CPH faculty highlight state’s high cancer rates in report to lawmakers

Edith Parker, Mary Charlton, and Jake Oleson recently presented findings on Iowa's high cancer rates to the Senate Health and Human Services committee. Several weeks ago, the researchers presented their preliminary findings to the House committee. Lawmakers asked about risk factors and some of the county-level details. Published April 6, 2026

Chrischilles receives Leadership in Research Award

Elizabeth Chrischilles, professor and DEO of the Department of Epidemiology and Marvin A. and Rose Lee Pomerantz Endowed Chair in Public Health, received the 2026 UI Leadership in Research Award, a lifetime achievement recognizing enduring research and scholarly accomplishments.  Published March 31, 2026

Charlton honored with 2026 UI Faculty Communicating Ideas Award

Mary Charlton, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and director of the Iowa Cancer Registry, received the 2026 University of Iowa Faculty Communicating Ideas Award, which honors excellence in communicating research to the public through print and electronic media.  Published March 31, 2026

CPH researchers to receive Large Grant Development Opportunity funds

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) awarded funding to 12 interdisciplinary University of Iowa research teams to support the development of large, competitive grant proposals. The program begins this year and will run through 2029. A CPH-led project will examine cancer survivorship care in rural populations.  Published March 30, 2026

Webinar: HPV and Cervical Cancer

The College of Public Health and Iowa Immunizes have launched a new webinar series celebrating two decades of cancer prevention, protection, and progress made possible by the HPV vaccine. The next webinar in the series is April 24, with a session on HPV and cervical cancer. Published March 30, 2026

Hamann talks about balancing the needs of older drivers and road safety

With more older drivers on the road, states try to balance safety and mobility. "Every state has some kind of licensing policy that affects older adults, but we don't really have good evidence behind those policies," said associate professor Cara Hamann, an epidemiologist at the UI College of Public Health who studies road safety.  Published March 23, 2026

Media roundup: 2026 Cancer in Iowa report

A number of news stories were generated about the 2026 Cancer in Iowa report that was released on March 13, 2026. Check out a sample of some of the media coverage. Published March 17, 2026

2026 Cancer in Iowa Report highlights cancer incidence among Iowa’s farming population

The Cancer in Iowa Report, published annually by the Iowa Cancer Registry, provides an overview of the current burden of cancer in the state. In addition to annual data and projections, the 2026 report features findings from the Agricultural Health Study, one of the world’s largest and longest-running active studies of agricultural exposures and health.  Published March 13, 2026

PhD student Erin Taber highlights the impact of community-driven research in maternal and child health

In a recent blog post, epidemiology PhD student Erin Taber discusses how community engagement and lived experience inform her research in maternal and child health (MCH), and reflects on the value of community partnerships and the importance of centering patient perspectives in advancing MCH practice. Published March 11, 2026

Plugged in to Public Health: How multi-site public health research actually works

In this episode, we sit down with Brian Gryzlak, program director in the department of epidemiology, to talk about what it really takes to coordinate large multi-site epidemiological research. Brian directs Iowa’s participation in PCORnet, a national patient-centered clinical research network that standardizes healthcare data across institutions to support large-scale comparative effectiveness research. Published March 2, 2026