The Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, derives its power from being a research enterprise embedded in a large, technologically sophisticated, integrated health care system. Our research program is built on a base of rigorous epidemiologic investigation in a diverse population. As a pioneer in development and use of electronic health records, Kaiser Permanente created a "natural resource" for research, with rich data that spans decades of care for millions of people. With the ability to obtain detailed information related to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up through clinical encounters, the Kaiser Permanente setting is ideal for conducting longitudinal and long-term studies of cancer care and prognosis. The Pathways Study is one such study and an exemplar of the type of cancer epidemiology research that can be conducted in this setting.
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a free-standing cancer research and treatment center located in Buffalo, New York. Founded by surgeon Roswell Park in 1898, the center was the first in the United States to specifically focus on cancer research, education and treatment. Roswell Park’s research programs include Population Sciences, Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Developmental Therapeutics, and Cell Stress Biology. Dr. Ambrosone, Multiple PI of the Pathways Study, is the Chair of the Department of Cancer Prevention and Control and Co-Leader of the Population Sciences Program. Several faculty members actively participate in research activities in the Pathways Study.
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), one of the ten campuses of the University of California, is devoted solely to research and graduate education in the health sciences. UCSF is composed of the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Nursing, and the Graduate Division. In both size and number of students, UCSF is the smallest of the University of California campuses. Nevertheless, its relative size belies its distinction as one of the leading biomedical research and health science education centers in the world. Pathways Study investigators Drs. Scarlett Lin Gomez, Salma Shariff-Marco, and are faculty within the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and members of the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Drs. Gomez and Shariff-Marco also lead the DREAM Lab, Disparities Research: Environment And Multi-omics. These collaborators have been developing a data resources for assessing social, built, and physical environmental factors in the neighborhoods of Pathways Study participants. They are conducting research to understand the role of these neighborhood factors in breast cancer survivorship outcomes.
Zero Breast Cancer (ZBC) is a project of the Collaborative for Health and Environment (CHE) that promotes breast cancer risk reduction through translation of scientific research and evidence-based recommendations that support health and wellness at key stages of life. ZBC has a long and distinguished track record as a community partner to scientists seeking to understand breast cancer risk factors in our physical and social environments. Drawing upon the latest research from our scientific partners and others, ZBC creates innovative, multilingual, integrated health and wellness materials that promote practical ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer and recurrence, and support survivors’ health and wellness. Additionally, ZBC offers health and wellness coaching to people at high risk of breast cancer and survivors after active treatment to reduce the risk of breast cancer and recurrence.
UC Davis is designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, the nation’s top cancer research organization. UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center attracts more than $100 million annually in funding for research to find better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. The California Cancer Reporting and Epidemiologic Surveillance (CalCARES) Program, within the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, partners with the California Department of Public Health to manage day-to-day operations of the California Cancer Registry (CCR). The Pathways Study research resource will be enhanced with data from the CCR, California’s statewide, population-based cancer surveillance system, and from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, which provides statewide information related to hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and outpatient surgical procedures.