William J. Blot, PhD
Dr. Blot is an epidemiologist and biostatistician who has appointments both at Vanderbilt University (Professor of Medicine) and the International Epidemiology Institute (Chief Executive Officer and co-founder), and formerly was Chief of National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Biostatistics Branch. Dr. Blot came to Vanderbilt in 2000 to help establish a cancer epidemiology program. The program has grown from a handful of employees to a staff approaching 100. Dr. Blot co-founded the landmark Southern Community Cohort Study, one of the nation’s largest epidemiologic studies, to assess the reasons for racial and geographic disparities in cancer incidence and mortality. The study has received continuous funding from the NCI since 2001 and has played a role in changes to public health policy, including the recent decision by the United States Preventive Services Task Force to lower the age and smoking history recommendations for lung screenings.
In addition, he has headed large multi-centered case-control and cohort studies, including many in the southeastern US that dealt directly with exposure characteristics of southern and rural populations and those that have assessed racial differentials in cancer rates and risks. His research interests span numerous environmental and genetic causes of cancer, particularly those affecting the respiratory system and digestive tract.
On April 30, 2021, Dr. Blot retired from Vanderbilt University and was named Professor Emeritus of Medicine.
Please join us to celebrate the life and career of Dr. William J. Blot.
Featured Speakers:
Stephen Chanock, MD
Dr. Chanock is a leading expert in the discovery and characterization of cancer susceptibility regions in the human genome. He has received numerous awards for his scientific contributions to our understanding of common inherited genetic variants associated with cancer risk and outcomes, including the Niehaus, Southorth, Weissenbach Award in Clinical Cancer Genetics, the 2015 Jeffrey M. Trent Lecture, and the 2021 NIH Clinical Center Contemporary Clinical Medicine: Great Teachers seminar. He is an elected member of the Society for Pediatric Research, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Epidemiological Society.
Robert T. Croyle, PhD
Dr. Croyle was appointed the director of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute. As Director, he is responsible for overseeing a research portfolio and operating budget for more than a half-billion dollars and serves on NCI’s Scientific Program Leaders Committee. As a division, DCCPS covers a wide range of scientific domains and disciplines, including epidemiology, behavioral science, surveillance and statistics, cancer survivorship, and health services and outcomes research. Dr. Croyle is a member of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, a Fellow of the American Psychological Society, and a recipient of several awards for his research and professional service.
Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD
Dr. Olopade is the Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics and founding director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Olopade's research is focused on gaining a better understanding of the root causes and genomic basis of cancer in diverse populations. She has published extensively on genetic and non-genetic risk factors for breast cancer and is internationally renowned for her seminal work in inherited cancer syndromes and clinical expertise in early detection and prevention of breast cancer in high-risk women. Olopade mapped genes frequently altered in cancer and has characterized and dissected molecular pathways defining aggressive forms of breast cancer in women of African ancestry. A distinguished scholar and mentor, Olopade has received numerous honors and awards including honorary degrees from five universities, elected into the National Academy of Sciences, recipient of the Giants In Cancer Care Award, Franklin Roosevelt Freedom from Want Medal, The Order of Lincoln, Officer of the Order of the Niger and a 2005 MacArthur Fellowship for "translating findings on the molecular genetics of breast cancer in African and African-American women into innovative clinical practices in the United States and abroad."
Walter Willett, MD, DrPH
Dr. Willett is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He served as Chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard for 25 years. His work has focused on development of methods, using both questionnaire and biochemical approaches, to study the effects of diet on the occurrence of major diseases. He has applied these methods to large cohort studies, including nearly 300,000 men and women, that are providing the most detailed information on the long-term health consequences of diets. Dr. Willett has published over 2,000 articles, primarily on lifestyle risk factors for cardiometabolic disease and cancer, and has written the textbook, Nutritional Epidemiology. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
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50 Years of Seminal Contributions to Cancer Epidemiology and Training 50 Years of Seminal Contributions to Cancer Epidemiology and Training Moderated by Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD |
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1:30-1:40 pm |
Welcome and Reflection on Dr. Blot’s Impacts on VICC and its Catchment Area |
Jennifer A. Pietenpol, PhD |
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1:40-1:50 pm |
Reflections on Dr. Blot’s Impacts on NCI and National Cancer Research Program |
Robert T. Croyle, PhD |
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1:50-1:55 pm |
Mapping the Generational Legacy of Dr. Blot |
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD |
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1:55-2:30 pm |
Cancer Diversity and Disparities Across Populations: Observations Spanning 50 Years |
William J. Blot, PhD |
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2:30-2:40 pm |
Break |
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Cancer Epidemiology: Nutrition, Genetics and Health Equity Moderated by Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH and Loren Lipworth, ScD |
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2:40-3:05 pm |
Diet Assessment Across Cohorts: Opportunities to Extend our Vision |
Walter Willett, MD, DrPH |
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3:05-3:30 pm |
Radiation-related Genomic Profile of Papillary Thyroid Cancer following the Chernobyl Accident |
Stephen Chanock, MD |
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3:30-3:55 pm |
Retooling Precision Oncology for True Equity of Cancer Care |
Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD Walter L. Plamer Distinguished Service Professor of |
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3:55-4:10 pm |
Break |
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Tributes from Friends, Colleagues and Collaborators Moderated by Xiao-Ou Shu, MD, PhD, MPH and Martha Shrubsole, PhD 4:10-5:15 pm |
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Closing Remarks and Well Wishes Moderated by Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD and Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH 5:15-5:30 pm |
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If you are unable to attend the celebration of Dr. Blot and would still like to share a story, image, video, or words for the word cloud, please upload them using the following link: https://vumc.app.box.com/f/2533e5f8d2ee49abafe9138d5be1da7f
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