Environment and Health Policy
Program researchers are working to determine the environmental factors that promote or prevent cancer and influence cancer outcomes. Factors under study include the impact of neighborhood and socioeconomic pressures on specific lifestyles, behaviors and health outcomes.
Building on their findings, researchers monitor local, State, and Federal health policy changes and the impact of these changes on cancer prevention and care. A key aim of this work is to help shape and implement public health policies that promote the dissemination and adoption of effective preventive measures at the community level.
Disparities and Neighborhood and Environmental Research
Combining epidemiological and analytic expertise, program researchers are working to understand the role of neighborhood conditions on health outcomes. A particular focus of this work is to decipher the links between social, cultural and economic pressures and the health of socioeconomically disadvantaged, ethnic minority and other medically underserved populations.
Specific research areas include:
- the impact of smoking, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, obesity, diabetes and hypertension and other risk factors on cancer rates and outcomes
- community-based studies into the health status of women, older adults and ethnic minority and low socioeconomic groups, including African-American, Mexican-American and other Latino populations
- surveys on neighborhood and environmental factors influencing physical activity with future plans of conducting interventional research
- the development of new statistical approaches focused on assessing chronic disease risk factors and evaluating interventions. These approaches include categorical vs. dimensional approaches to diagnosis; integrating data from multiple informants in psychiatric assessment. evaluation of odds ratio as a measure of 2 X 2 associations; and signal detection methodology
Program Researchers
Trial Administration