Our Faculty

As a both a practicing medical oncologist and cancer epidemiologist, Dr. Alfred Neugut?s major interests have been on GI tract cancers, notably the epidemiology of colorectal adenomas and cancer, as well as colonoscopic screening. He serves as co-principal investigator of the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project, a large multi-center effort to explore environmental causes of breast cancer on Long Island. Most recently, his efforts have focused on more clinical topics, such as the epidemiology of second malignanicies and the use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy among elderly cancer patients. Dr. Neugut focuses a great deal on racial disparities in incidence and survival from cancer and, in particular, variations across subgroups of people of African descent. He leads two large training grants in cancer-related population sciences that together fund 15 pre and postdoctoral trainees in cancer epidemiology, biostatistics, and environmental health sciences, and serves as a mentor to a number of junior faculty.

MPH, Columbia School of Public Health, 1983

PhD, Columbia University, 1977

MD, Columbia University, 1977

BA, Columbia College, 1972

University Affiliations:

• Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
• New York Presbyterian Hospital

Additional Affiliations:

• President, American Society of Preventive Oncology, 1999-2001

Cancer Center-Minority Institution Partnership
Dr. Neugut and colleagues have formed a collaboration with investigators from Long Island University in Brooklyn, headed by Dr. Carol Magai, focused on studying cancer rates, lifestyle, and attitudes towards screening and prevention behavior among Afro-Caribbean populations in Brooklyn, including those from Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad And Tobago, Barbados, etc. and comparing them to each other and to U.S.-born blacks and whites. Further studies are being explored in the Caribbean area as well.

Colon Screening for the Indigent
With funding from the New York State Department of Health, Dr. Neugut and colleagues have a program in place to provide free fecal occult blood testing for indigent adults in Manhattan. This program provides close to 2000 screening tests each year, as well as 100-150 screening colonoscopies for those at elevated risk for colorectal cancer (e.g., those with a family history of colon cancer).