# Cancer Epidemiology Research Program (Project-004)

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2020 · $70,376

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract 
The overarching goal of the Cancer Epidemiology Program is to investigate the causes of cancer through 
epidemiological studies incorporating genetic and molecular epidemiology approaches as well as risk 
factors/environmental and biomarker research that are strongly grounded in the relevant biology. A hallmark of 
this Program has been the integration of epidemiology and biology, along with the development and application 
of state-of-the-art biostatistical approaches and a defined focus on ethnic diversity that is consistent with the 
populations within the USC Norris catchment area. The Program is led by Graham Casey, PhD, a molecular 
geneticist who is interested in the integration of cancer epidemiology and molecular biology to develop novel 
insight into the complex etiology of cancers, and Duncan Thomas, PhD, a biostatistician with extensive 
contributions to design and analysis methods for genetic and environmental epidemiology studies and has had 
numerous cancer epidemiology collaborations. Drs. Casey (cancer genetics), Thomas (biostatistics), and 
Haiman (cancer epidemiology) comprise the Program's Executive Committee. The scientific aims of the 
Program are to: 1) elucidate the role of environmental and lifestyle factors (e.g., obesity, diabetes, radiation) in 
the etiology of cancer and study population cancer trends; 2) elucidate the role of genetic factors in the etiology 
of cancer with an emphasis on different racial/ethnic populations using existing and new cohorts; 3) determine 
the mechanistic and biological basis for genetic risk variants using large-scale fine-mapping and comprehensive 
cellular and biochemical approaches, and integrate biomarker and tumor biology studies into epidemiologic 
research; and 4) develop and apply novel study design and statistical analysis methodologies for environmental 
and genetic epidemiology research in cancer. Accomplishments during the project period include seminal 
contributions to the genetic etiology of the cancer field with over 40 GWAS-related manuscripts since 2010, 
leadership roles in several international genetics consortia, expansion of the genetics emphasis to study the 
biological implications of genetic inheritance through strategic recruitment, development of an integrative 
genomics theme to study the relationship between inherited and somatically acquired mutations in tumors, 
submission of several P01s, and increased collaboration with Cancer Control Research and other programs, 
that includes collaborative grant submissions. The Program is composed of 27 members from four departments 
within the Keck School of Medicine. Current grant funding totals are $12M in peer-reviewed funding (direct 
costs), of which 58% is from NCI, 25% from other NIH sources, and 8% in other peer-review funding sources. 
The Program is highly productive with 730 publications of which 26% are inter-programmatic, 47% 
intra-programmatic and 62% inter-institutional.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9838179
- **Project number:** 5P30CA014089-45
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** CARYN LERMAN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $70,376
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-12-01 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9838179

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9838179, Cancer Epidemiology Research Program (Project-004) (5P30CA014089-45). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9838179. Licensed CC0.

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