New Article – Investigating Skin Cancer Risk and Sun Safety Practices Among LGBTQ+ Communities in Canada

Congratulations to Dr. François Lagacé, Dr. Ivan Litvinov and team on their new article, “Investigating Skin Cancer Risk and Sun Safety Practices Among LGBTQ+ Communities in Canada.” Participants from Atlantic PATH and the Manitoba Tomorrow Project were invited to participate in the SunFit study led by Dr. Litvinov at McGill University. Skin cancer prevention requires effective sun safety practices. Previous studies have shown that LGBTQ+ individuals exhibit lower sunscreen use and higher tanning bed usage compared to their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts. This SunFit study is the first to assess skin cancer risk factors, sun-protective behaviors, and skin cancer concerns among LGBTQ+ participants across Canada.

Got Your Toe(nails)! Guinness World Record Revisited

The Guinness World Records team is once again reflecting on the record held by the Atlantic PATH cohort. In a new article, “Got your toe(nails)! Scientific study holds largest collection of toenail clippings,” Katherine Gross revisits the collection of toenail samples from Atlantic PATH participants. In 2013, Atlantic PATH received a Guinness Book of World Records for 24,999 toenail samples. Recruitment continued until 2015 and the total number of participants who donated toenails was 30,418!! Atlantic PATH represents participants across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador, a region with the highest rates of cancer and chronic disease in the country. “Toenails are an important part of our research….What we’re particularly interested in, in this context, is the extent to which environmental exposure affects our risk of disease.” Atlantic PATH has used data and biological samples to develop an established environmental and occupational health research stream. Stay tuned for more toenail research that is currently in progress, and you can find recent publications here: Hood, K., Sweeney, E., Ilie, G., Keltie, E., Kim, J.S. (2023), Toenail Arsenic Species and Metallome Profiles Associated with Breast, Cervical, Prostate, and Skin Cancer Prevalence in the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health Cohort. Frontiers in Public Health: Environmental health and Exposome, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1148283 Smith, N.K., Keltie, E., Sweeney, E., Weerasinghe, S., MacPherson, K., Kim, J.S. (2022). “Investigating the Association between Arsenic Exposure and Chronic Disease Using Toenail Speciation Biomarkers: A Feasibility Study.” Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113269 Keltie, E.; Cui, Y.; Hood, K.; Sweeney, E.; Ilie, G.; Adisesh, A.; Dummer, T.; Kim, J.S. (2022). “The Association of Prostate Cancer with the Profiles of Arsenic Species and Metallome: An Analysis from the Atlantic PATH Cohort Study.” Frontiers in Public Health, Environmental Health and Exposome.   https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.818069 Majouni, S., Kim, J.S., Sweeney, E., Keltie, E., Abidi, S. (2022). Applying Machine Learning to Arsenic Species and Metallomics Profiles of Toenails to Evaluate Associations of Environmental Arsenic with Incident Cancer Cases. Medical Informatics Europe Conference (MIE) Conference Proceedings. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. Fleming, D., Crook, S., Evans, C., Nader, M., Atia, M., Hicks, J., Sweeney, E., McFarlane, C., Kim, J.S., Keltie, E., Adisesh, A. (2020). “Assessing arsenic in human toenail clippings using portable X-ray fluorescence.” Applied Radiation and Isotopes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109491 Fleming, D., Crook, S., Evans, C., Nader, M., Atia, M., Hicks, J., Sweeney, E., McFarlane, C., Kim, J.S., Keltie, E., Adisesh, A. (2020). “Portable X-ray Fluorescence of Zinc Applied to Human Toenail Clippings.” Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2020.126603 Dummer, T., Yu, Z.M., Nauta, L., Murimboh, J., Parker, L. (2015). “Geostatistical modelling of arsenic in drinking water wells and related toenail arsenic concentrations across Nova Scotia, Canada.” Science of the Total Environment, 505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.055 Yu, Z.M., Dummer, T., Adams, A., Murimboh, J., Parker, L. (2014). “Relationship between drinking water and toenail arsenic concentration among a cohort of Nova Scotians.” Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 24. https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2013.88 Yu, Z.M, Fung, B., Murimboh, J., Parker, L., Dummer, T. (2014). “What is the role of obesity in the aetiology of arsenic-related disease?” Environment International, 66.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2014.01.028  

