Beverly Canin, Vice President, Breast Cancer Options, and Karen Joy Miller, Founder and President, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, are two of six breast cancer advocates appointed to the newly formed 19-member Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee (IBCERCC).  The IBCERCC has been established by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to review all breast cancer research efforts conducted or supported by federal agencies.  An advisory committee, it is charged with developing and coordinating a strategic federal research agenda on environmental and genetic factors related to breast cancer.

The committee will develop recommendations for the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and other federal agencies, to improve existing research programs related to breast cancer research. Additionally, the IBCERCC will create a comprehensive plan to expand opportunities for collaborative, multi-disciplinary research, and develop a summary of advances in federal breast cancer research.

"The broad range of expertise and insight of these individuals will ensure the federal research portfolio continues to advance our understanding of the critical links between our environment, our genes, and our health," said Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., director of NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program (NTP).

"The committee's focus on breast cancer and the environment research across federal agencies will be valuable in identifying scientific opportunities to better understand the impact of the environment on this disease," said Robert Croyle, Ph.D., director of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at NCI.

The IBCERCC is comprised of 19 voting members, including seven representatives of federal agencies; six non-federal scientists, physicians, and other health professionals from clinical, basic, and public health sciences; and six advocates for individuals with breast cancer.  Members are listed in the news release posted at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/releases/2010/breastcancer.cfm.

The first meeting of the IBCERCC was held Sept. 30 – Oct. 1, 2010 in Washington, D.C. A report of the meeting can be found at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2010/november/spotlight-breast.cfm