Category: News

Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., Distinguished Achievement Award

The ASPO Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr. Distinguished Achievement Award is extended annually to an outstanding scientist in the area of preventive oncology, cancer control, and/or cancer prevention. 

Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award

The Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award aims to appreciate an individual’s distinguished achievement in continued national tobacco control interventions, through research, through the development of prevention and cessation programs with wide-reaching public health impact, or through public policy and advocacy initiatives. Congratulations to this year’s recipient, Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD!

Dr. Halpern-Felsher is an internationally recognized leader in adolescent health and tobacco control whose career reflects exceptional innovation, impact, and dedication to cancer prevention. She is a developmental psychologist and Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University, where her research has transformed understanding of how cognitive, social, and environmental factors shape youth decision-making and risk perceptions related to tobacco, vaping, cannabis, and other substances.

Dr. Halpern-Felsher has led or co-led multiple landmark NIH-, NCI-, and FDA-funded Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS) projects, producing evidence critical to preventing youth initiation, progression, and continued use of tobacco products, particularly among vulnerable populations. Her work has directly informed prevention strategies and regulatory policy, contributing to major advances in youth tobacco control.

She is also a national leader in translating science into practice. As founder and executive director of the Tobacco Prevention Toolkit, Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Toolkit, and Vaping Information, Solutions, and Interventions Toolkit, Dr. Halpern-Felsher has delivered evidence-based education to more than 3 million youth through thousands of schools across the United States and internationally. These widely adopted curricula have become a standard for prevention education and are continually updated to address emerging industry tactics and trends in youth vaping.

Dr. Halpern-Felsher’s influence extends to policy at the highest levels, including testimony before the FDA, state legislatures, and Congress, and service on Surgeon General Reports and National Academies of Medicine committees. She has mentored more than 300 students and trainees and continues to lead innovative NIH-funded research. Through her sustained leadership in research, policy, and implementation, Dr. Halpern-Felsher exemplifies the legacy of Joseph W. Cullen and is richly deserving of this honor.

This past April, I had the chance to attend the 49^th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As I do for most ASPO meetings, I submitted as lead author an abstract that highlighted our work in cancer epidemiology in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). Specifically, the abstract reported on our results on our study which examine multiple measures of anthropometry and body composition in association with cancer risk in this cohort of Hispanic/Latino adults from diverse backgrounds. This abstract was selected as a top-ranking abstract, and to my surprise and excitement, received a Travel Award! That support made it possible for me to attend, present my work, and really make the most of the meeting. Additionally, the questions and comments I received allowed me to refine our written manuscript, which has since been accepted for publication in the journal JNCI Cancer Spectrum.

What I love most about the ASPO meeting is the welcoming and collaborative environment and the focus on health equity in cancer prevention and control. The meeting always strikes a nice balance between high-level and rigorous science and real-world application, which makes it feel both energizing and practical. I was truly inspired hearing learning about the wide range of research happening in cancer prevention, and I always have a great time connecting with colleagues who share a passion for making an impact through their cancer-focused research and advocacy.

I am incredibly excited about the 50^th ASPO Meeting in Denver, Colorado. If you’re considering submitting an abstract, go for it! This meeting provides a supportive space to share your work, whether you’re an early-career or seasoned investigator. Presenting an abstract not only gives you visibility but also opens the door to conversations, collaborations, and connections that can last well beyond the meeting. I hope to see you in Denver!

-Humberto Parada, PhD, MPH
Chair of ASPO’s Molecular Epidemiology & the Environment SIG

ASPO joined 62 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, 6 national organizations and the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center to reinforce the importance of HPV vaccination to prevent cancer. Read the statement below.

Leading Cancer Research Centers Reinforce Importance of Safe and Effective HPV Vaccination to Prevent Cancer

More than 40,000 cancers and hundreds of thousands of pre-cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) each year among men and women in the United States (U.S.). However, these cancers (oropharyngeal, cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar, and penile) and pre-cancers are almost entirely preventable with timely HPV vaccination. HPV vaccination is safe and effective. Therefore, 62 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers and other leading cancer organizations fully endorse the goal of eliminating HPV-associated cancers through on-time HPV vaccination for everyone – boys and girls.

Despite nearly 20 years of safety and monitoring data and strong evidence showing reduction of HPV-associated cancers in vaccinated individuals >25 years old (e.g., reduction of cervical cancer), HPV vaccination coverage still does not meet our national goal. HPV vaccination coverage in the U.S. lags several high-income countries and is well below the Healthy People 2030 goal of vaccinating 80% of boys and girls. The back-to-school season is an ideal time to promote timely HPV vaccination for children ages 9-12 and catch-up for teens ages 13-17 to prevent future HPV-associated cancers.