Upcoming Webinar – CanPath Trainees Study Pollution and Disease

Hybrid event: From air to ailment: trainees study pollution’s role in disease onset December 10, 2024 @ 1pmAST/12pmEST Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/from-air-to-ailment-trainees-study-pollutions-role-in-disease-onset-tickets-1080426387409 Are you curious about how environmental factors like air pollution affect our health? Join us for an engaging event where four MPH in Epidemiology students from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) share their cutting-edge research conducted during their summer practicum at CanPath. Discover how Fatima investigates the link between air pollution and endometriosis, Natalie explores its impact on inflammatory bowel diseases, Emilia examines connections to cardiometabolic conditions, and Taryn studies the association with early-onset type II diabetes mellitus. Their findings provide new insights into the complex relationship between air quality and chronic diseases, highlighting the importance of environmental health research. This event is a must-attend for trainees and early-career researchers interested in epidemiology, public health, and environmental sciences. Gain valuable knowledge, network with peers, and get inspired by the innovative work of your fellow researchers.

Government of Canada invests in breast cancer research at CanPath

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women* in Canada, with one in eight women expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime. Early detection through screening can make treatment easier and improve survival rates. In April 2024, the US recommended starting breast cancer screening for women in their forties. However, Canada’s guidelines, updated in May 2024, did not fully adopt this change, highlighting the need for more research. To address these evidence gaps, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health for the Government of Canada, announced $295,000 in funding for CanPath to advance research for breast cancer screening. Minister Holland announced this funding at an in-person event at the Canadian Cancer Society, which also received funding for breast cancer public awareness. “When we think of breast cancer screening, data gaps, and the solutions research can deploy, it’s exceptionally important,” said the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, “so the partnership between the federal government and CanPath is very exciting.” CanPath will use existing Canadian cohort and administrative data to address three main objectives: Study differences in screening participation, treatments, and outcomes by race and ethnicity; Understand breast cancer risk factors and how they vary by race and ethnicity; and Analyze screening results, such as recall and biopsy rates, by race and ethnicity. This research aims to create better screening guidelines that consider the diverse needs of all Canadian women. “Anytime we can announce good news and talk about how we can advance research together is an exciting day. It’s so great to get to celebrate these wins together,” says Dr. Jennifer Brooks, Executive Director at CanPath. *Cisgendered women and other adults assigned female at birth, such as transgender men and nonbinary people. About CanPath The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) is Canada’s largest population health cohort and a national platform for health research. Comprised of more than 330,000 volunteer participants across seven regional cohorts, including Atlantic PATH, CanPath is a unique platform that allows scientists to explore how genetics, environment, lifestyle, and behaviour interact and contribute to the development of chronic disease and cancer.  

Notice of Upcoming Funding Opportunity: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention Team Grants

Notice of Upcoming Funding Opportunity: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention Team Grants Webinar: Winter 2025 Launch: Fall 2024 / Winter 2025 Registration Deadline: Winter 2025 Application Deadline: Summer 2025 Funding Start Date: Fall 2025 *Atlantic PATH and CanPath – Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health are always happy to support access to data and biological samples, including funding applications and writing letters of support* The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the Team Grants: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention. This funding opportunity is led by the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research (CIHR-ICR) in collaboration with the CIHR Institutes of: Aging (CIHR-IA), Gender and Health (CIHR-IGH), Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (CIHR-INMD), Population and Public Health (CIHR-IPPH), and in partnership with the BioCanRx, Cancer Research Society (CRS), Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) – Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE), and other external partners. The Team Grants: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention aims to unite interdisciplinary research teams to advance the biological and mechanistic understanding of cancer etiology, genesis, and risk, linked with host, lifestyle, environmental, social, and other factors, to identify new targets and approaches for cancer prevention, risk reduction, and early detection. Collaborations between traditional cancer prevention researchers (e.g., population and public health researchers, epidemiologists, social scientists) and those from other disciplines (e.g., biologists, immunologists, geneticists, drug developers) or who are new to the field are strongly encouraged. Collectively, these research teams will develop and disseminate evidence-based solutions to enable improvements in cancer prevention, risk reduction, and early detection at the individual and/or population-level. At the time of this announcement, the total amount available for this funding opportunity is up to $32,000,000 CAD to fund up to approximately sixteen (16) grants. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. Additional details: https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/54112.html

