NAACCR talks are webinars on topics of interest to the NAACCR Community presented by members of the NAACCR Community. Topics include cancer surveillance, central registry operations, new technology, upcoming changes, and much more! Registration is free, but you must login using your MyNAACCR username and password. 

Live NAACCR Talks

  • Recorded On: 11/06/2023

    This two-part series is presented by CDC colleagues who are on the forefront of a number of initiatives in the rapidly developing area of public health interoperability. This educational series was presented at the NAACCR annual conference in June 2023 and, due to popular demand, is being offered as a "replay" for the entire NAACCR community.  These two sessions will provide an overview of key interoperability terms and an update on current initiatives that will impact public health and cancer surveillance in particular. These initiatives are intended to improve health data exchange and quality across healthcare. Topics will include benefits and potential implications for registries. There will be time for questions and answers throughout both sessions. 

    Sean Porter, MSHI

    Health Scientist (Informatics)

    CDC

    Sean Porter MSHI, Health Scientist (Informatics), leads the Physician Reporting module development team for eMaRC Plus and the Cancer Report Validator, which support accurate reporting from EHRs. Sean also leads an internal CDC workgroup to determine the minimum data set requirements to improve and speed up the reporting of cancer incidences and serves on the NAACCR Minimum Data Set Task Force.

    Caitlin Kennedy, MSPH

    Health Scientist (Informatics)

    CDC

    Caitlin Kennedy, MSPH, Health Scientist (Informatics), provides expertise on projects that facilitate EHR interoperability, the CDC’s Data Modernization Initiative in the context of cancer surveillance, and she coordinates on solutions that standardize the collection and exchange of cancer data, such as cancer content HL7 FHIR IGs. 

    Kasey Diebold, MS

    Health Informaticist

    CDC

    Kasey Diebold, MS, Health Informaticist, has spent the past decade focused on the intersection of epidemiology and data science, defining and implementing best practices for surveillance epidemiology, rapid response systems, and data modernization of public health systems.

    Sandy Jones

    Public Health Advisor

    CDC

    Sandy Jones is a Public Health Advisor with the Cancer Surveillance Branch, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA.  She coordinates the implementation of electronic reporting of cancer pathology and biomarker data from national and regional laboratories to state cancer registries using the NAACCR Volume V and CAP Cancer Protocols and Templates. Mrs. Jones serves as Co-Chair of the NAACCR Volume V Revision Task Force that is charged with updating the implementation guide for laboratory reporting of cancer pathology and biomarker data. She has been with the CDC since 1989 and has spent most of that time providing expertise in the areas of data management, computer programming, informatics, and network administration for cancer prevention and control and environmental health programs.

    Joseph Rogers, MS

    Team Lead for Informatics, Data Science and Applications Team

    CDC

    Joseph D. Rogers received his B.S. and M.S. in Biology/Chemistry and Information Management respectively from Arizona State University (ASU).  He worked in Arizona for the Maricopa County Health Department as a project manager and data analyst before joining CDC in 1991 (first as a contractor and then as a federal employee in 1997).  During Mr. Rogers’ contracting years at CDC, he worked as a systems analyst on information technology projects, as a project manager, and as a data manager within the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).  When Mr. Rogers joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a federal employee, he initially worked for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) as data manager and later joined the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC)/Cancer Surveillance Branch (CSB) in 1998 as the Team Lead for the IDSAT Team

On-Demand NAACCR Talks

  • Recorded On: 11/13/2023

    The NAACCR Professional Development Steering Committee Upkeep Task Force revised the Oncology Data Specialist Training Guide. This presentation will review the revisions and the goals of the guide.

    Constance "Connie" Boone, BA, AAS, CTR

    Senior Clinical Data Partner

    Prisma Health

    Connie has been a CTR since 2018 working in a Multi facility Academic Enterprise followed by working as the Quality Assurance Manager & Education/Training Coordinator for South Carolina. She is currently the cancer registry manager of a multi-facility health system in SC.  Recipient of the April Fritz Award in 2020, NAACCR Future Leaders Award in 2022.  She is also the current president of the SC Cancer Registrars Association.


  • Recorded On: 10/23/2023

    This webinar will introduce Vesta, a software for visualization and exploratory space-time analysis and modeling.  Developed with funding from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Vesta is designed to accelerate visualization, hypothesis generation, and modeling of complex, multivariate datasets that typify health-environment relationships.  

    This webinar will also demonstrate four applications of using Vesta to answer public health questions including hypothesis generation (identification of spatial patterns for cervical mortality that account for ethnicity and poverty, visualization of late-stage breast cancer incidence) and hypothesis testing (Flint water lead levels, late-stage breast cancer incidence). 

