Coordinating Center for the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program

Breast Cancer & the Environment Research Program

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Principal Investigator:
Amy Trentham-Dietz, Ph.D.

NIEHS Grant: U01ES26127

Other Community and Academic Partners:
Susan G. Komen for the Cure – South Central Wisconsin
American Cancer Society

The critical need remains to improve our ability to prevent breast cancer. An area of research that holds great promise for reducing breast cancer risk concerns improving our knowledge of the impact of environmental factors, especially when these factors appear to act when the breast is particularly susceptible to changes that ultimately lead to cancer. The Coordinating Center for the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP) Consortium will support research that follows national recommendations to prioritize prevention, use transdisciplinary research approaches, and intensify the study of chemical and physical factors that potentially influence the risk of developing breast cancer. The overarching goal is to support integrated scientific research to enhance the understanding of environmental and genetic factors underlying breast cancer risk throughout the lifespan, with particular focus on windows of susceptibility

The Center aims to:

• Provide leadership in team science by identifying opportunities to facilitate cross-project transdisciplinary interaction, standardize and integrate research efforts, and maximize use of resources;
• Provide exceptional coordination for the consortium, including defining a shared vision and mission, identifying shared resources, developing standard policies, managing Opportunity Funds to distribute to Consortium members, assisting NIH staff, and supporting a Steering Committee, Working Groups, and an annual scientific meeting;
• Leverage sharing of data and other resources among BCERP members;
• Support cross-project communication as well as dissemination of findings to diverse partners and audiences, including the broader breast cancer and environmental science research communities and to support the training and mentoring of the next generation of breast cancer researchers; and
• Facilitate internal and external evaluation to maximize the Coordinating Center's and Consortium's performance, transdisciplinary nature, productivity, and effectiveness.

The mission of the BCERP Coordinating Center is to provide intellectual leadership and logistical support for the BCERP consortium by identifying and facilitating opportunities for cross-BCERP collaboration and disseminating research findings through partnerships with stakeholders. The multidisciplinary team includes experts in breast cancer epidemiology, basic science, environmental health, toxicology, program evaluation, biostatistics, outreach/community engagement, and research administration, as well as mentoring and training. The Coordinating Center uses multiple innovative approaches to leverage Consortium members' common passion for elucidating the role of environmental factors that act during windows of susceptibility to increase risk of breast cancer, provide opportunities for collaboration, and enable BCERP to bring about substantive reductions in the burden of this common disease.