NCI-Designated Cancer Centers and other leading cancer organizations strongly encourage parents to choose HPV vaccination for their children. The U.S. has recommended routine HPV vaccination for females since 2006 and for males since 2011. Current HPV vaccination guidelines are for routine vaccination at ages 9 to 12. Health experts recommend catch-up HPV vaccination through age 26. The guidelines also recommend adults aged 27 to 45 discuss vaccination with a health care provider, as some individuals who did not receive the vaccine when younger may still benefit. According to the most recent National Immunization Survey-Teen data, only 63% of boys and girls ages 13-17 completed the HPV vaccination series in 2024, although coverage varies by geographic regions in the U.S. and has remained stable for the last three years.

NCI-Designated Cancer Centers serve populations across the U.S. with a commitment to research and patient care and are trusted messengers for parents and health care providers as they make cancer-related health care choices for today’s children. There are many cancers for which we have no or minimal insight into how to prevent, detect early, and/or treat effectively. A safe, effective cancer prevention vaccination against six types of cancers is unparalleled in our collective efforts. NCI-Designated Cancer Centers and other leading cancer organizations strongly endorse the safety and effectiveness of HPV vaccination as a crucial cancer prevention tool for up to six types of cancer.

HPV vaccination is cancer prevention. Schedule your well-child visit and ask your health care provider about HPV vaccination to prevent future HPV cancers in your children.

More information on HPV vaccination is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Cancer Society (ACS), ACS National HPV Vaccination Roundtable, and American Academy of Pediatrics.

The ASPO 2025 Annual Meeting, held April 6-8 in Philadelphia was a success, showcasing the society’s resilience and forward-thinking spirit. This year’s program featured symposia, Looking Back Thinking Forward sessions, and “Best Of” presentations—while adapting to changing circumstances by sharing recorded talks from those unable to attend in person.

Thoughts from Dr. Carolyn Heckman, 2025 Annual Meeting Co-Chair:

“Well, I’m a bit biased as the program co-chair, but I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about the conference this year. We started off to the backdrop of the “Hands Off” protest in the City of Brotherly Love where the Declaration of Independence was signed, reminded our ASPO President Dr. Anita Kinney. Convening in person seemed to be just what people needed as members at all stages of their careers informed and inspired one another. The audience was bolstered by Penn’s Dr. Richard Wender’s Keynote: Seven Trends That Will Determine the Future of Cancer Control. His presentation ended with a heartfelt original song, We Will Be There, followed by a rousing standing ovation. I surely “Will Be There” at ASPO’s 50^th anniversary in Denver in 2026 celebrating the accomplishments of our field and the relentless pursuit to advance evidence-based cancer prevention for all.”

Thoughts from Anjali Vasavada, Doctoral Trainee & First Time ASPO Attendee

“In a time of uncertainty in health research, going to ASPO 2025 in Philadelphia, PA felt rejuvenating. This year, I was selected to give a 5-minute flash talk in the session “The Untapped Potential of Lung Cancer Screening”. As a doctoral trainee and first time ASPO attendee, I was nervous about attending this conference with many accomplished cancer researchers. I was instead met with extreme warmth, support and friendliness from fellow attendees – whether it was their first time, or 30^th time at ASPO!

What stood out the most to me was ASPO’s dedication to evolving alongside the current landscape of oncology research. I attended the session “Pragmatic Trials and Implementation Science in Cancer Prevention and Control” on Day 3, which featured talks from two anthropologists, highlighting the multidisciplinary approach ASPO is taking toward addressing cancer prevention. As a young researcher interested in things like implementation science and qualitative research, it was refreshing to see my interests represented at a cancer conference, which have traditionally been more clinical.

Lastly, I applaud the ASPO program committee for tackling some harder topics during the meeting. Karen Wernli and Carolyn Heckman’s moderated discussion on Unprecedented and Uncertain Times on Day 1 was a compassionate way to address the elephant (literally and figuratively) in the room, which helped us all come together to realize our shared purpose and affirmed that we need to rely on each other during this uncertain season. My favorite session was the Misinformation and Infodemics session on Day 2, led by K. Viswanath. Given the widespread availability of health information online, it was powerful to hear this session as a call to action for cancer researchers to consider strategies to mitigate misinformation, especially now.

