Cancer Institute of NJ assigns tobacco control expert as co-leader of Cancer Prevention and Control Program

A Monmouth Junction (Middlesex County) resident has been named as co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Cristine Delnevo, PhD, MPH, professor and chair of health education/behavioral science and director of the Center for Tobacco Surveillance & Evaluation Research at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Public Health, was recently appointed by Cancer Institute of New Jersey Director Robert S. DiPaola, MD.

A nationally-recognized expert in tobacco control, Dr. Delnevo has been a research member at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey since 2002. In her new role, she will be responsible for developing population-based research that fosters collaborative, multidisciplinary and translational research to reduce the burden of cancer and improve the quality of life for cancer patients, survivors and those who are at risk for developing cancer.

She takes over the position from Benjamin Crabtree, PhD, director of the Division of Research and professor of family medicine and community health research at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and will work in tandem with the other co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Sharon Manne, PhD, professor of medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

"Dr. Delnevo's expertise in the area of tobacco control complements one of our core missions -- cancer prevention. Her wealth of experience in this area and research design will result in novel investigations that will yield valuable information regarding cancer-related disparities in large populations, noted Dr. DiPaola, a professor of medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "Partnering with Dr. Sharon Manne, I have every confidence that in her new role, Dr. Delnevo will contribute to the advancement and success of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey."

Delnevo is author or co-author of numerous publications and serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Health Behaviors. She also is a contributing author to two Surgeon General's Reports on Smoking and Tobacco Use and is a member of the American Public Health Association, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, and American Academy of Health Behaviors. Her work is supported through numerous research grants from the National Cancer Institute.