Cancer

Description/Mission Statement

Mission: Leading with Science
The Cancer Special Interest Group of SBM promotes high-quality collaborative research to reduce the burden of cancer, including leadership in:

• Basic, clinical, and translational research
• Science-based public, patient, and professional health education

Goal: To advance and disseminate knowledge across the cancer continuum.
This goal includes optimizing cancer prevention, interdisciplinary and integrated cancer care, survivorship, and end of life care.  Our work is inclusive of all ages, genders, racial and ethnic groups, geographically diverse groups, socioeconomic strata, and diversity broadly. We will accomplish our mission through a variety of activities: special symposia and other annual meeting programming, pre-conference workshops, exchange of information via our professional listserv and newsletter, social media campaigns, public and professional publications, mentorship across the careerspan, and partnerships with other leading cancer control and prevention organizations.

Committees

Education and Mentoring Committee (graduate students, career development, peer to peer)

Co-chairs: Lara Traeger, PhD and Maija Reblin, PhD

Recent activities:

• Pre-conference course on NIH fellowship grants (F31, F32): What you need to know and how trainees and mentors can make the most of this funding opportunity
• Webinar on mentoring 101 with the Student SIG
• Cancer SIG CONNECTS session on peer mentoring, “icing on the traditional mentoring cake”

Communications Committee (newsletter, webinars, publications, social media)

Co-chairs: Echo Warner, PhD, MPH

Recent activities:

• Cancer SIGnificance newsletter
  • Cancer SIGnificance vol 6-2, October 2022
  • Cancer SIGnificance vol 6-1, July 2022
• Twitter chat on mental health and cancer
• Healthy Living article on LGBTQIA+ and cancer care: How to navigate barriers to health care (Nishimuta, Carr, & Conley)
   

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

Chair: Sharon Manne, PhD, FSBM
Co-chairs: Crystal Lumpkins, PhD, MA, FSBM; Kate Dibble, PhD

Recent activities and coming soon:

• Diversity café sessions, 30-minute Zoom-based opportunities to discuss DEI-related issues
• Pre-conference course on Bridging the digital divide: Applying universal design principles to enhance inclusivity for people with disabilities (with the Technology and Remote Care Delivery Task Force)
• DEI climate survey. Results to be discussed at a Cancer Connects session this fall.

Task Forces

Technology and Remote Care Delivery Task Force

Co-chairs: Robert Ferguson, PhD and Carissa Low, PhD

Recent activities:

• Publication in The Lancet Digital Health: Shaffer KM, Turner KL, Siwik C, Gonzalez BD, Upasani R, Glazer JV, Ferguson RJ, Joshua C, Low CA. (2023). Digital health and telehealth in cancer care: a scoping review of reviews. The Lancet Digital Health, 5, e316-e327.
• Pre-conference course on bridging the digital divide with DEI committee

Planning in process for 2024 conference programming related to:

• Health equity and literacy in technology-enabled cancer care
• Optimizing engagement with technology-enabled cancer care
• Implementation of technology-enabled cancer care
• Emerging and changing telehealth policy of cancer care
   

Patient Reported Outcomes Task Force

Chair: Salene Jones, PhD

Activities:

• 2021 recommendations
• PRO and CRO (caregiver reported outcomes) needs assessment survey
• Disseminated results from PRO-CRO needs assessment survey at 2023 Annual Meeting
• Compiled list of PRO and CRO resources
• Published results of PRO-CRO needs assessment survey
• Hosted webinar on PRO and CRO resources in January 2024
• Hosted webinar on use of PROs in clinical practice in April 2025
• Participated in preconference workshop on improving recruitment at 2025 Annual Meeting

Plans for 2026:

• Publish commentary on caregiver-reported outcomes

 

2022-23 Proven Science-Better Health Giving Campaign
Battle of the SIGs Winner

Congratulations to the 2022-23 Proven Science—Better Health Giving Campaign Battle of the SIGs winner, the Cancer SIG! The Cancer SIG had the largest percentage of members donate in 2022-23, raising over $4,000! Contributions to the Giving Campaign support the professional development of our members, share our members’ research with the popular press and general public, influence public health laws by strategically promoting our members’ research to policy makers, and keeps membership dues affordable. For more information about the Proven Science—Better Health Giving Campaign, click here.

