes and Challenges in Systems Modeling (Session III) Collaborative Science through Collaborative Software Danielle Ciofani, BS Broad Institute Systems Approach to Risk Score Prediction in Epidemiology John Witte, PhD University of California San Francisco Learning to Impute Methylome Signatures and Environmental Measures into Biobanks Nancy J. Cox, PhD Vanderbilt University Medical Center *Panel and Group Discussion* Moderators: Melissa Rotunno, PhD DCCPS, NCI Rolando Barajas, MPH DCCPS, NCI
4:50 p.m.	Dissemination and Implementation of Systems Modeling: How can these methods be applied? How can methods be interpreted and translated? Stacy Lindau, MD, MA University of Chicago Nico Pronk, PhD, MA Health Partners Institute Amy Trentham-Dietz, PhD University of Wisconsin Panel and Group Discussion Moderator: Patricia Mabry, PhD Health Partners Institute Marissa Shams-White, PhD, LAc, MPH DCCPS, NCI
5:40 p.m.	Adjourn

View agenda for March 1, 2019

Friday, March 1	Topic
8:30 a.m.	Introduction and Charge for Day 2 Jill Reedy, PhD, MPH, RD DCCPS, NCI
8:40 a.m.	Perspectives: What is the Ideal Future for Modeling in Epidemiological Studies (Panel Discussion) Bruce Y. Lee, MD Johns Hopkins University Chirag Patel, PhD Harvard Medical School Sylvia Plevritis, PhD Stanford Medicine Marylyn D. Ritchie, PhD University of Pennsylvania Panel and Group Discussion Moderator: Elizabeth M. Gillanders, PhD DCCPS, NCI Leah E. Mechanic, PhD, MPH DCCPS, NCI
9:25 a.m.	Break/Travel to Discussion Groups
9:40 a.m.	Discussion Sessions Group 1: Facilitators and Barriers to Success Moderator: Robert A. Hiatt, MD, PhD University of California San Francisco Group 2: Opportunities for Systems Epidemiology Moderator: Frank Hu, MD, PhD Harvard University Group 3: Approaches and Methods Moderator: Lisa M. Klesges, PhD University of Memphis Group 4: Data Availability Moderator: Chris Amos, PhD Baylor College of Medicine Discussion Groups Summarize and Identify Priorities for Reporting
11:10 a.m.	Break
11:30 a.m.	Report Back and Group Discussion for Each Topic
12:50 p.m.	Next Steps and Action Items Elizabeth M. Gillanders, PhD DCCPS, NCI
1:00 p.m.	Adjourn

Workshop Summary

Barajas R, Hair B, Lai G, et al. Facilitating Cancer Systems Epidemiology Research . PLoS One. 2021 Dec 31;16(12):e0255328.

Planning Committee

NCI Staff

Elizabeth M. Gillanders, PhD, Genomic Epidemiology Branch, Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program (EGRP), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS)
Brionna Hair, PhD, MPH, Office of the Director, DCCPS
Gabriel Lai, PhD, Environmental Epidemiology Branch, EGRP, DCCPS
Leah Mechanic, PhD, MPH, Genomic Epidemiology Branch, EGRP, DCCPS
Jill Reedy, PhD, MPH, RD, Risk Factor Assessment Branch, EGRP, DCCPS
Melissa Rotunno, PhD, Genomic Epidemiology Branch, EGRP, DCCPS
Marissa Shams-White, PhD, LAc, MPH, Risk Factor Assessment Branch, EGRP, DCCPS

External Members

Bruce Y. Lee, MD, Bloomberg School of Public Health and Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University
Chirag Patel, PhD , Harvard Medical School
Marylyn D. Ritchie, PhD , Center for Translational Bioinformatics and Penn Center for Precision Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Sylvia K. Plevritis, PhD , Stanford School of Medicine

Contact

Questions about this Workshop can be directed to Leah Mechanic, PhD, MPH, Genomic Epidemiology Branch, EGRP.

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Last Updated: 08 Jun, 2023