The University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center (MCC) announced key leadership changes within its Executive Committee, promoting several School of Public Health (SPH) faculty to leadership roles. The MCC recently received $20.4 million in federal funding to drive MCC’s work for the next five years after the National Cancer Institute renewed its designation as an outstanding comprehensive cancer center. The center noted that the transitions not only signal a new chapter in the center’s storied history, but also reinforce MCC’s unwavering commitment to pioneering cancer research, education, and patient care.
Cancer Prevention and Control:
SPH Professor Heather Nelson will be taking on the mantle of leadership for Cancer Prevention and Control at MCC. As a former co-program leader of the Screening, Prevention, Epidemiology and Cancer Survivorship program, she is an integral part of this team. Nelson’s expertise in cancer epidemiology and public health uniquely positions her to lead these efforts. Her dedication and insights have been invaluable, especially in her role as co-principal investigator (PI) for the multi-disciplinary 10,000 Families Study, investigating environmental exposures and cancer risk across Minnesota. Her multidisciplinary approach will enrich MCC’s cancer prevention strategies and lend a significant contribution to reducing the burden of cancer on people in Minnesotan and across the country.
Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program:
SPH’s Lisa Peterson has co-led MCC’s Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention through several successful NCI designation renewals and will be passing the torch of leadership as she steps down from her current role. She will continue her exceptional research program in environmental carcinogenesis including as a co-PI of the 10,000 Families Study and as PI of the Minnesota HHEAR Targeted Analysis Laboratory. Her contributions have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of how tobacco and other environmental carcinogens cause cancer.
MCC’s Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention will be co-led by SPH Professor Silvia Balbo. Balbo is known for her innovative research on the interaction between DNA and chemicals to investigate how lifestyle and environmental exposures cause disease.
Screening, Prevention, Etiology, and Cancer Survivorship (SPECS) Program:
SPH Professor Helen Parsons, an expert in health outcomes research, will be stepping into the role vacated by Heather Nelson. As the new co-leader for the SPECS Program alongside co-leader Anne Blaes, Parsons will bring a wealth of experience and a profound commitment to improving cancer care and outcomes by enhancing community health initiatives, further strengthening the center’s impact on all Minnesotans.
In a statement, the center said “We are confident that, under the leadership of Drs. Heather Nelson, Helen Parsons, and Silvia Balbo, the Masonic Cancer Center will continue to thrive, innovate, and lead in the fight against cancer. Please join us in celebrating these outstanding individuals and supporting them in their new roles.”
A version of this article originally appeared on the Masonic Cancer Center’s website.
