CCEB Seminar- Dezheng Huo, PhD

"Breast Cancer Epidemiology in Diverse Populations: Etiology and Beyond"Dezheng Huo, PhDAssociate ProfessorDepartment of Public Health SciencesUniversity of Chicago   Dezheng Huo is Associate Professor of Epidemiology in Department of Public Health Sciences with joint appointment in Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Dr. Huo's research spans across several areas of breast cancer research, including: 1) the genetic and environmental factors underlying the etiology of breast cancer, particular in women of African ancestry; 2) epigenetics, non-coding RNAs, and the prognosis of breast cancer; 3) treatment utilization and health disparity in breast cancer patients. Using genome-wide association study and whole genome sequencing approach, Dr. Huo has been investigating the genetic factors for breast cancer in women of African ancestry. Collaborating with researchers in a consortium, he seeks to develop a genetic risk prediction model to predict breast cancer risk for African Americans. He also completed a pilot study identifying microRNAs in circulation that can predict breast cancer recurrence. Dr. Huo conducted systemic investigations of the utilization of hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, and surgery in breast cancer patients, as well as outcome disparity due to nonadherence to guidelines. He is exploring the influence of lifestyle factors and comorbidity on survival outcomes in breast cancer survivors using a perspective cohort study of multiple ethnicities.