Background Information

The Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Centers program is a network of collaborative research centers comprised of teams including scientists, clinicians, and breast cancer advocates focused on how chemical, physical, and social factors in the environment interact with genetic factors to affect mammary gland development. Jointly supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute, this program will span seven years with annual funding levels of $5 million per year, for a total commitment of $35 million.

Network Management

The network is governed by a Steering Committee comprised of the Director and a member of the COTC for each Research Center with participation from NCI and NIEHS Program staff. The Steering Committee sets priorities for the Centers program and the collaborative projects.

Working Group

The Centers Network is advised by a Working Group (WG) of the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council (NAEHSC). The WG includes representation from the NIEHS NAEHSC and the NCI National Cancer Advisory Board, as well as ad hoc members, in order to provide advice to the Director, NIEHS, on the progress of the Centers program and opportunities in related disciplines that complement its work. The WG will meet annually with the steering committee to review scientific advances emanating from this program, discuss potential pitfalls and emerging areas of interest, and to make recommendations about future directions including topics for scientific symposia.

The WG members consist of scientists, breast cancer advocates, and health care providers. Nominations for members were actively solicited from leading organizations in the breast cancer advocacy community, including the National Breast Cancer Coalition, National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Coalition of Hispanic Women Against Cancer Breast, and Marin County Breast Cancer Watch. Solicitations were also made to respected cancer research organizations, such as the American Society for Preventive Oncology and the American Cancer Society and other breast cancer research programs.

Members of the Working Group