Abstract IA24: Applying epidemiology to prevention

Abstract

Abstract Within the last decade, for the first time in human history, deaths from chronic diseases have exceeded mortality from acute causes worldwide. These chronic diseases encompass a spectrum of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, neurologic diseases, and the emerging consequences of obesity and overnutrition. Further, there are more people today who are cancer survivors as well as people who are afflicted with multiple chronic diseases. This results in an emerging new group of susceptible populations. Since environmental exposures have a profound impact, from the etiology of disease through progression and response to therapeutic and preventive interventions, a new appreciation of the role of environmental health has emerged. This talk will attempt to provide a global perspective on the transitions that have occurred in environmental health over the last 200 years and how these transitions are impacting diverse populations globally. The extraordinary advances in our understanding of the biology of normal development and the molecular progression of disease processes has created unprecedented opportunities for the translation of basic science to therapy and prevention. The need to integrate findings from the biologic, physical, engineering, social, and behavioral sciences, sometimes called convergence, points to an imperative to develop new team science approaches to address the health consequences of environmental exposures. Finally, as it is increasingly recognized that disease outbreaks in one part of the world are no longer isolated from global impacts, there is a need to assure that our next generations of trained scientists have grounding in global collaborations. Citation Format: John D. Groopman. Applying epidemiology to prevention [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Environmental Carcinogenesis: Potential Pathway to Cancer Prevention; 2019 Jun 22-24; Charlotte, NC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2020;13(7 Suppl): Abstract nr IA24.