Annual Report 2020
Preface
On January 1, 2016, the Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening underwent a structural reorganization, making a new start as the Center for Public Health Sciences. In addition to the prevention and screening of cancer, the center conducts research to support the QOL of cancer patients and survivors as well as their family members, and infrastructural research in public health sciences, such as biostatistics and bioethics. In doing so, we have established a mission to improve the citizens’ QOL, to address health inequality, and to maintain and further improve the level of public health. The final goal should be a longer healthy life expectancy of Japanese people.
The organization consisting of the following groups conducted the following research in public health sciences. The Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group (the Division of Epidemiology, the Division of Prevention, the Division of Screening Assessment and Management, and the Division of Screening Technology) conducted epidemiological studies, such as large-scale cohort studies, to elucidate the etiology of chronic diseases including cancer and research to provide effective prevention methods and evidence-based prevention guidelines. In addition, to provide effective cancer screening correctly to the public, we developed a new method of cancer screening, conducted a randomized controlled trial for effectiveness evaluation, and presented cancer screening guidelines and quality assurance methods for organized cancer screening.
In April 2020, the new division, namely, the Behavioral Research Division, joined the Behavioral Sciences and Survivorship Research Group (the Department of Health Care Research), to promote researches to improve the quality of life of cancer survivors and their families, to solve mental and psychological problems, and to disseminate and implement reliable cancer prevention and screening methods, through behavioral science methods.
Furthermore, in April 2020, the new division, namely Division of International Collaborative Research joined the Common Research Group (the Division of Cohort Consortium Research, the Division of Biostatistical Research, and the Division of Bioethics and Medical Law), to promote researches with the aim of building a cross-disease and international research infrastructure that can mutually analyze cohort studies held by each national center, and conduct further researches such as biostatistics and bioethics.
In the fiscal year 2020, I believe that we have made a steady progress in fulfilling our respective missions, as reported by each department. To achieve our mission of evidence-based cancer prevention, screening and survivorship support, all members of the Center for Public Health Sciences share a strong will to keep moving forward steadily and diligently.
Yosuke Uchitomi, M.D., Ph.D. Deputy Director, Center for Public Health Sciences