Overall, my first time at ASPO was extremely memorable, and I look forward to attending for many years to come!”

Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., Distinguished Achievement Award

The ASPO Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr. Distinguished Achievement Award is extended annually to an outstanding scientist in the area of preventive oncology, cancer control, and/or cancer prevention. 

Please join us in congratulating Robert A. Hiatt, MD, PhD as this year’s Fraumeni Award Winner.  Dr. Hiatt is an Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and also the Associate Director of Population Sciences for the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC). He has been the Director of Population Sciences at the UCSF HDFCCC since 2003 and served as Chair of the UCSF Dept. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics from 2006-2017. His research and teaching interests are in breast cancer, health inequities, and the social and environmental determinants of cancer. From 1998-2003 he was the first deputy director of the U. S. National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, where, among other things, he oversaw the extramural cancer epidemiology, health services research, and surveillance programs. Between 2003 and 2016 he led the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program and its Coordinating Center in San Francisco and served on the National Academy’s Board of Environmental Studies and Toxicology from 2012-2018. He is a past president of the American Society of Preventive Oncology and the American College of Epidemiology from whom he received the Abraham Lilienfeld Award this year for distinguished service to the field of epidemiology. Currently at UCSF he is the Principal Investigator of the National Precision Medicine Initiative, All of Us, co-PI of the NCI’s Persistent Poverty Initiative, and directs the San Francisco Cancer Initiative (SF CAN).

Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award

The Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award aims to appreciate an individual’s distinguished achievement in continued national tobacco control interventions, through research, through the development of prevention and cessation programs with wide-reaching public health impact, or through public policy and advocacy initiatives. Congratulations to this year’s recipient, Dr. Jamie Ostroff!

Dr. Jamie Ostroff is the Chief of Behavioral Sciences Service, Director of the Tobacco Treatment, Training and Research Lab in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Co-Leader of the Population Sciences Research Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Her clinical, research and training activities focus on addressing barriers and facilitators of high-quality implementation of tobacco treatment in cancer care and lung cancer screening settings, with particular attention to equity in access, utilization and cessation outcomes. Her CV lists over 240 journal peer-reviewed publications as well as invited presentations. Dr. Ostroff is a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco and the American Psychosocial Oncology Society. In 2022, she was awarded the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Cancer Special Interest Group’s Distinguished Senior Investigator Award. She was recently awarded the Ruth McCorkle Excellence in Research Mentorship Award from the American Psychosocial Oncology Society. She holds several national leadership positions including service to National Lung Cancer Roundtable, Commission on Cancer Just/Beyond ASK Task Force and the NCI-funded Cancer Centers Cessation Initiative (C3I).

Distinguished Service Award

The ASPO Distinguished Service Awards are given periodically to those individuals who have gone above and beyond in their service to the Society. This year, Dr. Henry Ciolino is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Henry P. Ciolino earned a Ph.D. in Anatomy and Cell Biology from the Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans, LA., and completed postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Rodney L. Levine in the Laboratory of Biochemistry of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Moving to the National Cancer Institute, he became a Staff Scientist in the Laboratory of Metabolism before joining the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin Department of Nutritional Sciences. There, he ran an NCI-funded laboratory that studied the effect of dietary agents on the metabolic pathway mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. He returned to the NCI in 2010 in the Office of Cancer Centers (OCC) and became Director of the OCC in 2015. As Director, he oversaw an extensive revision of the Cancer Center Support Grant in 2016, formulated new ways to fund cancer centers that resulted in significant increases in their funding, and introduced four new components to the Cancer Center Support Grant that transformed centers: Community Outreach and Engagement, Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination, Shared Resource Management, and the Plan to Enhance Diversity.

The recipients will be presented with their awards at ASPO’s 2025 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

On Wednesday, July 17, Shine Chang, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, hosted an ASPO session for PIs and leaders of cancer prevention and control training and research education programs to hear from and interact with NCI leaders from the Center for Cancer Training, including many program officers from the NCI Cancer Training Branch and from the new NCI Center for Cancer Health Equity.  Available at the ASPO website is a recording of this session and slides presented by NCI.

Dr. Oliver Bogler, head of NCI’s Center for Cancer Training provided a recap and update of NCI’s analysis of cancer prevention and control training program application success rate presented to NCAB/BSA in June 2023, which included discussion of undersolicitation of NCI F31 predoc and F32 postdoc fellowship applications/awards relevant to research topics typically funded in cancer control (DCCPS) and cancer prevention (DCP) for FY13-22.  For the same period, there did not seem to be an undersolicitation of NCI T32 training program applications/awards; T32 awards in cancer control and cancer prevention comprised 25% of all T32 expenditures, 35.1% of all predoc slots supported by NCI T32 awards, and 8.1% of postdoc slots on NCI T32 awards.