Upcoming Webinar: Environmental Exposure Datasets with CanPath and CANUE

Enhancing health research with new environmental exposure datasets from CANUE and CanPath November 18, 2024, 1-2pmEST/2-3pmAST Register: https://canpath.ca/2024/10/enhancing-health-research-with-new-environmental-exposure-datasets-from-canue-and-canpath/ CanPath is expanding its collaboration with the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE) by adding 17 new environmental exposure datasets to its existing data resources. CANUE provides standardized, area-level data on air and noise pollution, green spaces, climate change, and socioeconomic factors, linked to health cohort studies using participant residential postal codes. This webinar will introduce researchers to these new datasets, which include comprehensive measures of green spaces and vegetation (e.g., NDVI, Landsat, MODIS), air quality (PM2.5, smoke exposure), accessibility and transportation, and socioeconomic conditions. These data will be integrated with CanPath’s national harmonized dataset, providing researchers with a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of environmental exposures and health outcomes. The session will highlight practical examples of how these datasets can be utilized in studies focused on chronic diseases, cancer, and environmental health, offering researchers powerful tools to examine the spatial dimensions of health determinants. Additionally, we are pleased to share the upcoming release of Understanding Cancer Prevention through Geospatial Science: Putting Cancer in its Place, edited by one of our presenters, Dr. Trevor Dummer. The book discusses how geospatial science can support cancer prevention, featuring CanPath and CANUE in one of its chapters. Who should attend? Health and environmental researchers Epidemiologists Data scientists Public health professionals This webinar is an essential opportunity for researchers looking to expand their toolkit for investigating the impact of environmental exposures on health, utilizing rich, nationally harmonized cohort data. About the presenters Dr. Trevor Dummer Dr. Trevor Dummer, a health geographer with a PhD in Environmental Epidemiology from Newcastle University, has made significant contributions to cancer research and prevention. He joined CanPath in 2008 as the Research Director and later Co-Principal Investigator of Atlantic PATH. He was the Co-Scientific Director of the BC Generations Project (2015-2021). He has been the National Scientific Co-Director of CanPath since 2018. Holding the Canadian Cancer Society Chair in Cancer Primary Prevention, Dr. Dummer also serves as a Professor at the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia (UBC). His research delves into the impact of environmental, community, and neighbourhood factors on health, specifically focusing on cancer prevention through community knowledge translation and studying the links between cancer and environmental exposures like radon and arsenic, as well as obesity and the built environment. Sheraz Cheema Sheraz Cheema has been CanPath’s Data Manager and part of the CanPath Access Office since January 2023. He supports data requests from national and international researchers, manages CanPath research data, generates datasets for approved projects, develops and maintains components of data auditing programs for quality assurance purposes, and provides consultative advice on data requirements. Prior to CanPath, Sheraz worked as a Research Analyst at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAHM). He holds degrees in neuroscience and health informatics. Dany Doiron Dany Doiron has been the Managing Director of CANUE since March 2022. Prior to this, he acted as Data Linkage Lead and Special Projects Manager (June 2016 – March 2022). Under his leadership, CANUE data have been integrated with all of Canada’s large cohorts and many provincial administrative health data organizations, providing one-stop research approvals. Dany is also a Research Associate at the Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada, and acts as the Chief Operating Officer of the Canadian Cohort of Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD), a large population-based cohort dedicated to better understanding Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Dany holds a PhD in Epidemiology and focuses his research on the respiratory health impacts of ambient air pollution exposure. Joey Syer Joey Syer has been the CANUE Data Director since November 2022. He oversees the development of CANUE datasets and projects dedicated to their improvement in epidemiological research. Joey is also a part-time course instructor at the University of Victoria in Population Health and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Spatial Epidemiology and Outbreak Detection. Prior to CANUE, he spent 10 years (2012-2022) as a geomatics specialist at Hemmera, an Ausenco Company. Joey holds degrees in GIS and Epidemiology. He has a strong interest in environmental epidemiology, using GIS, remote sensing, and machine learning to improve environmental exposure data quality, and a wide range of health outcomes.

Data Services in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

Our team was glad to attend the Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit (MSSU) webinar today to hear about the data services available in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Atlantic PATH data is linked to administrative data with the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) and Health Data Nova Scotia (HDNS). Please feel free to reach out to any of our teams for more information!

Administrative Health Data Services in the Maritimes Webinar

Join the Maritime SPOR Support Unit to learn about accessing data administrative health data with Health Data Nova Scotia and the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training, including linked data sources from Atlantic PATH and the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging! Thursday, Oct 17th, 12-1pm AST Registration: https://t.co/r8r6KevJht

Lung Cancer Webinar (October 10th)

Webinar: Lung Cancer Screening Initiatives by G7 Cancer Dr. Jennifer Brooks, Executive Director of CanPath, is actively involved in research focused on cancer prevention and early detection. In addition to her role at CanPath, Dr. Brooks contributes to the G7 Cancer working group, which addresses cancer prevention and early detection on an international scale. Interested in the latest developments in lung cancer screening? Register here for their upcoming webinar on lung cancer screening protocols across the G7 countries: https://lnkd.in/diUYQ-gh ?️ October 10, 2024 ? 8:00 am EST/9:00 am AST