Women's Circle of Health Study

The Women's Circle of Health Study

Last Updated: October 2012

The Women's Circle of Health Study aims to evaluate factors explaining the earlier age at diagnosis and the more aggressive nature of breast cancer in African-American women, compared to Caucasian women. The study is a collaboration of several institutions, including The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s School of Public Health, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

In New Jersey, participants are being recruited in nine counties (Bergen, Burlington, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Passaic, Monmouth, and Union). The study initially recruited African American and Caucasian women.

We are now recruiting only African American women newly diagnosed with breast cancer (within nine months) and African American women without a history of cancer. Women with breast cancer are identified through the New Jersey State Cancer Registry. Women without cancer are recruited through the community with the help of our community advocates.

Please see our flyer on the right and feel free to download it if you want to post or distribute in your community.

Flyer ( PDF version )

What does the study involve?

The interview takes about two hours and includes:

Answering questions regarding demographic, medical, reproductive, lifestyle and diet histories.
Measuring body size such as weight, height, waist and hip circumferences.
Providing a saliva sample.
Filling out a questionnaire about usual dietary intake.

In appreciation for donating their time to this important study, women completing all study materials are provided with a $50 gift certificate.

STUDY TEAM:

Principal Investigators:

Christine B. Ambrosone, Ph.D., (Roswell Park Cancer Institute)

Elisa V. Bandera, M.D., Ph.D. (The Cancer Institute of New Jersey)

The Women's Circle of Health Study Team at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey:

Elisa V. Bandera,

MD, PhD

Tara De Siano, R.D.

Nicole Johnson

Edie Prescod

Urmila Chandran, PhD

At the Women's Circle of Health Study Holiday Luncheon: Urmila Chandran, Charo Valdez,

Tara DeSiano, Karen Pawlish, Rudmila Chowdhury, Kiameesha Evans, Thanusha Puvananayagam, Edie Prescod,

Elisa Bandera. November 2011

The Women's Circle of Health Study Team at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (Lindsay Lefenfeld, Tara De Siano, Dr. Elisa Bandera, Stella Chang, Thanusha Puvananayagam, Jean Williams, and Charo Valdez). Summer 2009.

Special Thanks to our Community Advocates and Friends:

Debra Marshall, Yvonne McCalla Foundation Inc.

http://www.ymfinc.org/?ID=1

Debra Raines, YWCA Princeton, Breast Cancer Resource Center

http://www.ywcaprinceton.org/home.cfm

Kiameesha Evans, MPH, MCHES

Director of Community Outreach, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

http://www.cinj.org/outreach/index.html

Patti Allen

American Cancer Society, Eastern Division

www.cancer.org

Barbara Ortiz