Global Health Research and Training Initiatives

Notice of Special Interest on Dissemination and Implementation Science Recently Released

DCCPS and the NCI Center for Global Health recently published a Notice of Special Interest, Dissemination and Implementation Science for Cancer Prevention and Control in Low-resource Environments (NOT-CA-20-025), to encourage applications that propose dissemination and implementation research to adapt and scale-up evidence-based cancer prevention and control interventions for population groups in low- and middle-income countries or low-resource settings. Proposed studies should focus on implementation in real-life settings that make interventions accessible, affordable, and equitable to improve prevention and early diagnosis of cancer. The notice aligns with the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) 2020 Cancer Call, and funded investigators will be invited to participate in the GACD network.

Data Quality and Cancer Registry Reporting for Caribbean Cancer Registries

The 2-day workshop on Data Quality and Cancer Registry Reporting for Caribbean Cancer Registries planned by the CARPHA Caribbean Hub during the, now cancelled, NAACCR 2020 Annual Conference (Philadelphia, PA in June 23-25, 2020) is being transformed into a series of virtual sessions. The (limited) goal of shifting from the CARPHA in-person training to virtual training materials is to initiate availability of relevant training materials for the Caribbean countries.

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Meeting Reports

Use of Wearable and Implantable Devices in Health Research

Rick Troiano participated in the Workshop on Use of Wearable and Implantable Devices in Health Research, held February 23-28, 2020, at the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The workshop brought together statisticians, mathematicians, clinicians, and data scientists to tackle emerging and existing problems in health research using wearable and implantable devices. Dr. Troiano presented on the accelerometer data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and co-chaired a subgroup on large public accelerometer databases.

Frontiers in Biochemistry and Biotechnology: Strategies to Combat Human Diseases

The International Conference on “Frontiers in Biochemistry and Biotechnology: Strategies to Combat Human Diseases,” was held on February 12-13, 2020, in Delhi, India. The conference brought scientists, teachers, and students together from around the world to discuss scientific advancements that could impact interventions for various debilitating human diseases--including cancer--ranging from a mechanistic understanding to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and eradication. The conference covered disciplines in biochemistry, epidemiology, molecular biology, cell biology, proteomics, structural biology, clinical biochemistry, drug discovery and design, biotechnology, and related fields. At the conference, Mukesh Verma gave a talk titled “Controlling cancer by epigenetics: Are we ready for the prime time?”, which discussed technological developments in epigenetics and how epigenetic approaches can be applied to understanding the etiology and control of cancer.

Visits with Research Institutes in Delhi, India

Mukesh Verma gave several talks and presentations during his trip to Delhi, India, in February 2020. He spoke about “Taming the unknown: pragmatic multi-omics approaches in cancer epidemiology” at the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR). NICPR conducts multidisciplinary research into major cancers in India, with special reference to cancers of the uterine cervix, breast, and oral cavity. Dr. Verma discussed electronic medical records and data sharing with the staff at the National Institute of Pathology, where he gave a talk on “Epigenetics in the precision medicine era.” He also visited the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi, which focuses on research in genomics, proteomics, and molecular medicine.

World Health Organization Physical Activity Guidelines Development Group

Rick Troiano attended the second meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) physical activity guidelines development group (GDG), held February 11-14, 2020, in Geneva, Switzerland. The 25-member GDG presented and reviewed draft recommendations to update the Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health that were published in 2010. The WHO recently completed an online consultation process to receive comments on the draft recommendations from stakeholders. The final guidelines are planned for release in fall 2020.

Russian Delegation Visits NCI

As part of an NCI and US State Department-sponsored delegation meeting, Sylvia Chou and Anna Gaysynsky met with a multidisciplinary delegation of cancer physicians and researchers from Russia on February 11, 2020. The meeting focused on cancer care prevention, public health education, and NCI’s role in supporting cancer research and practice around the country. Dr. Chou presented an overview of NCI’s investments in health communication and social media research, and the group discussed areas of mutual interests, as well as opportunities for global partnerships.

Second Conference of the International Electronic Conference on Environmental Health Sciences

David Berrigan gave a plenary address titled “Putting cancer in its place: geospatial approaches to energy balance and cancer” for The 2nd International Electronic Conference on Environmental Health Sciences on November 4-29, 2019. This was an entirely virtual conference that focused on the intersection of environment and health issues.

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Upcoming Events

NCI and INCa Plan 2021 Workshop on Tobacco Cessation Interventions

NCI and the French National Cancer Institute (Institut National du Cancer [INCa]) have longstanding collaborations in cancer research and cancer control planning. In 2019, INCa visited NCI on two occasions to discuss common research goals, including tobacco control research. Building on these common priorities, DCCPS BRP and INCa are jointly planning a grantee workshop to take place in January 2021, at the INCa offices in Paris, France. The workshop will focus on novel tobacco cessation interventions, specifically on tobacco use and co-behaviors (e.g., risk behaviors such as alcohol and marijuana, and protective behaviors such as physical activity), vulnerable populations (e.g., mental health co-morbidities and low-income smokers), and poly-tobacco use (concurrent use of multiple tobacco products, including e-cigarettes). Workshop goals include fostering and creating new collaborations between French and US researchers and producing at least two peer-reviewed publications on scientific topics addressed in the workshop.

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