Cancer programs in the DPM

The cancer research program at the Department of Population Medicine spans the spectrum of cancer, from cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to cancer survivorship. The Department of Population Medicine is a unique multi-disciplinary department, sponsored by Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, with a broad portfolio of cancer research spanning a variety of defined populations and a range of clinical, health services, and policy research areas. In addition to strong relationships with the two outstanding sponsoring institutions, the Department has active collaborations with both local and national research networks positioned at the forefront of epidemiological and health services cancer research. The Department directs the Community Practice Core of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Community Practice Core, and through the Department's cancer research programs, researchers have access to a racially diverse population of over 11,000,000 patients within the community-based clinical practices of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and the NCI-sponsored Cancer Research Network. This population is ideal for studies involving basic, clinical, and population sciences; addressing diverse communities; requiring large samples of patients and/or providers; examining preventive strategies; involving rare cancers, investigating the dissemination of proven technologies and interventions, and studying cancer prevention. Information about the populations and collaborations available to researchers in cancer are described in the About DPM's Cancer Programs section of this website. Examples of cancer projects and the faculty involved are described in the Research section of this website.