Cancer Research
The American Cancer Society reports that one in three people in the United States will be affected by cancer, a condition in which the body's normal process of creating new cells goes wrong (). The World Health Organization, in an address at the 70th World Health Assembly, stated that cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, and estimated up to 21.6 million cases by 2030. Within the address, the WHO encouraged an integrated approach to cancer prevention and treatment, indicating that approximately 30 to 50% of cancers are preventable by modifying or avoiding key risk factors and implementing existing evidence-based prevention strategies, including cessation of tobacco use, mantaining a health weight, eating a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables, practicing safe sex, and receiving vaccinations against hepatitis B and human papilloma virus (HPV), among others. ().
Faculty in the College of Health Sciences investigating cancer are contributing to the body of knowledge within this field, and have many specializations, including the role of nutrition in the management of cancer and other chronic diseases; mitigating the negative effects of chemotherapy on muscle function; HPV vaccination as a cancer prevention strategy; cancer prevention in Hispanic populations; and the role of exercise in quality of life among cancer patients and survivors.
CHS Leaders in cancer research
Dr. maria duarte
Professor and Chair, Dept. of Public Health
moduarte@utep.edu
Specialization: Nutrition and chronic disease prevention
Dr. kisuk min
Assistant Professor of Kinesiology
kmin@utep.edu
Specialization: Effects of exercise training on chemotherapy-induced muscle dysfunction
Dr. eva moya
Professor and Chair, Dept. of Social Work
emmoya@utep.edu
Specialization: HPV infection and cancer
Dr. jennifer salinas
Associate Professor of Social Work
jsalinas7@utep.edu
Specialization: Cancer and diabetes prevention in Hispanic populations
Dr. cynthia wittenburg
Assistant Professor of Public Health
cwittenburg@utep.edu
Specialization: Exercise regimes during and after cancer treatment; quality of life in cancer survivors
