44th Scientific Advisory Committee Meeting held at Hiroshima RERF Department of Epidemiology’s turn to undergo in-depth review

The 44th meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), an external body made up of experts, was held over three days, March 1-3, 2017, at the Hiroshima Laboratory of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF). Numerous results have been generated by RERF using long-term follow-up data from A-bomb survivors, and because not all RERF departments can be reviewed at one time, a different department undergoes an in-depth review each year. This year, the SAC conducted an in-depth review of the Department of Epidemiology. For this purpose, in addition to the 10 regular SAC members from the U.S. and Japan, experts in the fields of cancer epidemiology and radiation epidemiology were invited to serve as Special Scientific Advisors. A total of 13 advisors thus participated in this year’s meeting.

Following RERF Chairman Ohtsura Niwa’s greetings, Dr. Robert L. Ullrich, RERF Vice Chairman, presented an overview of RERF’s organizational structure and finances, responses to the previous year’s SAC recommendations, research activity highlights, priority issues, and measures for continuing to revitalize the organization.

In addition to RERF responses to the previous year’s SAC recommendations and its future plans, four research scientists from the Department of Epidemiology, the department receiving the in-depth review this year, made presentations, leading to discussions about effect modification by lifestyle factors on site-specific cancers and other issues.

Besides the presentations made by other research departments, a report was made on the Epidemiological Study of Health Effects in Fukushima Emergency Workers. There were also informal sessions related to the three RERF research clusters (cancer, non-cancer, and genetics) and its Department of Information Technology. Mid- and long-term issues were also discussed, including RERF’s future vision amid declining numbers of A-bomb survivors.

On the final day after completion of the review, the SAC presented an overview of this year’s recommendations.

Dr. Robert L. Ullrich, in an appreciation message to RERF staff after conclusion of the event, conveyed SAC’s impressions: “The SAC committee told me that the organization of the review and the presentations were outstanding,” providing the SAC with a clear and comprehensive overview of the departments and the breadth and depth of RERF’s research programs. He added, “I think their [the SAC’s] report will be very useful for our future directions, and we should all look forward to seeing it.”
Please find the list of participants below.

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS

SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS