Ongoing Global Health Projects

Developing International Definitions and Standards

Kathy Cronin, Serban Negoita, Sarah Hussey, and Esmeralda Ramirez-Pena continued to meet with National Cancer Registration Service, Public Health England, UK, and the Cancer Surveillance Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to set up an international workgroup to develop and adopt international definitions and standards for cancer recurrence in the context of surveillance activities.

Global Health Research and Training Initiatives

Training in Cancer Registry Systems and Surveillance Research

In coordination with the DCTD Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM), Brenda Edwards worked with senior staff in the SRP-SEER Program (Kathy Cronin, Serban Negoita, Angela Mariotto, Nadia Howlader, Goncalo Forjaz, and Peggy Adamo), August 26 – September 12, 2019, to provide training in cancer registry systems and surveillance research. A delegation of 12 clinicians practice traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in various hospitals and academic centers in China and were funded by their respective TCM health system institutions. The delegation visited the SEER registry in New Orleans, LA, for an in-depth orientation, as well as in Atlanta, GA, where they also had presentations from the CDC registry program and the American Cancer Society. Virtual presentations by OCCAM grantees were part of the training experience.

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Noteworthy Reports

WHO TobReg Report on the Scientific Basis of Tobacco Product Regulation

Mirjana Djordjevic is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReG), which recently published its newest report, Report on the Scientific Basis of Tobacco Product Regulation: Seventh Report of a WHO Study Group . This report presents the conclusions and recommendations of the WHO TobReG from its ninth meeting in December 2017. Discussions addressed priorities in science and regulation of novel and emerging products, conventional tobacco products, and requests from the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

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Meeting Reports

12th International Conference on Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle Wasting

Joanne Elena attended the 12th International Conference on Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle Wasting in Berlin, Germany, on December 6-8, 2019. The conference was sponsored by the Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia, and Wasting Disorders , which seeks to further research on cachexia and sarcopenia and wasting disorders and bring practical solutions to health care teams worldwide grappling with treatment.

French National Cancer Institute Visit to NCI

Carolyn Reyes-Guzman helped coordinate a visit from the French National Cancer Institute (Institut National Du Cancer, or INCa) on November 18-21, 2019. Thomas Dubois (Head of the International Affairs Department), Alain Eychene (Director of Research), and Jérôme Foucaud (Head of the Social & Humanities Sciences, Epidemiology, and Public Health Department) presented a seminar, “France's commitment to cancer research: future strategic orientations,” to NCI, and met with members of DCCPS, as well as DCP, CGH, and DCEG, and other NIH ICs. NCI and INCa plan to co-host a workshop in France on tobacco use, co-occurring risk behaviors, and related health inequalities in late 2020.

Joint I4C-CLIC Meeting

Somdat Mahabir attended the joint International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium (I4C) and Childhood Leukemia International Consortium (CLIC) meeting, as well as the individual I4C and CLIC meetings at the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) in Lyon, France, from November 18-20, 2019. At the meeting, Somdat chaired a session on “Global strategies to prevent and control childhood cancer.” I4C and CLIC are the two major organizations focused on childhood cancer etiology research. He also participated in a panel discussion on “Vitamins and diet,” which was focused on innovative use of biological samples to supplement questionnaire data, as well as strategies for I4C (prospective cohort consortium) to reproduce results from CLIC (case-control consortium).

60th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society

Todd Horowitz and Melissa Trevino attended the 60th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society on November 14-17, 2019, in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Drs. Horowitz and Trevino presented on their study testing various modalities and their impact on radiologists’ perceptual gist in multiparametric MRI of the prostate. Dr. Horowitz also gave a presentation, “Re-examining TMT performance costs using the Milo Task.” Additionally, Melissa Trevino presented at the Object Perception, visual Attention, and visual Memory (OPAM) Conference on November 14, a forum held in conjunction with the Psychonomic Society conference that highlights the work of early-career scientists. Dr. Trevino gave a presentation on bridging cognitive and neuropsychological measures in cognition research.

Childhood Obesity Prevention Across Borders: US-Latin American Research Collaboration Meeting

Susan Czajkowski and David Berrigan participated in the NIH Fogarty International Center meeting, Childhood Obesity Prevention Across Borders: US-Latin American Research Collaboration, on November 13-14, 2019, on the NIH campus. The purpose of the scientific meeting was to support the development of new collaborative research partnerships between US and Latin American investigators. Dr. Czajkowski participated in a panel that showcased institute priorities in the area of childhood obesity research in Latin American populations. Dr. Berrigan is on a writing group that will develop a paper on measurement issues that resulted from the meeting.

AORTIC International Conference in Cancer

Mark Parascandola participated in the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) International Conference in Cancer , held November 4-7, 2019, in Maputo, Mozambique. He organized a pre-conference workshop, Networks for Tobacco Control Research in Africa, which aimed to identify opportunities to strengthen tobacco control collaborations in Africa to lead to greater impact on cancer control. This workshop was presented jointly by NCI, the African Tobacco Control Alliance, and the Center for Tobacco Control in Africa. Dr. Parascandola also moderated a roundtable discussion of research and training opportunities at NCI and presented the results of a network analysis highlighting collaborations and current efforts of tobacco control researchers and practitioners in Africa during a poster session.

International Consensus Meeting and Annual Congress on Pediatric Cancer Topics

Lynne Penberthy went to Lyon, France, October 22-26, 2019, for the 2nd International Consensus Meeting on Pediatric Staging for Cancer Staging for Cancer Registries at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) on October 22 and the 51st Annual Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology , held October 23-26.

APEC Regional Workshop on Lung Cancer Prevention and Control

Mark Parascandola participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Regional Workshop on Lung Cancer Prevention and Control, hosted by the China National Cancer Center in Beijing, on October 22-23, 2019. Dr. Parascandola gave a presentation on the evidence for population-level interventions for tobacco cessation as part of a panel on tobacco control and lung cancer. APEC countries represented included China, the US, Russia, Mexico, Chile, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Philippines, and Indonesia. WHO representatives were also present from the Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) and from IARC. A summary report and documentation from the meeting will be posted online at www.apecbeijing-2019.com .

11th World Congress on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Somdat Mahabir attended the 11th World Congress on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) in Melbourne, Australia, October 20-23, 2019. DOHaD is the premier international scientific body of researchers investigating early-life exposures and events in health and disease in children and adults. DOHaD has also extended its scope to cancer research. At the meeting, Dr. Mahabir discussed NIH efforts to advance research focused on early-life factors and cancer etiology and highlighted current applicable funding opportunities. He also had extensive discussions with Melissa Wake, who is the initiator and Scientific Director of the new Generation Victoria (Gen V) cohort of mothers and babies. The goal is to recruit 160,000 subjects, with plans for long-term follow-up. Dr. Mahabir learned about GenV’s innovative method development, recruitment, and follow-up, and plans for national and international collaborations.

African Caribbean Cancer Consortium (AC3) Meeting

Damali Martin attended the African Caribbean Cancer Consortium (AC3) meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, on October 10-12, 2019. She presented on several topics related to NIH grantsmanship procedures and policies, including standard forms needed for NIH research grants, the grants submission process, and the NIH Data Sharing Policy.

31st Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology

Gary Ellison and Gabriel Lai attended the 31st Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) on August 25-28, 2019, in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together academic and government scientists, public health professionals, industry representatives, and representatives of international stakeholders such as the World Health Organization and European Union to discuss issues, disciplines, and methods constituting environmental epidemiological research. Drs. Ellison and Lai met with grantees associated with the NIH Global Environmental and Occupational Health (GEOHealth initiative) and provided guidance on environmentally relevant research initiatives.

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