Seminar Series

Title
Changing the narrative of lung cancer to improve prevention and early detection

Speaker
Dr. Robin Urquhart 

Time and Date
12 – 1 pm, Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Location
MS Teams Join the meeting now 

Bio
Dr. Robin Urquhart is an Associate Professor and the Canadian Cancer Society (Nova Scotia Division) Endowed Chair in Population Cancer Research in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, with cross-appointments in the Department of Surgery and Division of Medical Education, at Dalhousie University. She is a Senior Scientist with the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute and an Affiliate Scientist at Nova Scotia Health. Dr. Urquhart is also the Nova Scotia Lead of the Atlantic Cancer Consortium and Scientific Director of the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (Atlantic PATH). Spanning the entire cancer continuum, from prevention to survivorship and end-of-life care, her research examines issues related to access, quality, equity, and effectiveness in cancer care and control.

Synopsis
Lung cancer is most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada and the leading cause of cancer death, with more Canadians dying of lung cancer than breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers combined. Although traditionally considered a disease of smokers, 20-30% of lung cancers diagnosed in Canada today are in people who never smoked. In fact, radon is the second largest contributor to lung cancer in Canada, with Canadians the second-highest population worldwide exposed to radon. Many Canadians are also exposed to other carcinogens, such as arsenic, proven to contribute to lung cancer development. In this talk, Robin will present on an interdisciplinary, pan-Canadian program of research she leads that is examining environmental exposures and lung cancer – all with the goals of improving both prevention and early detection of this highly lethal disease.