Reconciling Precision Medicine and Evidence-based Medicine with Big Data-based Research

Date:

Monday, 21 October 2019

Time:

1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue:

Conference Rooms 1 and 2, Level 10
Tahir Foundation Building (MD1)
Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
National University of Singapore
12 Science Drive 2, S(117549)

Synopsis:

The vision for Precision Health is to improve health and reduce non-communicable chronic disease burden, especially cancer burden, through research discovery, evidence synthesis, translation of science for evidence-based prevention and therapy, personalised health services, informed health policy, and developing the next generation of leaders in the field. The ultimate goal is to improve the lives of patients predisposed to or are living with chronic disease/cancer, and the general population. A vital component of the Precision Health is prediction: Whom will specific chronic disease/cancer strike? Are certain individuals more at risk and why? What can be done to identify specific chronic disease/ cancer early, prevent cancer from recurrence or thwart development of secondary primary tumors? What are the best treatment regimens for individuals with specific chronic disease/cancer? What is the future outlook for cancer survivors and how can we improve their quality of life? Professor Xifeng Wu’s program bridges the fields of epidemiology, laboratory studies, statistics, and clinical and translational research. She will present her work on building a series of big data/biospecimen banks, using highly innovative and integrative research strategies to discover novel modifiable risk factors, uncover molecular signatures and create robust prediction models for risk stratification across the cancer continuum.

About the speaker:

Wu Xifeng, professor of epidemiology, obtained her PhD from School of Public Health, University of Texas in 1994. She worked at MD Anderson Cancer Centre for 27 years and was appointed the chair of the Department of Epidemiology in 2011. She is currently appointed the dean of School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, vice dean of the Second Affiliated Hospital of ZJU, as well as the director of National Healthcare Big Data Centre in China.

Prof Wu’s main research interest lies in cancer prediction with cutting-edge evidence-based medicine and integrated strategies using big data analytics. Combining patients’ biorepository, blood specimens and histories, Prof Wu and her world-leading research team identify risk factors of cancer symptoms, prognosis, treatment efficacy, toxicity, survival and quality of life.

Over the years, Prof Wu has published over 550 peer-review papers, invited articles and editorials in journals such as Nature Genetics(IF:27.1), Lancet(IF:53.3), Lancet Oncology(IF:36.4), JAMA(IF:44.4), British Medical Journal(IF:28), New England Journal of Medicine(IF:79.258), and Nature(IF:79.258). She has been awarded multiple research fundings, including 16 from National Cancer Institute, and 30 R01 grants, which sum up to a total of over 100 million USD. She is the on the panel committee for In National Cancer Institute US, European Research Council, as well as cancer research UK.

Prof Wu has been awarded the MD Anderson Outstanding Investigator, Ashbel Smith Professor of UT, Rogers Award for Excellence, the Devereaux Award for Outstanding Young Investigators, etc. In teaching, she has mentored many postgraduate students, postdoc researchers, and junior doctors. She has been awarded the faculty scholar award, the faculty achievement award and the distinguished mentor award, etc.

In recognition of her substantial contribution to medicine, Prof Wu was named one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 2014.