Recent Cancer SIG Award Recipients

2025
Senior Investigator Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cancer Prevention and Control: Bernard F. Fuemmeler, PhD, MPH
Early Stage Investigator Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cancer Prevention and Control: Claire C. Conley, PhD
Award for Outstanding Contributions as a Rising Star in Cancer Prevention and Control: Alaina Carr, PhD
Health Equity Travel Award: Alfu Laily; Rujul Singh; Hailey Valles

2024
Senior Investigator Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cancer Prevention and Control: David W. Wetter, PhD, MS
Early Stage Investigator Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cancer Prevention and Control: Shannon M. Christy, PhD; Rina S. Fox, PhD, MPH
Award for Outstanding Contributions as a Rising Star in Cancer Prevention and Control: Maxime Caru, PhD
Student/Fellow Abstract Award: Stephanie Corey
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cancer Research Recognition Award: Oindrila Bhattacharyya; Heather Derry-Vick, PhD; Jessica Liang; Karen Llave
Health Equity Travel Award: Arianna Brito; Biswadeep Dhar, PhD, MEd, MS; Hoda S. Fakhari; Caroline Salafia; Austin R. Waters

2023
Outstanding Senior Investigator: Karen Syrjala, PhD
Lifetime Achievement: William Redd, PhD and Sally Welker Vernon, PhD
Student Investigator: Blanca Noriega Esquives, PhD

2022
Outstanding Senior Investigator: Jamie Ostroff, PhD
Student Investigator: Jen Olson, PhD

2021
Outstanding Senior Investigator: Frank Penedo, PhD
Lifetime Achievement: Michael Antoni, PhD
Student Investigator: Suzanne S. Vang, PhD

2020
Outstanding Senior Investigator: Sharon Manne, PhD
Student Investigator: Amy Otto

SIG Chair History

Previous chairs in reverse-chronological order:

Shelby Langer, PhD, FSBM
Bernardine Pinto, PhD, FSBM
Amy Leader, DrPH, MPH
Karen Syrjala, PhD, FSBM
Julia Rowland, PhD, FSBM
Shawna Ehlers, PhD
Barbara Andersen, PhD, FSBM
Catherine Alfano, PhD
Kristi Graves, PhD, FSBM
Michael Diefenbach, PhD, FSBM (founding member)
Deb Bowen, PhD
Suzanne Miller, PhD, FSBM (founding member)
Michael Stefanek, PhD, FSBM (founding member)

Opportunites to Engage with the Cancer SIG

1. Join the SIG
Log into the Members only section of the SBM website
Click on ProfileUnder the Professional tab, edit the SIG section (check Cancer)
If you encounter issues or roadblocks, please email info@sbm.org

2. Send and receive messages from the Cancer SIG listserv
To send cancer-related postings (job openings, webinars) simply insert this address into your email recipient list: cancer_sig@list.sbm.org
If you join the Cancer SIG, you are automatically enrolled in the listserv.

3. Participate in a Cancer SIG CONNECTS session
The goal of these sessions is to facilitate networking and to strengthen members’ engagement with the SIG between annual meetings.
2022-2023 sessions:
-  Abstract planning for the 2023 annual meeting
-  Peer mentoring groups
-  Joint session with APA’s Division 38, Society of Health Psychology

4. Attend our breakfast meeting and social networking sessions at the annual conference

Cancer SIG members connect at the 2023 annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

5. Join a committee or taskforce
See list and contact info above.

6. Write an SBM Healthy Living or Outlook newsletter article on a cancer-related topic
You have so much knowledge to share! These are public-facing articles, examples below.
LGBTQIA+ and cancer care: How to navigate barriers to health care (Kara Nishimuta, Alaina Carr, and Claire Conley)
Do you smoke? Stigma, shame and blame as unintended consequences of tobacco control (Jamie Ostroff and Jamie Studts)

7. Submit a cancer-related abstract for the 2024 SBM Annual Meeting

8. Follow us on Twitter: @SBMCancerSIG