Victoria Seewaldt
Ruth Ziegler Professor and Chair of the Department of Population Science
Associate Cancer Center Director
City of Hope
Seminar Information
Cancer risk information is commonly evaluated at a single level of scale. Epidemiologists study large populations, geneticists evaluate genetic mutations, biologists study signaling pathways. Multi-scale modeling uses computational analysis to integrate linked measurements made at different scales of measurement (populations, individuals, microenvironment, cells, DNA/RNA/protein, and genetic information). The majority of women with triple-negative breast cancer lack an identified gene mutation. We have identified both1) imaging features and 2) signaling pathways that are activated during initiation of aggressive breast cancers. The signaling pathways we identified are activated by insulin or synergize with insulin signaling. To this end, we launched strategies to identify multi-scale models linking poverty/food deserts with insulin resistance, signal transduction, and image features. Our efforts in progress will be presented here for discussion and potential collaboration.
Victoria L. Seewaldt, M.D., is the Ruth Ziegler Professor and Chair of the Department of Population Science at City of Hope and Associate Cancer Center Director. Dr. Seewaldt was recently appointed to the NIH/NCI Board of Scientific Advisors. Dr. Seewaldt received her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Cornell University and attended medical school at University of California at Davis and received her residency and fellowship training from University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. For the past 15 years, Dr. Seewaldt has led a multi-disciplinary bench to community research effort investigating the origins of triple-negative breast cancer at Duke University. It has been her greatest hope and desire to use research findings to improve the lives of women-of-color in the Durham and Triangle Community. Dr. Seewaldt now returns home to California to lead a program at City of Hope to prevention and early detection and to build a program focusing on the health sciences of disparities. Dr. Seewaldt was recently appointed to the NIH/NCI Board of Scientific Advisors. Currently Dr. Seewaldt is focusing on the role of diabetes in promoting epigenetic damage and breast cancer risk, particularly in Latina- and African-American women. Biomarkers identified in the laboratory are tested as predictors of short-term breast cancer risk in the high-risk women who participate in Dr. Seewaldt’s clinical trials. Importantly, the resources created by the community provide resources to advance the careers of young scholars who reflect the diversity of our communities. One of Dr. Seewaldt’s most important mission at City of Hope is to provide mentorship of young scholars and connect their career development to issues that are of vital importance to their communities.