Speizer and Willett Receive Cancer Research Awards

Frank Speizer, professor in the Department of Environmental Health, and Walter Willett, chair of the Department of Nutrition, have been awarded the Charles S. Mott Prize by the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation for their contributions to cancer research.

The awards, valued at $250,000 each, have been given in the past to a select number of the world’s top scientists, seven of whom have subsequently won Nobel Prizes.

Speizer and Willett were cited for creating and sustaining the Nurses’ Health Study as well as two companion studies, the data from which has generated important epidemiologic findings in cancer research and the study of public health.

In a written release, representatives of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation said, "Without the work of Drs. Speizer and Willett, critical elements of understanding about cancer might be missing today. Their contributions have been broad, ranging from the relationship between dietary fat and breast cancer to the roles of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy in cancer and risk factors for colorectal cancers. Notably, their findings have significantly influenced the public’s understanding of preventable risk factors related to cancer."

The Nurses’ Health Study, based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has followed more than 120,000 nurses over the course of three decades and has allowed researchers to collect a broad range of data on their subjects before they become ill, rather than backtracking after illness.

Staff Appreciation Award Announced

The Student Coordinating Committee (SCC) has given the annual "Staff Appreciation Award" to Jan Juley, staff assistant in the Department of Biostatistics, and Mark Corte, counterperson at the Kresge cafeteria. Each year, students nominate and vote for staff members in recognition of their hard work and dedication, and then the SCC organizes the award-giving.

Honorable mentions were also given to Sidney Atwood, manager of the instructional computing facility in Information Technology, Kei Chou cashier at the Kresge cafeteria, and Nancy Perna, staff assistant in the Office for Professional Education and the MPH Program.

Professor Little Honored at Faculty Meeting

John Little, James Stevens Simmons Professor of Radiobiology in the Department of Cancer Cell Biology, was given a tribute at a meeting of the Faculty of Public Health on June 4 to celebrate his newly assumed position of emeritus professor. Little’s primary research focus has been on the effects of radiation exposure, trying to understand how radiation-induced mutations can be passed on to subsequent generations.

The John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences and Environmental Health is named for the HSPH professor.

FSAP Offers Help for Depression Sufferers

The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) is offering the services of clinical counselors who can help HSPH members find appropriate care for depression. FSAP is free and confidential.

For more information, visit the website or call 5-HELP (4357).

According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, depressed employees are twice as likely to be absent from work than those without depressive symptoms and are more likely not to perform well.

Approximately 19 million Americans suffer from clinical depression.