Ann G. Schwartz, PhD, MPH
Ann G. Schwartz, PhD, MPH, Deputy Center Director and Executive Vice President for Research and Academic Affairs at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, was recently elected to a 3-year term on the International Lung Cancer Consortium’s (ILCCO) Steering Committee.
Established in 2004, ILCCO is a group of lung cancer researchers from across the globe sharing their expertise with the aim of aggregating comparable data from ongoing lung cancer case-control and cohort studies from different geographic areas and ethnicities. The overall objectives are to achieve greater understanding of lung cancer, especially for subgroup analyses such as early-onset lung cancer cases, nonsmokers, or patients with tumors of rare histology; to reduce duplication of research efforts; and to replicate novel findings.
“Lung cancer continues to be the number one cause of cancer deaths, and ILCCO is committed to working together to lower the incidence and mortality from this disease,” said Dr. Schwartz. “This consortium has conducted research that is helping to define the highest risk populations for early detection, which will ultimately result in better outcomes.”
Dr. Schwartz also serves as Director for the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System (the Detroit SEER Program) and has more than 25 years of experience conducting case-control and family-based studies related to the genetics underlying cancer. These studies have primarily focused on familial aggregation of lung cancer, producing the first estimates of lung cancer risk to relatives of African Americans, and lung cancer genetics.
Her most current grant explores inflammatory pathway genes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. In addition to lung cancer, Dr. Schwartz has studied other cancers, including breast, colon, prostate, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers. Her research focuses on health disparities.
In addition to her active participation in ILCCO, Dr. Schwartz is involved in the Genetic Epidemiology of Lung Cancer Consortium. She also serves on the External Advisory Boards for three Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grants and four National Cancer Institute–designated cancer centers. ■
