COMPASS Scientific Director, Dr. Brisa Aschebrook-Kilfoy, was alerted by colleagues in the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2016 that her analytic expertise was required to respond to inquiries into a potential cancer epidemic….in her own Chicago neighborhood- Beverly. Since then, she has been working with civic leaders, including State Senator Bill Cunningham, State Representative Fran Hurley, and Alderman Matt O’Shea, as well as local physicians Dr. Moira McQuinlan and Dr. Jilma Patrick, in an effort to analyze the Illinois State Cancer Registry Data and to identify opportunities to consider the role of environmental exposures.
COMPASS is the ideal cohort in Chicago to consider the concerns given the extensive survey data, biosamples, and the environmental monitoring team. Together, the civic leaders, physicians, and scientists are working to provide insight into the relative magnitude of the elevated cancer risk and opportunities for interventions and prevention.
COMPASS is going to be recruiting participants in Beverly, Mount Greenwood, and Morgan Park neighborhoods beginning summer 2019 through 2020.
More can be learned about the collaboration here and here and the preliminary cancer registry reports here.