    Pierre Goovaerts, PhD

    Chief Scientist

    BioMedware

    Pierre Goovaerts (PhD) is Chief Scientist at BioMedware. Prior to joining BioMedware in 2002,Dr. Goovaerts studied at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)and at Stanford University. He spent five years on the Faculty at theUniversity of Michigan, Civil and Environmental Engineering department. He hastaught geostatistics workshops on six continents, which are attended byacademics, consultants and government employees, and was the 2013 International Association forMathematical Geosciences Distinguished Lecturer. Dr. Goovaerts has authored more than160 refereed papers in the field of theoretical and applied geostatistics,written the reference textbook in the field, and he is a reviewer for50 international journals. He is a consultant on environmental projects dealingwith the characterization of air, soil and water pollution and its impact onhuman health. Since 2006, Dr. Goovaerts has been a Courtesy Associate Professorat the University of Florida, Soil and Water Science Department. (See also Google Scholar and ResearchGate.)

    Geoffrey M. Jacquez, MS, PhD

    President

    BioMedware

    Geoffrey M. Jacquez (MS, PhD) is President of BioMedware, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Healthat The University of Michigan, and former Professor of Geography, StateUniversity of New York at Buffalo. Prior to founding BioMedware in 1990, Dr.Jacquez was a Research Associate at the Stony Brook Research Foundation at theState University of New York. Dr. Jacquez has led several successful softwaredevelopment efforts in the area of spatial and space-time data analysis,simulation, and modeling. He is internationally recognized in the field of GISand health, and holds four patents with one pending for unique softwareinnovations he conceived and developed. He is a founding member of theeditorial board of the journal Spatial and Spatio-temporal Epidemiology, and was recently co-science directorof crcsiAustralia health program (See also Google Scholar and ResearchGate.)

  • Recorded On: 03/20/2023

    CONCORD: After describing world-wide surveillance of trends in cancer survival for the first time in 2015, the third cycle of the CONCORD programme (CONCORD-3) was updated to include patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2014, with follow-up to 31 December 2014. It included data for 18 cancers or haematological malignancies that collectively represented 75% of the global cancer burden in 2014. Individual patient records for over 37.5 million patients were included in the analyses. These data were provided by 322 population-based cancer registries in 71 countries and territories, of which 47 provided data with 100% national population coverage. Cancer registries in nine Canadian provinces and 42 US states contributed data for a total of 14,320,034 patients. Since 2017, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has included survival estimates from the CONCORD programme among the indicators of the effectiveness of health systems in managing cancer in all its Health at a Glance reports. 

    VENUSCANCER: Embedded in the CONCORD programme, this is a world-wide project designed to explain the global inequalities in patterns of care, short-term survival and trends in avoidable premature deaths from breast, cervical and ovarian cancers, the three most common cancers in women. The goal of this project, funded by the European Research Council, is to provide levers for health policy to reduce or eliminate avoidable differences in survival from these cancers.
     
    During the webinar we will discuss the ongoing data submission to the VENUSCANCER project, and the recent call for data for CONCORD-4.
     
    Presentations:
    VENUSCANCER: Project Overview and Extend Call for Data
    Claudia Allemani, MSc, PhD, FHEA, MFPH
    London Scholl of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
     
    SAS-Code to map NAACCR Data Structure to VENUSCANCER data specification
    Bozena Morawski, BA, MPH, PhD
    Cancer Data Registry of Idaho
     
    CONCORD-4: Scope and Ambition, and Call for Data
    Michel Coleman, BA, BM BCh, MSc, FFPH
    London School of hygiene and Tropical Medicine
     
    SAS-code to Map NAACCR Data Structure to CONCORD-4 Data Specification
    Christopher Johnson, MPH
    Cancer Data Registry of Idaho

    Claudia Allemani, MSc, PhD, FHEA, MFPH

    Professor of Global Public Health

    London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

    Dr. Claudia Allemani is Professor of Global Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Claudia’s background covers the range from applied mathematics to public health and education, via epidemiology and medical statistics. She graduated [laurea magistrale] in mathematics from the University of Turin, Italy, in 1996, then completed a Master’s degree in Statistical and Informatic Methods for data analysis in the University of Milan, Italy, in 1998, followed by a specializzazione [PhD equivalent] in Medical Statistics in 2001, and a PhD in Public Health and Education in 2006, both in the University of Pavia, Italy. She was elected a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy in July 2012, and an Honorary Member of the UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH) in March 2014. She was awarded the Faculty’s inaugural Global Public Health Award in June 2016.

