A series of three virtual sessions, from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET
Session 1 - Thursday, February 3, 2022
Session 2 - Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Session 3 - Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Session 1: February 3, 2022 - 12:00 to 2:00 pm 

What are the new ideas about how chemicals cause cancer, and how should we think about risk?

Welcome: Setting the stage for an exploration of cancer and environment.

• Timothy Rebbeck, PhD - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Trailer for Unacceptable Risk: Dr. Margaret Kripke on Cancer and the Environment

Speakers:

• Kate Z. Guyton, PhD - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
  • Key characteristics of carcinogens. What are the tools we have now to identify carcinogens, including chemicals not considered to be “complete carcinogens” that may contribute to cancer?
• Mary Beth Terry, PhD - Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health and Irving Cancer Center
  • Precision Prevention: Gene X Environment Interactions: PAHs and the Breast Cancer Family Cohort.

Panel: How do chemically induced cancers appear in the clinic? A “case study” of the Wilmington, Massachusetts childhood cancer cluster.

• Moderator Richard Clapp, ScD - first Director of the Massachusetts Cancer Registry and Professor Emeritus at Boston University School of Public Health, will lead a discussion with stakeholders in the Wilmington, Massachusetts childhood cancer cluster.

Session 2: February 16, 2022 - 12:00 to 2:00 pm 

Air pollution and cancer.  The science linking air pollution to cancers is strong.  Given that reducing exposure is often beyond the control of the individual, what are opportunities for addressing air pollution in public health, research and community settings, and what roles can clinicians play?  

Introduction: A systems approach for integrating environmental chemicals in cancer prevention.

• Polly Hoppin, ScD - UMass Lowell/Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and Cancer Free Economy Network

Speakers:

• David Christiani, MD, MS, MPH - Mass General Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 
  • What we know about air pollution and cancer: science and interventions to reduce exposures.
• Judy Ou, PhD, MPH - Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah
  • Effect of air pollution on mortality and morbidity among young cancer survivors.
• Mary White, ScD - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
  • A comprehensive approach to cancer prevention and air pollution: tools and resources that public health can provide.
• Roseann Bongiovanni, MPH - Executive Director, Chelsea Green Roots
  • Disproportionately Impacted: Air Pollution and Health in Chelsea - Community-level strategies to reduce air pollution and how clinicians and researchers can help. 

Panel: Panelists will offer their perspectives on the speakers’ presentations, followed by discussion.

• Moderator: Polly Hoppin
• Gwen Collman, PhD - Deputy Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
  • What are we learning from community-based participatory research, and what do we need to know to intervene on risk factors like air pollution?
• Narjust Duma, MD - Thoracic oncologist and Associate Director of the Cancer Care Equity Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Understanding the bigger picture: How to be an advocate for your patient.
• Ned Ketyer, MD, FAAP - Pediatrician, Physicians for Social Responsibility
  • A pediatrician’s experience serving as both clinician and influential voice in community-level and policy debates. 

Session 3: March 1, 2022 - 12:00 to 2:00 pm 

Primary prevention and a role for clinicians as trusted communicators - barriers and opportunities.

Introduction: Forward-looking strategies to catalyze environmental cancer prevention.

• Julia Brody, PhD - Executive Director and Senior Scientist, Silent Spring Institute

Speakers:

• Margaret Kripke, PhD - Professor Emeritus and founding chair of the Department of Immunology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Co-Panelist on the President’s Cancer Panel
  • Missed opportunities for primary prevention of environmental cancers.
• David Michaels, PhD, MPH - George Washington University School of Public Health
  • Author of The Triumph of Doubt on the challenge of defending public health science when it is targeted by chemical and drug makers sowing doubt.
• Ruthann Rudel, MS - Director of Research, Silent Spring Institute
  • Chemicals that increase synthesis of estrogen and progesterone as risk factors for breast cancer: A case study for 21st century approaches to identifying likely carcinogens.

Panel: What to say to your patients, policymakers, and to the news media about chemicals and cancer when the science is uncertain.

• Moderator: Julia Brody
• Phil Landrigan, MD - Director, Global Public Health Program, Boston College
  • Experiences of a pediatrician giving everyday advice and also speaking publicly about potential causes of cancer and other diseases without blaming patients.
• Amy Kostant, MA -  Executive Director, Science Communication Network
  • Practical guidance for scientists and clinicians to advance public understanding via the news media.
• Gary Ellison, PhD, MPH - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Cancer Institute
  • New cohorts and other research to integrate environmental exposure and social determinants of health to advance equity

Closing Remarks/Reflections: The Role of Cancer Centers in Advancing Environmental Prevention

• Timothy Rebbeck, PhD - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Julia Brody, PhD - Silent Spring Institute