Tomotaka Ugai

Biography

Dr. Ugai is an MD/PhD physician scientist with expertise in pathology, clinical oncology, cancer epidemiology, and molecular epidemiology. Dr. Ugai is a Professor at University of Tokyo and a Division Chair of two divisions at National Cancer Center Japan: Division of Integrative Cancer Research and Division of Cancer Prevention. Dr. Ugai has served as Adjunct Faculty at Zhu Family Center for Global Cancer Prevention at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Clinical & Translational Epidemiology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital to develop international collaborative research in many fields. His research goal is to build up scientific evidence integrating germline genetics, lifestyles, and biomarkers in serum, stool, and tumor to (a) develop effective immuno-prevention and early-detection strategies, and (b) identify novel biomarkers to guide early-stage clinical decisions. Dr. Ugai also leads a variety of research to decipher the etiology of early-onset cancer.

Awards and Honors

• AACR Scholar-in-Training Award for AACR Annual Meeting 2023, 2023
  American Association for Cancer Research
• Brigham and Women's Hospital Faculty Career Development Award, 2023
  Brigham and Women's Hospital
• MPE Rising Faculty Investigator Award, 2023
  The 6th International MPE Meeting
• Rose Traveling Fellowship Program in Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 2022
  Harvard Th. Chan School of Public Health
• AACR Scholar-in-Training Award for AACR Special Conference: Colorectal Cancer, 2022
  American Association for Cancer Research
• Harvey V. Fineberg Fellowship in Cancer Prevention, 2022
  Harvard Th. Chan School of Public Health
• AACR Scholar-in-Training Award for AACR Annual Meeting 2022, 2022
  American Association for Cancer Research
• Japanese Cancer Association Young Investigator Award, 2021
  Japanese Cancer Association

Publications

• Diverging global incidence trends of early-onset cancers: comparisons with incidence trends of later-onset cancers and mortality trends of early-onset cancers.

  Terashima M, Nakayama K, Shirai S, Ugai S, Lee HY, Matsui H, Mizuno H, Tanaka S, Song M, Sasamoto N, Kawachi I, Giovannucci EL, Ugai T. Mil Med Res 2025 Nov 14

  PMID: 41239501

• Unique role of the prospective cohort incident-tumor biobank method in etiological research.

  Ogino S, Patel AV, Ugai S, Giannakis M, Ugai T. Lancet Reg Health Am 2026

  PMID: 41737502

• Physical activity and molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer: a pooled observational analysis and Mendelian randomization study.

  Chalitsios CV, Markozannes G, Aglago EK, Berndt SI, Buchanan DD, Campbell PT, Cao Y, Chan AT, Dimou N, Drew DA, French AJ, Georgeson P, Giannakis M, Gruber SB, Gunter MJ, Harrison TA, Hoffmeister M, Hsu L, Huang WY, Hullar MAJ, Huyghe JR, Lynch BM, Moreno V, Murphy N, Newton CC, Nowak JA, Obón-Santacana M, Ogino S, Qu C, Schmit SL, Steinfelder RS, Sun W, Thomas CE, Toland AE, Trinh QM, Ugai T, Um CY, Guelpen BV, Zaidi SH, Schoen RE, Woods MO, Brenner H, Andreson L, Pellatt AJ, Peters U, Phipps AI, Tsilidis KK. JNCI Cancer Spectr 2025 Nov 03

  PMID: 41031512

• The early-onset cancer epidemics: evidence synthesis using the prospective cohort incident-tumor biobank method.

  Ogino S, Ugai S, Hamada T, Ugai T. Eur J Epidemiol 2025

  PMID: 41144114

• Associations between Calcium Intake and T-cell Infiltration in Colorectal Tumors.

  Wesselink E, Thomas CE, Takashima Y, Mizuno H, Buchanan DD, Qu C, Hsu L, Dias Costa A, Ugai S, Zhong Y, Huyghe JR, Thomas S, Gallinger S, Grant RC, Le Marchand L, Masugi Y, van Duijnhoven FJB, Ugai T, Ogino S, Nowak JA, Peters U, Phipps AI. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2025 Sep 02

  PMID: 40371912