The Population Science Program includes investigators with focus on population and health services research, nicotine addiction, cancer prevention, biomarkers and disease epidemiology, comparative effectiveness research and outcomes research. Program meetings are held every two weeks throughout the year. A number of investigators have expertise in computational biology, biostatistics methods, and behavioral medicine interventions. Investigators at the School of Public Health interact with colleagues at the Warren Alpert Medical School and the Brown University-affiliated hospitals. The Program has a major focus on cancers and problems that affect the population of Rhode Island.
The Program has expertise in bladder cancer whose rates in 2019 are highest in the nation, lung cancer and tobacco addiction and cessation, opioid addiction, breast cancer, skin cancer, geriatric oncology, and issues with access to care. Efforts to translate novel concepts are supported by the Translational Research Disease Groups (TRDGs), which are additional cancer disease-based group meetings that occur in parallel to the Population Science Program meetings. Each of the 11 disease-based TRDGs meets every 2-3 months, with emerging projects being presented at the Population Science Program meetings.
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Neil Sarkar, PhD
Group Leader (Population Science); Biomedical Informatics, Health Services and Policy
Group Members
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Kahler1.jpg?itok=z4dYOY6l)
Christopher W Kahler, PhD
Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Chair of Behavioral and Social Sciences
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/dm%20williams%20_photo_.jpg?itok=1tZw1h1F)
David M Williams, PhD
Director for the Center for Health Equity Research, Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Jaqueline%20Headshot.jpg?itok=nh-5lHTd)
Jacqueline Avila, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow, Brown University School of Public Health
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/nbarnett_photo_.jpg?itok=jnMkaqfu)
Nancy P Barnett, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Judson_Brewer_WEB.jpg?itok=JhyBmm_L)
Judson Brewer, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Director of Research and Innovation, Mindfulness Center
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/jtidey_photo_.jpg?itok=Mo3ORW7s)
Jennifer Tidey, PhD
Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/p%20riscia_photo_.jpg?itok=XtfHRBeH)
Patricia M Risica, PhD
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Associate Professor of Epidemiology
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/ramachandran.200x0.jpeg?itok=U3HOHOnv)
Sohini Ramachandran, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology, Director of Graduate Studies for the Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Associate Professor of Computer Science
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Eunyong%20Cho.jpg?itok=BuOv30kC)
Eunyong Cho, ScD
Dermatology, Epidemiology
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Flynn-Mary-PhD-2012-web.jpg?itok=zK2NHISB)
Mary Flynn, PhD
The effect of food, with an emphasis on extra virgin olive oil,on impnoving risk factors for chronic diseases including cancer
![Constantine Gatsonis](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Constantine%20Gatsonis.jpg?itok=N2jUudoQ)
Constantine Gatsonis, PhD
Comparative effectiveness research, Outcomes research, ECOG-ACRIN statistician
![Karl Kelsey](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Karl%20Kelsey.jpg?itok=-iyyfmR6)
Karl Kelsey, MD
Epidemiology, disease biomarkers, Exposure related cancers, Epigenetic, genetic changes
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Thomas%20Ollila.jpg?itok=Efwr8Lqa)
Thomas Ollila, MD
Opioid dependence, Survivorship
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Hayley%20Treloar%20.jpg?itok=MNTmTTed)
Hayley Treloar Padovano, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Behavioral and Social Sciences. Alcohol, smoking, and other drug use, and liver disease
![Christopher Schmid](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Christopher%20Schmid.jpg?itok=QXWcmv0c)
Christopher Schmid, PhD
Chair, Biostatistics, Network meta analysis, Predictive models, N-of-1 Bayesian methods
![](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Attila%20Seyhan_0.jpg?itok=j1gz5c-W)
Attila A Seyhan, PhD
Director of Translational Oncology Operations, Joint Program in Cancer Biology, Brown University and Lifespan Cancer Institute; Core Director of Translational Oncology; Adjunct Associate Professor, Tumor metabolism and RNA processing
![Robert Sobol, PhD](https://www.brown.edu/academics/biomed/cancer_biology/sites/academics-biomed-cancer_biology/files/styles/square/public/people/Robert-Sobol.jpeg?itok=8wQ-o--B)
Robert Sobol, PhD
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer DNA damage and repair, DNA replication, Environmental toxicology, mouse models, NAD (Coenzyme) , PARP