Master of Science in Global Health student Alexis Gaines presented her thesis research at the 2012 Science of Global Prostate Cancer Disparities Conference last week in Nassau, Bahamas.
Her research focuses on the link between race and prostate cancer risk. In the review of nearly 1,000 African American and white men from the Durham VA Medical Center who underwent their first prostate biopsy between 2001 and 2009, Gaines found that black men were younger at the time of the biopsy and more likely to have cancer than white men. Her study suggests that black race may be a significant predictor of prostate cancer risk and disease severity.
Gaines’ faculty mentors for the research are Cathrine Hoyo, Patricia Moorman and Elizabeth Turner. The research will be part of her upcoming MSc-GH thesis defense in the spring.
