Cancer Epidemiology

By identifying risk factors, such as environmental, lifestyle, diet, and occupational influences, as well as integrating biological markers, cancer epidemiology seeks to inform prevention strategies, early detection, survivorship, and public health policies.  

Globally, 20 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 10 million die of cancer each year. Cancer epidemiology is an area of public health research that studies the distribution, determinants, and frequency of cancer outcomes within populations. This field of research aims to understand the various factors that contribute to the development and progression of cancer with the goal of identifying opportunities for prevention. More recently, cancer epidemiology also includes the study of risk factors of survival and survivorship after a cancer diagnosis. 

Graduate Profile

Name: Naiyu Chen

Area of Research: Cancer epidemiology

Degree: PhD

Year of Gradation: 2024

Current Role: HEOR Associate at Analysis Group

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The Program in Cancer Epidemiology promotes and advances research collaborations among multidisciplinary investigators with expertise in cancer epidemiology, clinical oncology, biomarkers, genetics, pathology, and other disciplines. The collaborations occur with researchers across the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and leverages the infrastructure and scientists across the Harvard Cancer Consortium. Students, postdocs, and faculty also maintain collaborations across institutions around the globe. 

The Harvard Chan School’s Cancer Epidemiology program is a leader in providing students and post-doctoral fellows with a multidisciplinary academic, research, and applied program to train the next generation of leaders in cancer epidemiology and prevention. 

Highlights of the program include:

• A breadth of courses on cancer research methodology, substantive courses on cancer epidemiology and prevention, as well as courses on genetic epidemiology and biomarkers; 
• These courses aim at enhancing the skills and training of cancer epidemiologists through the integration of biologic, environmental, and contextual factors into a deeper understanding of disease etiology and survival, and for translation into cancer control; 
• The opportunity to work closely with our distinguished faculty who are conducting cutting-edge research into cancer incidence and survival; 
• Access to several prospective cohort studies, cancer registry studies, and case-control studies of populations from the United States and across the globe based at the Harvard Chan School; 
• Faculty expertise across malignancies including breast, colorectal, lung, nasopharyngeal, hematologic, ovarian, endometrial, liver, bladder, and prostate cancers; 
• Integrative and multidisciplinary training, with research conducted with colleagues in biostatistics, molecular pathology, cancer biology, genetics, and immunology 
• Integration with the world-renowned Harvard Cancer Consortium enhances opportunities for collaborations with colleagues at other Harvard Medical Area institutions (e.g., Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute). This allows researchers to leverage unique data resources, infrastructure, core facilities, and expertise.   

Learn more about our faculty below: