Launch Symposium

Reinventing Cancer Prevention and Early Detection for the 21st Century

The Zhu Family Center for Global Cancer Prevention celebrated its launch on World Cancer Day, February 4, 2019, by hosting a daylong symposium on the future of cancer prevention and early detection. Some of the world’s top experts shared their visionary strategies for improving human health and reducing the cancer burden worldwide. Watch videos of the symposium below and read coverage of the event in the Harvard Gazette.

Symposium Program

Opening Remarks

Welcome
Michelle A. Williams, ScD, Dean of the Faculty, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Angelopoulos Professor in Public Health and International Development, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Kennedy School

Overview of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection
Timothy R. Rebbeck, PhD, Director, Zhu Family Center for Global Cancer Prevention, and Vincent L. Gregory, Jr. Professor of Cancer Prevention, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Associate Director for Equity and Engagement, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

Session 1: How Can Technology Improve Early Detection of Cancer?

Moderator
Wendy Garrett, MD, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Keynote Address: Next Generation Technologies for Improving Early Cancer Detection 
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD, Virginia & D. K. Ludwig Professor of Cancer Research and Chair, Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine

Noninvasive Cancer Detection Through Protease Activity Profiling
Sangeeta Bhatia, MD, PhD, John J. and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and of Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

A Practical Approach to Early Detection of Cancer of the Esophagus
Rebecca Fitzgerald, MD, Professor of Cancer Prevention, University of Cambridge

Digital Phenotyping
Jukka-Pekka Onnela, DSc, Associate Professor of Biostatistics  and the Director, Master of Science in Health Data Science Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Question and Answer Period

Session 2: How Can We Address Challenging Prevention/Early Detection Problems to Improve the Public’s Health?

Moderator
Deb Schrag, MD, MPH, Chief, Division of Population Sciences, and Senior Physician, Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Keynote Address: Fulfilling the Promise of Global Cancer Prevention
Sue Curry, PhD, Interim Executive Vice President and Provost and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Iowa

Cancer Risk Stratification: Sidekick or Critical Partner in Early Detection?

Sustainable Implementation to Prevent Cancer Now
Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH, Niess-Gain Professor of Surgery, Professor of Medicine; Chief, Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine; Associate Director Prevention and Control, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center and Deputy Director, Institute for Public Health

Question and Answer Period