School of Public Health launches Global Cancer Initiative
The University of Michigan School of Public Health has launched a Global Cancer Initiative
in partnership with the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The initiative will build on the university’s existing global partnerships in research
and training to address cancer prevention and control measures across the globe.
Laura Rozek, associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Nutritional Sciences and associate director for the Office of Global Public Health, will serve as director of the initiative.
“The global burden of cancer is increasing at unsustainable rates, with the largest increases in incidence expected in low- and middle-income countries,” says Rozek. “We’re already doing a lot of work to address these challenges. The Global Cancer Initiative will formalize our efforts and help us build bridges to bring everyone together to work toward our common goals.”
Researchers from the School of Public Health and the cancer center will work in Central America, Southeast Asia and Ethiopia, with plans to grow projects there and expand to other parts of the world.
“A lot of this work is really being driven by students,” Rozek says. “This summer, for example, we have more than a dozen SPH students going abroad to do cancer research.”
Ultimately, the goal is to build sustainable and self-sufficient projects with our partners that address cancer prevention and control, Rozek says.