    Her main interests are in international comparisons of cancer survival trends (EUROCARE, HAEMACARE, CONCORD Programme), “high‐resolution” studies on patterns of care, as well as the estimation of avoidable premature deaths, with focus on their impact on cancer policy. She has over 20 years’ experience in this domain. She leads the data management, quality control and survival analyses for the global surveillance of cancer survival (CONCORD), for which she is co‐Principal Investigator. In 2017, she obtained a prestigious European Research Council Consolidator grant to carry out a world‐wide study on inequalities in survival from cancers of the breast, cervix and ovary (VENUSCANCER).

    Bozena Morawski, PhD, MPH

    Epidemiologist

    Cancer Data Registry of Idaho

    Dr. Bozena Morawski is an epidemiologist at the Cancer Data Registry of Idaho and co-Principal Investigator for Idaho’s SEER contract. She received a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota and an MPH from the University of California, Los Angeles. She chairs the NAACCR Data Security and Confidentiality Work Group, is a member of the CiNA Editorial Work Group, and a member of the CiNA Survival and Prevalence Work Group.

    CDRI’s involvement in this project was funded in whole with Federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN261201800006I, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, under Cooperative Agreement NU58DP007160 to the Cancer Data Registry of Idaho, Idaho Hospital Association.

    The findings and conclusions in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Cancer Institute or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Michel Colman, BA, BM BCh, MSc, FFPH

    Professor of Epidemiology and Vital Statistics

    London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

    Michel Coleman has been a Professor of Epidemiology and Vital Statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) since 1995; Head of the Cancer Survival Group at LSHTM since 2005, and Honorary Consultant in Oncology at UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since 2012.

    He has worked for the World Health Organisation at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon (1987-1991), and was Medical Director of the Thames Cancer Registry in London (1991-1995). He was Head of the Cancer and Public Health Unit (LSHTM) during 1998-2003; Deputy Chief Medical Statistician (Office for National Statistics) during 1995-2004, and Head of the WHO UK Collaborating Centre on the Classification of Diseases during 1996-2004. With Professor Claudia Allemani, he is co-Principal Investigator of the CONCORD programme for the global surveillance of trends in cancer survival.

    Christopher Johnson, MPH

    Epidemiologist, Idaho SEER Principal Investigator

    Cancer Data Registry of Idaho

    Chris Johnson has worked as an epidemiologist for the Cancer Data Registry of Idaho, a program of the Idaho Hospital Association, since 1998. Mr. Johnson received a Master of Public Health degree in biostatistics from the University of North Carolina, a long time ago. He has been involved with NAACCR since early in his career as a cancer epidemiologist, and his main contributions to NAACCR today are on the Virtual Pooled Registry Cancer Linkage System and as lead editor for the NAACCR Cancer in North America (CiNA) survival and prevalence volumes.

    CDRI’s involvement in this project was funded in whole with Federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN261201800006I, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, under Cooperative Agreement NU58DP007160 to the Cancer Data Registry of Idaho, Idaho Hospital Association.

    The findings and conclusions in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Cancer Institute or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • Recorded On: 05/22/2023

    Climate change is one of the biggest threats we face—with a wide range of impacts on human health. NIH has recognized the urgency of these issues and has created a relatively new Climate Change and Health Initiative. This initiative is intended to fund new research and partnerships focused on reducing health threats from climate change across the lifespan and build health resilience in individuals, communities, and nations around the world, especially among those at highest risk. Please join us on May 22nd, 2023 at 2pm EDT for presentations from researchers involved in research supported by this initiative.   


     Speaker 1:  Robert A Hiatt, MD, PhD, Professor, UCSF

    Title: Climate Change and Its Impact Across the Cancer Continuum

    Brief Summary: How will climate change likely impact cancer etiology, incidence and mortality? What can we expect locally and globally in the near future? What can we do about it? How might climate change effect cancer registration and surveillance?


    Speaker 2:  Leticia Nogueira, Ph.D., MPH, Scientific Director, American Cancer Society

    Presentation Title: What can be measured can be changed: Cancer Surveillance and the Climate Crisis

    Brief Summary: Overview of the different ways climate change impacts cancer control efforts and the role of cancer registries in understanding the problem and identifying solutions.


    Speaker 3: Ana Patricia Ortiz, PhD, MPH, Investigator, University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Presentation Title: Research on the Impact of Climate Change on Cancer Prevention and Control: Puerto Rico as a Case Study

    Brief Summary: Examples of research efforts in Puerto Rico on the impacts of climate change and extreme events on cancer patients, as well as on cancer prevention and control efforts in this population.

