STAGE ISSS: Olufunmilayo I. Olopade

Join us for the next instalment of the STAGE International Speaker Seminar Series (ISSS) with

Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, FACP

Dr. Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics
Director, Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics & Global Health
The University of Chicago Medicine

Talk Title:

What African Genomes Tell Us About the Origins of Breast Cancer

Abstract:

Analysis of cancer genomes has provided fundamental insights into the process of malignant transformation, and cancer genomes have rapidly become an integral part of the practice of clinical oncology, with implications for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention.   Inherited and sporadic cancers often share common mutational events. Work from our group and others have defined the genomic landscape of common cancers such as breast, colon and prostate cancers. Using high throughput whole genome strategies, including genome-wide association studies, whole exome sequencing, and whole genome sequencing, we are deeply exploring the most foundational instigators of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer across the African Diaspora. To accelerate progress and promote health equity, we have embarked on innovative interventions that couple genomic analysis for risk prediction with innovative interventions to reduce the high mortality from aggressive young onset cancers in low resource settings in the US and Nigeria. I will present our recent findings and future directions for genetic epidemiology research in underserved and understudied African ancestry populations.

Speaker Profile:

Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, FACP, is an expert in cancer risk assessment and individualized treatment for the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, having developed novel management strategies based on an understanding of the altered genes in individual patients. She stresses comprehensive risk reducing strategies and prevention in high-risk populations, as well as earlier detection through advanced imaging technologies.

Dr. Olopade is internationally renowned for her expertise in breast cancer, and her research has advanced early detection, treatment and prevention of breast cancer in high risk women. A distinguished scholar and mentor, Olopade has received numerous honours and awards including honorary degrees from six universities and a 2005 MacArthur Fellowship (“Genius grant”) for “translating findings on the molecular genetics of breast cancer in African and African-American women into innovative clinical practices in the United States and abroad.”

Dr. Olopade has received honorary degrees from North Central, Dominican, Bowdoin and Princeton universities. She is also a recipient of the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist and Exceptional Mentor Award, an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professorship and Officer of the Order of the Niger Award. Dr. Olopade is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. She currently serves on the board of directors for the American Board of Internal Medicine, the National Cancer Advisory Board, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Cancer IQ and the Lyric Opera.

Sponsors

CANSSI Ontario STAGE (STAGE) is a training program in genetic epidemiology and statistical genetics, housed at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and funded by CANSSI Ontario at U of T, an extra-departmental unit in the Faculty of Arts & Science that is home to the Ontario Regional Centre of the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute (CANSSI).

Seminars are sponsored by The Hospital for Sick Children, the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, the McLaughlin Centre of the University of Toronto, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the Ontario Cancer Institute of the University Health Network.

Photography Disclosure:

Photographs and/or video may be taken of participants at STAGE events. These photos/videos are for the Program’s use only and may appear on its website, in printed brochures, or in other promotional or reporting materials. By attending STAGE events, you accept the possibility that you may be videotaped or photographed. If you have any concerns, please inform us by sending an e-mail to esther.berzunza@utoronto.ca