Our Objectives
The Population Science Department uses the collective expertise of epidemiologists, biostatisticians, behavioral scientists, research analysts, and study management experts to better understand the behavioral, social, physical, environmental, and societal factors that affect cancer prevention, risk, treatment, and survivorship. We do this by comprehensively collecting and evaluating data from surveys and human biological samples, and by employing behavior-change theories and evaluations. For instance, we:
- Design, conduct, and analyze large prospective cohort studies, like the ACS Cancer Prevention Studies and the ACS Studies of Cancer Survivors.
- Build and manage a robust biorepository of blood, buccal cells (from the inside of the cheek), urine, stool, and tumor tissue samples.
- Identify and assess effective ways to help people change behaviors (such as by quitting smoking or being more active) before and after a cancer diagnosis.
- Provide accurate, reliable, and timely evidence-based program evaluation using both quantitative and qualitative methods for ACS-led cancer control and intervention programs.
The department has a long history of conducting seminal research on cancer risk factors, resulting in pivotal or landmark studies and insights that influence the direction of future cancer studies from investigators across the world.
Alpa Patel, PhD, leads the department as the Senior Vice President of Population Science, bringing over 20 years of experience at the American Cancer Society.
population science teams and work
We conduct and analyze large-scale population and behavioral intervention studies and evaluate the American Cancer Society’s own cancer control and intervention programs.
Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Research
We study risk factors that increase the chances of developing cancer. After a cancer diagnosis, we study how to improve quality of life and survival. For most of this work, we use our large, on-going prospective cohort studies, called the Cancer Prevention Studies (CPS) and Studies of Cancer Survivors (SCS).
Collectively, these studies have provided data for hundreds of scientific publications and helped inform clinical and public health guidelines, including the American Cancer Society’s Nutrition and Physical Activity guidelines.
Behavioral Interventions
We study how to help people change behaviors (such as quitting smoking or being more active) before and after a cancer diagnosis. Our work includes:
- Tobacco cessation intervention programs that investigate whether individually tailored emails can provide the motivation, support, and information needed for someone to quit smoking.
- Web-based interventions for cancer survivors that are focused on increasing the time spent being physical activity and decreasing the time spent being sedentary.
Study and Biospecimens Team and Analyst Core
This group supports all other Population Science teams to ensure that we effectively and accurately answer key cancer research questions. The team’s expertise includes:
- Survey design
- Data collection and analysis
- Study participant communications and engagement
- Biospecimen collection and management
Evaluation of ACS Programs
Our goal is to study both:
- The effectiveness of cancer prevention and risk-reducing behavioral interventions in real-world community settings, such as programs to increase cancer screening and HPV vaccinations in hospitals and clinics.
- How to improve ACS's program delivery to ensure communities and health systems are benefiting from our work.
We collect qualitative and quantitative data about ACS programs from a variety of sources, including performance metrics, quality improvement plans, surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Then we evaluate this data to measure and assess how well these programs move us toward a world without cancer.
How Cancer Prevention Studies Save Lives
The American Cancer Society's first prospective cohort, the Hammond-Horn cohort study, provided the first US prospective evidence confirming the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions in men.
Since then, we have invested in additional large prospective studies, which have continued to provide unique and significant contributions to the global scientific community that have increased our understanding about the risk factors of cancer, including tobacco use, obesity, diet, physical activity, hormone use, air pollution, and more.