There was an informative discussion about how NCI program officers advocate and advise recipients of R00 awards from cancer prevention and population sciences who may be offered weaker start-up packages and NCI’s interest in gathering more information from institutions about hiring packages for assistant professors; anyone who would like to share thoughts with NCI about this topic is asked to contact Dr. Sergey Radaev at [email protected] .  Please join us for the next session at the 2025 annual ASPO meeting in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 6.

Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., Distinguished Achievement Award

The ASPO Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr. Distinguished Achievement Award is extended annually to an outstanding scientist in the area of preventive oncology, cancer control, and/or cancer prevention. 

We are thrilled to share that the 2024 Fraumeni Award recipient is Melissa Bondy, Ph.D., of Stanford University! Dr. Bondy earned a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Texas School of Public Health. She then dedicated nearly three decades of her career to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Baylor College of Medicine, serving as Director of the Childhood Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Center- a joint center of Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Texas Children’s Hospital. Later, she became the Associate Director of Cancer Prevention Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine’s Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center.

In addition to her dedicated service in Texas, Dr. Bondy served as the inaugural chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford School of Medicine, the Associate Director for Population Sciences at the Stanford Cancer Institute, and the Stanford Medicine Discovery Professor. Dr. Bondy’s research is primarily regarding genetic and molecular epidemiology, focusing on the roles of heredity and genetic susceptibility in the etiology of cancer and outcomes. She is globally regarded as a leader in worldwide research efforts aimed at understanding heredity patterns of glioma, a deadly brain cancer. 

She currently directs an international consortium aimed at identifying genes in familial glioma, leads studies on the genetic predictors of outcome in glioma, and is recognized for her work in breast cancer research. She is also devoted to identifying and closing the gaps in health disparities.

Dr. Bondy served on the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Advisers and is a member of the external advisory board for several NCI-designated cancer centers. She received the visiting scholar award from the NCI Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics in 2018. She has collaborated on over 400 published manuscripts and has been continually funded by the NIH and other funding sources spanning her entire career. She is recognized for her commitment to supporting underrepresented voices in epidemiology and is an enthusiastic advocate and mentor for faculty, postdoctoral, and graduate students. 

Dr. Bondy has made substantial research contributions of depth and breadth and we are very pleased to name her the 2024 Fraumeni Awardee!

Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award

The Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award aims to appreciate an individual’s distinguished achievement in continued national tobacco control interventions, through research, through the development of prevention and cessation programs with wide-reaching public health impact, or through public policy and advocacy initiatives.

Please join us in congratulating Matthew Carpenter, Ph.D., of the Medical University of South Carolina, as our 2024 Cullen Award Recipient! Dr. Carpenter is a visionary thinker and key opinion leader within the field of nicotine and tobacco research. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Vermont and currently serves as a Tenured Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Dr. Carpenter is dedicated to researching tobacco use in various ways- from lab-based studies of craving and nicotine dependence to small and large-scale clinical trials for smoking cessation to public health policy for effective tobacco control. Dr. Carpenter’s research is vast and ever-expanding, and now includes clinical trials of e-cigarettes. The NIH has been continuously funding his research efforts since 2007- prior/current funding includes a Career Development Award (K23), multiple R01s and R21s (NCI & NIDA), and foundation grants, all as Principal Investigator. Throughout, Dr. Carpenter is keen on trainee development, encouraging a long line of trainees to develop their science (primary mentor for T32, F32, K07, K01, 2 K23s, 3 ACS, and various NIH LRP recipients) and progress in their professional careers. He has served on several NIH study sections- even serving as Chair on some. Since 2022, Dr. Carpenter has taken on a new role within the NIH CSR Advisory Council (CSRAC). 

Overall, Dr. Carpenter has staunchly devoted his career to reducing the harm of premature diseases resulting associated with cigarette addiction, and we are delighted to extend this honor.

Both recipients will be presented with their awards at ASPO’s 2024 Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., Distinguished Achievement Award

The Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., Distinguished Achievement Award is presented to an outstanding scientist in the area of preventive oncology, cancer control and/or cancer prevention. We are happy to announce the 2023 award will be presented to Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD during the Annual Meeting.

Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD is an outstanding candidate for the ASPO Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr. Distinguished Achievement Award given her significant and long-term scientific contributions across the cancer continuum.  A nutrition scientist by training, Dr. Demark-Wahnefried began her career studying weight gain among women with breast cancer and was one of the first to document sarcopenic obesity with chemotherapy (JCO 2001).  She conducted proof-of-principal studies that promoted high-nutrient, low energy density diets combined with aerobic and resistance training to reverse adverse body composition change. Achieving success, Dr. Demark-Wahnefried then focused on interventions that were grounded in behavioral theory, home-based, scalable, and aimed at mitigating outcomes associated with accelerated aging among cancer survivors. Initially using tailored mailed print interventions with or without telephone counseling, the FRESH START and RENEW randomized controlled trials (RCT) achieved significant, reproducible, and durable improvements in dietary intake and physical activity, and functional decline in international and sizable (>500) samples of cancer survivors (JCO 2007, JAMA 2009, JCO 2012).  Partnering with Cooperative Extension, Harvest for Health, a statewide, home-based, vegetable gardening intervention delivered by master gardeners paired with 381 older cancer survivors will soon yield findings aimed to enhance health of survivors residing in rural areas. Her AMPLIFY (AiM, Plan and act on LIFestYles) web-based, diet and exercise, weight loss RCT is recruiting survivors of obesity-related cancers. Along with RCTs in the presurgical setting and measuring effects on tumor proliferation have yielded ~350 peer-reviewed articles.  She has led efforts to disseminate best practices for lifestyle behaviors among cancer survivors including several notable policy-related papers (CA Cancer J Clin 2012, 2018; Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2010; J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2020,2021; J Clin Oncol 2022). Dr. Demark-Wahnefried is devoted to service, chairing various committees including the National Cancer Policy Forum, the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute of Cancer Research, and ASPO, where she served on several program planning committees, director-at-large, and president (2013-2015).

Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award
The Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award is to recognize an individuals distinguished achievement in continued national tobacco control efforts, through research, through the development of prevention and cessation programs with wide-reaching public health impact, or through public policy and advocacy initiatives. We are happy to announce the 2023 award will be presented to Vani Nath Simmons, PhD during the Annual Meeting.

Dr. Vani Simmons is a senior member of the Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, and Professor of Oncologic Sciences and Psychology at the University of South Florida. Dr. Simmons co-directs Moffitt’s Tobacco Research and Intervention Program, a large multi-disciplinary team focused on tobacco control research. Dr. Simmons has dedicated her career to reducing health disparities by developing and validating innovative, participant-centered smoking cessation interventions. These studies include populations at high-risk for tobacco-related disparities, yet not well-represented in tobacco research, including young adults, pregnant/postpartum women, cancer patients/survivors, Spanish-language preferring individuals, and individuals who also vape. She recently led one of the largest smoking cessation trials for cancer patients while also leading NCI’s C3I Cancer Moonshot initiative at Moffitt. Her work with cancer patients has extended to electronic cigarette use and to understanding barriers and facilitators to low-dose computed tomography as a screening tool for high-risk smokers. Additionally, Dr. Simmons demonstrated strong efficacy for one of the few Spanish-language tobacco cessation interventions in a nation-wide trial. She also co-led the first trial to demonstrate that dual users of combustible and e-cigarettes benefit from smoking cessation assistance.  Dr. Simmons has been continuously funded throughout her career by NIH and the Florida Biomedical Research Program.

February 2, 2022

Like all of you, we have been closely monitoring the COVID trends and have been listening to your feedback about meeting in person. The Executive Committee met today, and we can confirm that the 2022 Annual Meeting will be live in Tucson, AZ – we will not be offering a virtual attendance option.

COVID has continued longer than we all hoped, and there are no perfect solutions to meeting in 2022. ASPO leadership feels that this is the best path forward for the organization, for the attendees, and for scientific exchange. ASPO prides itself in providing a great venue for networking, meeting new people, and generating ideas. We will follow stringent safety protocols during the meeting and will be holding some events outdoors. We ask everyone to be responsible for helping to keep the meeting as safe as possible – vaccinations and masks are required, testing before arrival is encouraged, please stay home if you are symptomatic.

Scarlett Lin Gomez and Steve Patierno and the Scientific Committee have put together an excellent program, the full agenda is available here. AD/PL also has an engaging lineup for Saturday and Sunday. We will have our third year of the Community and Science program starting on Sunday afternoon, and encourage you to send COE representatives.

Please register and book your rooms – we can’t wait to see everyone in Tucson!

Elena Martinez, PhD
ASPO President