CAP Special Interest Groups

Immunology Interest group

The Cancer and Immunology Interest Group (CAIG) was formed as a subgroup to the Cancer and Aging Program (CAP) at the University of Iowa' s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. David M. Lubaroff, PhD, the Co-Principal Investigator of the P20 Integrating Aging and Cancer Research, is directing the group. The group had its organizational meeting in September 2004 and began meeting on a monthly basis since March 2005. There are 20 members of the group with faculty from six departments in the Colleges of Medicine, Public Health, and Liberal Arts. Research interests include regulation of autoimmunity, signaling pathways in T and B lymphocytes, regulatory T cells, tumor immunology & immunotherapy, cell death pathways, stress and immune responsiveness, cytokine regulation, dendritic cell biology, and B lymphocyte biology. Each month one member presents a summary of his or her research in an informal "chalk talk" format with the initial goal of an understanding of each member' s research area. Ultimately, the group will plan collaborative research interactions in the area of cancer and aging in order to foster the goal of building a viable immunology section to the CAP at this institution. Please contact Dr. Lubaroff at david-lubaroff@uiowa.edu for additional information.

Neurocognition Interest Group

The Neurocognition Interest Group at the University of Iowa consists of faculty from several departments, including Epidemiology, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Psychology. Furthermore, the areas of clinical and research expertise among the faculty are diverse, and include medicine, neuropsychology, psychology, and public health. The Neurocognition Interest Group met on five occasions during its first year in existence. Meetings range from informal discussions regarding research and scholarly literature to formal presentations by multidisciplinary faculty and members of the group. Topics have included new treatments for leukemia, medical decision-making, end-of-life issues, and collaborative research approaches. During the next year, we plan to meet on a bi-monthly basis. In addition, we held a local conference to address decision-making among older patients with cancer on November 4th, 2005. Dr. Ellen Peters, of the Decision Research Institute and the University of Oregon was the keynote speaker. Another conference was held November 28, 2006, featuring "The Aging Mind" presented by Denise Park, PhD. Conference information is available online. Please contact Natalie Denburg, PhD, at natalie-denburg@uiowa.edu for additional information about this group.

Cancer Outcomes in Practice (COP) Interest Group

Special interest groups are formed to bring together diverse groups of investigators from across UI departments and colleges who have shared research interests. The Cancer Outcomes in Practice (COP) group was formed as a subgroup of the developing Cancer and Aging Program (CAP) P20 grant (R.B. Wallace, PI). It is also supported by the Health Effectiveness Research Center (HERCe) and the UI Older Adults Center for Education & Research on Therapeutics (UIOAC). The CAP Database Core within HERCe, directed by Elizabeth A. Chrischilles, PhD, continues to facilitate and lead this interest group. To reflect the expanded scope of this interest group, the name was recently changed from the Comorbidity Interest Group to the Cancer Outcomes in Practice (COP) Interest Group. Members of this work group are not only interested in the valid measurement and application of comorbidity in research studies but also seek to share and advance cancer outcomes research methods.

COP activities include periodic informal group meetings, formal workshops and seminars by invited speakers. Two methods workshops, both well attended, were held this past year: 1) Estimating Treatment Effects with Observational Data using Instrumental Variable Estimation: The Extent of Inference, and 2) Early Findings from the Cancer Care and Outcomes Research Surveillance (CanCORS) study. Building interdisciplinary project teams is a primary goal of the group. A flourishing multi-project lymphoma studies working group is one example of an interdisciplinary team spawned by this interest group. Future plans include expansion of working groups in the areas of breast, lung, prostate, and head & neck cancer, additional workshops and the formation of a journal club.

Pertinent literature, conferences & events, and funding opportunities are distributed through the CAP listserv. For additional information, please contact Elizabeth Chrischilles, MS, PhD, at e-chrischilles@uiowa.edu.