Population Science

Program Leaders: Benjamin F. Crabtree, Ph.D. and Kitaw Demissie, M.D., Ph.D.

Overall Goals: to understand the factors (e.g., pollution, nutrition, behavior, infection/inflammation, addiction) that underlie New Jersey's extraordinary cancer rates and develop interventions that will reduce cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality among its residents.

Specific Goals:

• To identify and characterize through epidemiologic and related studies the environmental and occupational exposures that by themselves or in combination with other risk factors lead to increased cancer incidence.
• To investigate methods to prevent cancer through tobacco cessation and control, adjustment of personal behaviors and modification of the primary care practice environment
• To identify and characterize factors that underlie specific forms of cancer with unusually high incidence in New Jersey and the nation, with particular focus on greater acceptance of screening programs and interventions in high-risk, underserved population.