    Robert A Hiatt, MD, PhD

    Professor

    University of California San Francisco

    Dr.Hiatt is a Professor, immediate past Chair of Epidemiology and Biostatistics atUSCF, and the Associate Director of Population Sciences for the Helen DillerFamily Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is the PI of the National PrecisionMedicine Initiative, All of Us, as UCSF since the beginning of theproject. His research is in cancer epidemiology, health inequities,environmental health research, global health science, and implementation science.He is strongly interested in the conduct of and training in transdisciplinary,team and translational science and was responsible for developing the PhDprogram in Epidemiology and Translational Science at UCSF. 

    Leticia Nogueira, PhD, MPH

    Scientific Director

    American Cancer Society

    Asthe Scientific Director at the Surveillance and Health equity Sciencesdepartment at the American Cancer Society, Dr. Nogueira’s research focuses oncancer disparities that can be addressed by policy changes, especially thoserelated to structural racism and climate change. She also holds an AdjunctProfessor position at Emory University and is one of the inaugural NIH ClimateChange and Health Scholars. Dr. Nogueira received the Women in Cancer ResearchAward from the American Association for Cancer Research, the NIH Fellows Awardfor Excellence, and was inducted into the University of Texas at Austin Hall ofHonors. She has pioneered research on the impact of climate-driven disasters oncancer patients – using cancer registry data.

    Ana Patricia Ortiz, PhD, MPH

    Epidemiologist; Investigator of the Division of Caner Control and Population Sciences

    University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Dr. Ortiz is a cancer epidemiologist with over 18 years of experience in cancer prevention and control research. She is an Investigator of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UPRCCC), Director of the Training and Education Programs Office of the UPRCCC, and an Ad-Honorem Professor in Epidemiology at the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology of the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus.  Dr. Ortiz has strong interests on cancer health disparities and climate change, and has participated in NCI and NASA funded research projects related to climate change, extreme events and cancer. Her publications in the field include describing the impact of hurricanes on gynecologic cancer patients and their health services, and the need for cancer control plans to include goals and objectives that help mitigate the impact of climate change on cancer prevention and control.  

  • Recorded On: 04/26/2023

    This webinar will provide information on secondary data sharing initiatives, resources, and benefits from the research, registry, and patient perspective. Inspire registries to eliminate barriers to secondary data sharing and adopt resources to facilitate such sharing while protecting registry data.

    Secondary Data Sharing Fact Sheet

    Presentations:

    Maximizing Research Discovery Through Secondary Data Sharing

    Dennis Deapen, DrPH, MPH

    University of Southern California

    VPR Templated DUA: A Vehicle for Secondary Data Sharing

    Castine Clerkin, MS, CTR

    NAACCR

    Unique Results Obtained Through Secondary Data Sharing of the Multiethnic Cohort

    Lynne Wilkens, DrPH, MS

    University of Hawaii Cancer Center

    A Registry Perspective on Secondary Data Sharing

    Marjorie Carter, MS

    Utah Cancer Registry

    Patient Perspective on Secondary Data Sharing

    Hanna Jorgenson

    Cancer Survivor

    Click to register

    Dennis Deapen, DrPH, MPH

    Professor Emeritus

    University of Southern California

    Dennis Deapen is a public health policy wonk who seeks to extend his cancer registry and research experience to reduce barriers and increase efficiency in cancer research and prevention.  He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California.

    Castine Clerkin, MS, CTR

    VPR Program Manager, NAACCR

    NAACCR

    Castine Clerkin is the Program Manager for NAACCR’s Virtual Pooled Registry Cancer Linkage System. In this role she oversees all aspects of the project, including system development and testing, coordination with researchers and registries, and identification of efficiencies to streamline the cancer registry linkage, approval and data release process.  She serves as chair to both the VPR DUA Task Force and the Secondary Data Sharing Task Force. 

    Lynne Wilkens, DrPH

    Director, Biostatistics Shared Resource

    University of Hawai'i Cancer Center

    Dr. Wilkens has a DrPH from the University of North Carolina in Biostatistics and has worked in health research for over 30 years including over 25 years in cancer research. Much of this effort has focused on prevention in the domains of epidemiology and intervention research. A primary focus for Dr. Wilkens at UHCC has been in the quantification of cancer incidence and mortality rates for the multiethnic populations of Hawaiʻi and the US affiliated Pacific, and studying the underlying causes of differences in cancer risks between ethnic groups. Genetic as well as lifestyle factors, including diet, physical activity, smoking and neighborhood environment, have been considered. Dr. Wilkens has published over 300 publications from these efforts.

    Hanna Jorgenson

    Cancer Survivor

    Hanna Jorgenson is a cancer survivor and lives with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a cancer predisposition syndrome. She is passionate about sharing her story and advocates for data sharing to help improve outcomes for cancer patients and their families.