The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) honored Susan E. Hankinson, ScD, MPH, for her significant contributions to breast cancer research. Dr. Hankinson received the 2020 AACR Distinguished Lectureship in Breast Cancer Research award at the virtual edition of the 2020 SABCS.
Susan E. Hankinson, ScD, MPH
Dr. Hankinson is Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for Research in the School of Public Health & Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is being recognized for her contributions to fundamental population-based research, which has provided insights into the hormonal etiology of breast cancer.
Dr. Hankinson has led pivotal research on the role of circulating estrogens in predicting breast cancer risk in both postmenopausal and premenopausal women. This has led to the development of chemopreventive drugs and an understanding of how lifestyle alterations such as reducing adiposity, increasing physical activity, and lowering alcohol intake may further reduce breast cancer risk. Her additional research to improve risk prediction models has the potential to help stratify women’s risk of breast cancer and identify those who may benefit from chemoprevention and screening.
At the 2020 SABCS, Dr. Hankinson presented a lecture titled, “Biomarkers in Population-Based Breast Cancer Research: Insights Into Etiology and Risk Prediction.”
