Stephen W. Wyatt, D.M.D, M.P.H., to Head CPRIT Prevention Review Council

      

"I am impressed with the commitment the State of Texas has made to cancer prevention and research, and am honored to have been asked to be part of the team that moves this initiative forward," said Dr. Wyatt.

In November 2007, Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing the State of Texas to establish CPRIT and to issue $3 billion in general obligation bonds over 10 years to fund grants for cancer research and prevention. Research and prevention grant applications will be assessed using an external-to-Texas peer review process. CPRIT's prevention program announced its first round of Request for Applications (RFA) in September. These grants are expected to be awarded by March of 2010. A second round of prevention RFAs is expected to be announced in early December. Rebecca Garcia, Ph.D. will direct the prevention grant program as chief prevention officer of CPRIT.

"I am delighted to have someone with Dr. Wyatt's experience join the CPRIT team," said Dr. Garcia. "He has experience and knowledge of public health and cancer control at the local, regional and national levels and is an established researcher with several large NCI-funded grants. I have worked with Dr. Wyatt in the past. He will be a very engaged chair and a great resource for CPRIT and me."

Prior to his appointment as dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Wyatt was a commissioned officer in the United States Public Health Service. During his 20 years of service he held assignments with the National Health Service Corps, Bureau of Prisons, Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At CDC, Dr. Wyatt served as director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and as acting deputy director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. His contributions included the development of many programs including the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and the National Program of Cancer Registries. In 1995, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation recognized Dr. Wyatt with the Betty Ford Award and in 2002 the American Cancer Society honored him with their Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Wyatt holds a master's degree in public health from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also holds a doctorate of dental medicine degree from the University of Kentucky.

"We are very fortunate to have Dr. Wyatt joining our team," said William "Bill" Gimson, executive director of CPRIT. "Dr. Wyatt knows the value of prevention and how it can be applied to achieve results."

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)
Sandra Balderrama, 512-305-8450