Research Team 

Wei Zheng, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Investigator

Dr. Zheng is Professor and the Director of the Division of Epidemiology in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University, where he also serves as Associate Director for Population Sciences Research at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Dr. Zheng has directed more than 40 NIH-funded epidemiologic studies and developed multiple international research consortia to address significant issues related to the epidemiology and etiology of cancer and other chronic diseases. His main research focus is identifying genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors and biomarkers for the primary prevention and early detection of chronic diseases, especially breast, colorectal, and other digestive tract cancers. 

See Dr. Zheng's publications on PubMed here

Wei Zheng, M.D., Ph.D.

Martha J. Shrubsole, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

Dr. Shrubsole is Research Professor in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Shrubsole has led a research portfolio of molecular, nutritional, and interventional epidemiology for over 20 years. She seeks to identify and evaluate modifiable factors and biomarkers, and to understand molecular mechanisms, laying foundations for the prevention, early detection, and precision-based interception of cancer and its precursor lesions. A major focus of Dr. Shrubsole’s research is to understand the etiology of gastrointestinal neoplasia. Dr. Shrubsole has had leading roles in multiple randomized trials and large-scale epidemiologic studies based in the US and globally. 
See Dr. Shrubsole’s publications on PubMed here

Martha J. Shrubsole, Ph.D.

William J. Blot, Ph.D., Principal Investigator (Retired)

Dr. Blot is an epidemiologist and biostatistician who is Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University and Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of the International Epidemiology Institute. He was formerly Chief of NCI’s Biostatistics Branch. He has headed large multi-centered case-control and cohort studies, including many in the southeastern US that dealt directly with exposure characteristics of southern and rural populations and those that have assessed racial differentials in cancer rates and risks.  His research interests span across numerous environmental and genetic causes of cancer, particularly those affecting the respiratory system and digestive tract.
See Dr. Blot’s publications on PubMed here   

William J. Blot, Ph.D.

External Scientific Advisory Board Members

CURRENT

Aaron Folsom, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health
University of Minnesota

Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, M.D.
Professor of Medicine and
Director, Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics
University of Chicago Medical Center

Elizabeth A. Platz, Sc.D.
Professor
Martin D. Abeloff, M.D., Scholar in Cancer Prevention
Director, Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Training Program
Co-Director, Cancer Prevention and Control Program
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

Charles White
Chief Executive Officer
Franklin Primary Health Center, Inc.
Mobile, Alabama

Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H.
Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition
Chair, Department of Nutrition
Harvard School of Public Health

FORMER

Brian E. Henderson, M.D. (Deceased)
Distinguished Professor
Department of Preventive Medicine and Neurology
Keck School of Medicine
University of Southern California
​
Clark W. Heath, Jr., M.D.
Retired, American Cancer Society

Rubens J. Pamies, M.D. (Deceased)
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Dean for Graduate Studies
Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Nebraska Medical Center
(Board Member from 2008-2011)

Louis W. Sullivan, M.D.
President Emeritus
Morehouse School of Medicine
(Board Member from 2002-2007)